Springfield, OH Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 505.09 of the Springfield Codified Ordinances, adopted by Ordinance 67-235 in 1967, makes it unlawful for any person to keep or harbor an animal or fowl that howls or barks, or that emits any other audible sound, when that sound is unreasonably loud or disturbing and is of a character, intensity, and duration sufficient to disturb the peace and quiet of the neighborhood or to be detrimental to the life and health of any individual. The section sits in Chapter 505, Animals and Fowl, alongside Springfield's general nuisance-conditions rule in Section 505.08, which separately bars keeping animals in a way that creates noxious odors or unsanitary conditions; a chronic barking complaint can be charged under either section depending on what the animal is doing.

Unlike some cities' noise codes, Springfield's barking provision sets no decibel threshold or required duration in minutes; a citing officer instead has to establish that the sound's loudness, disturbing quality, and persistence rise to the level described in the statute, based on what a neighbor experiences. A single violation is charged per incident, and repeated complaints about the same animal support separate charges for separate occurrences. Because the rule reaches any animal or fowl, it also covers barking or howling from dogs boarded, bred, or kept for any purpose within city limits, not only pets kept in a residential yard.