Santa Rosa County, FL Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Santa Rosa County, FL, 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
- Dedicated dB limit
- None for barking
- Falls under
- General noise ordinance
- Night residential limit
- 60 dB(A)
- Usual handler
- County Animal Services
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county
Summary
Santa Rosa County has no dedicated barking-dog decibel limit. Persistent barking is handled as excessive noise under the general noise ordinance (Ch. 14, Art. VI), 60 dB(A) at night, 70 dB(A) daytime on a residential receiving property, or as an animal nuisance by Animal Services.
Noise means sound that is excessive and disturbing to a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities, as measured from the real property line of the source property.
Non-industrial, non-residential property means any property other than residential property or industrial property and includes, but is not limited to, commercial property.
Officer shall mean a law enforcement officer or a county code enforcement officer.
Person means any individual, association, partnership, corporation, or other legal entity.
Real property line means the imaginary line including its vertical extension that separates one parcel of real property from another. For purposes of measuring noise generated from state sovereign submerged lands, the real property line shall be deemed the erosion control line (if one has been established) or alternatively the mean high water line. For purposes of this article, the location of the real property line may be based on the best estimate of a law enforcement officer seeking to measure noise in accordance with the provisions of this article. A failure by a law enforcement officer to exactly identify the real property line between two parcels of real property shall not serve to invalidate any action of the officer or Santa Rosa County with respect to this article.
Receiving property means a parcel of property affected by noise which is located adjacent to a source property.
Full Breakdown
The county noise ordinance defines 'noise' as sound excessive and disturbing to a reasonable person, measured at the source property's real property line. Animal noise is not specifically exempted, so barking that exceeds the Sec. 14-171(a) receiving-property limits can be cited. In practice, dog complaints are usually routed to Santa Rosa County Animal Services under the county's animal-control rules, which address animals kept so as to disturb neighbors. Enforcement typically begins with a warning and a reasonable time to abate before any penalty. Cities (Milton, Gulf Breeze, Jay) set their own animal-noise rules.
Violations & Fines
Under the noise ordinance, a first violation is $100, doubling then tripling for repeats. Animal-control nuisance complaints are handled separately by Santa Rosa County Animal Services, which may issue citations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is barking specifically exempt from the noise ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Rosa County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Santa Rosa County to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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