Shreveport, LA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Shreveport, LA, also called nuisance dog, dog noise, or excessive barking ordinances, define when a barking dog becomes a code violation and how complaints are handled.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 14-17(a)
- Barking cure period
- Immediate upon notification
- Other nuisance cure period
- 24 hours after notice
- Enforcing agency
- Caddo Parish Animal Services
- General penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine, 60 days jail
Summary
Shreveport Code § 14-17 bans keeping any animal that unreasonably disturbs neighbors, naming excessive barking specifically. Most nuisance complaints give an owner 24 hours to correct the problem after notice, but for excessive barking the code requires an immediate fix the moment animal control or police give notification.
(a)No person shall willfully or knowingly harbor or keep on his premises or elsewhere any animal which causes an unreasonable disturbance of the peace of the neighbors or occupants of adjacent premises, or suffer or permit any animal to create a nuisance as defined in this chapter. This includes excessive barking. A person shall be deemed to have willfully and knowingly violated this section, if such person, having been notified by the department or law enforcement officers of such disturbances, shall have refused for a period of 24 hours to correct same and prevent reoccurrence. In the matter of excessive barking, the remedy shall be immediate upon notification.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 Update 1 | Unified Development Code: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Section 14-17(a) makes it unlawful to willfully or knowingly harbor an animal that causes an unreasonable disturbance of the peace for neighbors or occupants of adjacent premises, and it expressly names excessive barking as covered conduct. For most nuisance violations, an owner is only in willful violation if, after the department or a law enforcement officer notifies them, they refuse for 24 hours to correct it and prevent reoccurrence. Barking gets a stricter timeline: the code states the remedy for excessive barking 'shall be immediate upon notification,' with no 24-hour grace period.
Subsection (b) adds a broader duty: an owner must keep pens, yards, and confinement areas clean enough that odors don't disturb anyone living nearby, and must restrain animals so their noise doesn't disturb those persons. Subsection (c) folds in sanitation, requiring owners to control flies, mosquitoes, and other pests attracted by animal waste, and subsection (d) requires prompt cleanup if an animal's waste soils a public street or another person's private property. Enforcement runs through Caddo Parish Animal Services, which can act on a neighbor complaint or an officer's own observation; because the barking remedy is immediate, animal control doesn't have to wait out a warning period the way it does for most other confinement or sanitation nuisances under this section.
Violations & Fines
Section 14-17 carries no stand-alone fine, so a citation defaults to Chapter 14's general penalty, § 14-3, tied to § 1-14: up to $1,000 and up to 60 days in jail, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense. Because the barking remedy is immediate, a second complaint after notice can support a citation without the 24-hour cure period that applies to other nuisance violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to stop my dog from barking after a complaint?
Who enforces the barking dog rule?
Can I be fined for a dirty, smelly dog pen even without barking?
What if my dog's waste ends up on my neighbor's lawn?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shreveport
Compare Shreveport to another location·View the Louisiana noise ordinances overview
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