Topeka, KS Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

TMC § 9.45.330, the last numbered section of Chapter 9.45's noise article, targets animal noise: "The keeping or harboring of any animal which by causing frequent or long continued noise shall disturb the comfort or repose of any persons in the vicinity is unlawful." The wording covers any animal kept or harbored in the City, not just dogs, and sets a two-part standard: the noise must be either frequent or long continued, and it must actually disturb the comfort or repose of people nearby. A single short bark or an isolated incident does not meet that bar; the ordinance targets a pattern, repeated barking sessions or one that runs on without stopping, that interferes with neighbors' ability to rest or use their property in peace. The section carries a cross reference to Title 6 (Animals), which contains Topeka's separate licensing, confinement and animal-control provisions; § 9.45.330 is the noise-specific companion to that title rather than a general animal-control rule.

Like its sibling sections in Article II, § 9.45.330 sets no penalty of its own, so the citywide Title 9 default controls. TMC § 9.05.020 declares any violation of Title 9 a misdemeanor "punished as provided in TMC 1.10.070," and that general-penalty section fixes a fine of not less than $1.00 nor more than $499.00, imprisonment in the City jail for not more than 179 days, or both, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. Because the standard turns on "frequent or long continued" disturbance rather than a decibel reading, enforcement typically rests on documented, repeated complaints from neighbors covering more than one isolated incident.