St. Louis County, MO Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in St. Louis County, MO, 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
- Primary section
- SLCRO §716.075, public nuisance
- Alternate charge
- Animal nuisance under §611.210
- Peace-charge penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine and 1 year jail
- Nuisance-citation fines
- $25 to $500, rising per offense
- Standard used
- Person of ordinary temper and disposition
- Citation deadline
- 10 days to pay or plead not guilty
Summary
St. Louis County outlaws a dog that 'habitually barks' enough to disturb the peace of an ordinary, reasonable neighbor, declaring such a dog a public nuisance under Code §716.075. The county also treats excessive barking as an animal-nuisance violation under §611.210, letting Animal Care and Control issue a citation with fines starting at $25 instead of pursuing it as a peace-disturbance charge that can carry a $1,000 fine and a year in jail.
A person shall not permit a dog owned by him or within his custody or under his control to habitually bark thereby reasonably causing the peace of any person of ordinary temper and disposition to be disturbed. A dog which habitually barks thereby reasonably causing the peace of any person of ordinary temper and disposition to be disturbed is declared to be a public nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Traffic: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Two separate parts of the County Code reach a dog that barks too much. 075, in the Peace and Good Order chapter, makes it unlawful for an owner or custodian to permit a dog owned by him or within his custody or under his control to habitually bark thereby reasonably causing the peace of any person of ordinary temper and disposition to be disturbed, and it declares such a dog a public nuisance outright, with no permit, warning or prior complaint required by the text itself.
180, a conviction draws a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in the St. Louis County Jail, or both. 210 of the Animal Care and Control chapter lists 'causes a disturbance by excessive barking, howling, meowing or other noisemaking' as one of eight ways a dog, cat or other animal creates a nuisance, alongside soiling another's property, chasing vehicles and damaging refuse containers. 240: $25 for a first offense in a rolling 12-month period, $100 for a second, $200 for a third or fourth, and $500 plus referral to the county counselor for a fifth or later offense.
The owner has ten days after a citation to pay the fine or plead not guilty, in which case the county counselor prosecutes the case. Either route requires the barking to be objectively excessive, measured against a person of ordinary temper and disposition, not the sensitivity of a single complainant.
Violations & Fines
A §716.075 disturbance-of-the-peace conviction carries up to a $1,000 fine, up to a year in the County Jail, or both, under §716.180. Pursued instead as an animal nuisance under §611.210, penalties escalate with each offense in a 12-month span: $25, $100, $200, then $500 and referral to the county counselor for a fifth violation, per §611.240, after a citation issued under §611.230.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to let my dog bark a lot in St. Louis County?
Does the county have a lighter penalty option for a barking dog complaint?
How is 'excessive' barking measured under the ordinance?
What happens after I get a citation for a barking dog?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis County
Compare St. Louis County to another location·View the Missouri noise ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.