St. Peters, MO Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 205.130 defines the violation precisely: no owner or harborer may permit a dog to annoy neighbors by frequent or habitual barking, howling or yelping for more than twenty continuous minutes between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., or more than ten continuous minutes between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. "Continuous" means an unbroken or persistently repeated pattern, not intermittent or occasional noise, so scattered barking at a passerby does not count. Enforcement escalates: the first complaint to the Animal Control Department produces only a verbal or written warning plus a copy of the ordinance, and only a subsequent complaint can lead to a summons, and then only if the complainant signs a statement agreeing to testify or the officer's own investigation documents the violation; the Section explicitly bars legal action on an anonymous complaint alone.

Complainants may submit video or audio recordings or a barking log, and Animal Control Officers may act as witnesses, though the complainant remains the expected primary witness. In Municipal Court, once the dog is found to have committed the barking, the law presumes the owner permitted it, so prosecutors do not need to prove knowledge or intent. Owners can still defeat a citation by proving the dog barked only because it was provoked or incited, or because it was working as a guide, hearing, service or police dog.

Licensed kennels and other commercial animal establishments under Section 205.100 are exempt from Section 205.130 entirely. The City treats a violation as a public nuisance punishable under Sections 215.010 et seq., and offers a free "no bark" collar loan through the St. Peters Health Department to residents holding a valid resident privilege card.