Barking Dog Complaints
Sec. 16-303. Sound between the hours of 11:00 pm and 7:00 am.
(a) Single-family detached dwellings. It is unlawful for any person, between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., to make, cause, or allow any sound from a source within his ownership or control that projects, emits or transmits into any single-family detached dwelling in a residential area owned or occupied by another, such that the sound is plainly audible anywhere within the interior of a sealed dwelling.
(b) Multi-family dwellings. It is unlawful for any person, between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., to make, cause, or allow any plainly audible sound from a source within his ownership or control that projects, emits or transmits within the common area of a multifamily dwelling in a residential area.
Sec. 16-304. Animal vocalization, construction and landscaping activities, and the testing of burglar and fire alarms.
(b) Animal vocalizations. Animal vocalizations in a residential area during the hours from 7:01 a.m. until 10:59 p.m. shall be regulated as follows. Pets and non-domesticated animals may not make any vocalizations for more than fifteen (15) minutes without interruption or more than thirty (30) minutes if intermittent. The limitations in subsections 16-303(a) and (b) apply to animal vocalizations between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. The limitations in this subsection and in section 16-303 do not apply if the vocalizations are given as a warning to the presence of an intruder.
The revised animal services ordinance became effective March 15, 2016 and include:
- Reduction of stray animal hold from five days to three days. The animal shelter is open six days a week (closed on Wednesdays).
- Shelter, neuter and return community cat program – most outdoor cats will be examined, vaccinated, sterilized, ear tipped and returned to the area where they were trapped.
- Health certificates required – the owner of any dog or cat that is sold or exchanged for valuable consideration is required to provide the new owner with a current, valid Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (OCVI). The OCVI must be available for review by a potential new owner or animal control officer at the time the animal is listed for sale or exchange.
These ordinances remain in effect:
- Dogs must be maintained on the property of the owner or on a leash controlled by a responsible and competent person.
- Tethering of dogs is prohibited unless the owner or caretaker is physically within reach of the dog.
- Animals must be securely and humanely enclosed within a proper enclosure as a means of primary restraint. Such enclosure must be securely locked any time the animal is unattended.
- As a secondary means of restraint, an animal may be attached to a trolley system for less than twelve hours in a 24 hour period and not during the hours of 10:00 pm – 6:00 am.
The definition of “Dangerous Dogs” has been modified to be compliant with state statutes.
REGISTER MY PET
All DeKalb County pet owners must register their pets. Doing so not only ensures that Animal Services Officers can contact you if your pet is lost, but the license fee also helps us care for other pets in the shelter.
COMMUNITY CATS
To save the lives of outdoor cats, LifeLine follows a shelter-neuter-return (SNR) protocol. With SNR, cats are brought into our shelters, vaccinated, spayed/neutered. and ear-tipped. They’re then returned to where they were initially found.
