Story County, IA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Story County, IA, 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
- §45.02(15)(B) nuisance; §45.03(1) duty to control
- Enforcing agency
- Story County Animal Control Department
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Story County only
- Standard fine
- $65 to $625 plus up to 30 days jail
- Repeat offender
- 3rd citation/year triggers formal charges
- Escalation
- ACO can order animal restrained on owner's property
Summary
In unincorporated Story County, a dog's prolonged or incessant howling, whining, or barking counts as a "nuisance" under the county's animal control code, and it is unlawful for an owner to let an animal cause that disturbance. The Story County Animal Control Department investigates complaints, and repeat nuisance calls can trigger a court-ordered restraint on the owner's property.
15. “Nuisance” means any of the following acts by an animal: ... B. Prolonged or incessant howling, whining, barking, or making of other sounds common to its species.
Full Breakdown
Story County Code of Ordinances Chapter 45 defines "nuisance" to include prolonged or incessant howling, whining, barking, or other species-typical noise (§45.02(15)(B)), alongside trespassing and creating dangerous conditions. Section 45.03(1) makes it the duty of every animal owner in unincorporated Story County to keep an animal under control at all times and declares it unlawful for an owner to allow the animal to cause a nuisance; a violation of that duty can be charged as either a civil infraction or a criminal simple misdemeanor. Enforcement runs through the Story County Animal Control Department, which fields complaints and can escalate matters to the Board of Supervisors' citation and impound fee schedules under §45.04.
If multiple complaints accumulate against one animal for causing a disturbance, an Animal Control Officer can order the owner to restrain the animal on the owner's own property, and ignoring that restraint order is itself a simple misdemeanor or civil infraction (§45.04(6)). A simple misdemeanor carries the penalty set out at Iowa Code §903.1(a), referenced directly in §45.04(1), while the county's own standard penalty (§3.01) sets a $65 to $625 fine, with up to 30 days of imprisonment in lieu of or in addition to the fine, when no other penalty is specified.
Owners cited more than twice for the same animal within a calendar year are subject to formal charges rather than another citation (§45.04(4)). This rule reaches only unincorporated Story County; Ames, Nevada, Story City, and the county's other incorporated cities enforce their own municipal noise and animal ordinances separately.
Violations & Fines
A first nuisance-barking citation typically draws the county's schedule citation fee set by Board of Supervisors resolution (§45.04(4)); a simple misdemeanor conviction instead carries the §3.01 standard penalty of $65 to $625 plus up to 30 days in jail. Each day the barking nuisance continues is a separate offense, and a third citation on the same animal in one calendar year moves the case to formal charges rather than another fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Story County have a specific barking-dog ordinance?
What happens after I report a barking dog to Story County?
What fine can a Story County dog owner face for chronic barking?
Does this rule apply inside Ames, Nevada, or Story City?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Story County
Compare Story County to another location·View the Iowa noise ordinances overview
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