It's against the law to let your dog bark for more than 15 minutes in this Chicago suburb

The Aurora City Council voted last week to fine pet owners a $100 ticket for excessive noise from dog barking.

Image by Ralphs_Fotos from Pixabay

(CHICAGO) Nobody likes to hear a dog barking excessively outdoors, but this Chicago suburb is taking it to another level.

The City of Aurora, about an hour west of Chicago, has revised its animal control ordinance to issue $100 tickets for pet owners with excessive barking dogs. They also voted to limit the number of pets allowed in a household.

What's in the new law?

Limits to the number of animals allowed to be kept in a household

The Aurora City Council revised the prior animal control ordinance to limit the number of companion animals in a household to four. However, pet owners can only have up to two animals in a given species.

The Council defined companion animals as "dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, or "other similar domestic animals commonly kept as pets."

For example, a pet owner could have four pets if the animals were two cats and two dogs. But an owner could not have a combination of three cats and one dog.

Pet owners interested in having more than two of a type of species can apply to Aurora animal control.

Households that currently have more than two of a species or four total are grandfathered in as long as they owned the animals before the law comes into effect on Tuesday, May 17.

Limits to the amount of barking allowed outdoors

Another change to the ordinance limits the amount of time a dog can bark outside. It states that animals can't make "excessive noise" outside for more than 15 minutes between 7 am and 10 pm or no more than 10 minutes at night (between 10:01 pm and 6:59 am.)

How will complaints be enforced?

Law enforcement won't just take a neighbor's word for it. The neighbor must find additional witnesses to report the noise, or they will need to record it either via video or audio.

What do you think?

Do you believe limiting dog barking is the right step to help keep Aurora a quieter and more peaceful place? Or is a $100 ticket because of 15 minutes of dog barking too strict? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

*****

Have you tried the NewsBreak mobile app yet? (Full disclosure: I get a small commission if you click my referral links.) Download the NewsBreak App to get local news conveniently delivered to your phone.