Walton County, GA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 10-8 sits in Chapter 10, Animals, and lists six ways an animal becomes a 'public nuisance animal,' with excessive barking as the fifth. The half-hour continuous-noise threshold and the 200-foot proximity requirement are both written into the statute itself, so a single short bark or a complaint from someone several houses away does not meet the standard; the noise must run continuously for 30 minutes or more and the complaining party must be within 200 feet of the property line. The Animal Control Unit created under Section 10-2 investigates nuisance complaints and, per Section 10-6, its officers may issue citations returnable to the Magistrate Court of Walton County.

Because Section 10-8(a) opens with 'It shall be unlawful for any owner of an animal to allow such animal to become a public nuisance,' the violation attaches to the owner for allowing the condition to continue, not to a single noise event. A finding under this section carries a consequence beyond a fine: Section 10-8(b) requires the owner of a nuisance animal to have it spayed or neutered at the owner's own expense within 30 days of the violation, in addition to any other penalty imposed. Repeated nuisance complaints can also support impoundment under Section 10-6(f), which authorizes seizure of animals implicated in ongoing chapter violations.