Arkansas Dog Bite Law

How dog bite liability works in Arkansas

Arkansas is a true one-bite state, but the Supreme Court reads the rule more generously than the phrase suggests. The test, set out in Bradley v. Hendricks (1972), is whether the dog had vicious tendencies or dangerous propensities and whether the owner knew or should have known of them³. No earlier bite is needed. In Bradley a dachshund's growling at a parent and nipping at a child's heels was enough for a jury³. In Hamby v. Haskins (1982) the Court held that constructive or imputed notice is enough, and that what the dog did after the bite can help prove its nature².

When that test is met, the owner keeps the dog "at his own risk." Strange v. Stovall (1977) rejected the idea that ordinary care is the standard for a known vicious dog: the owner is strictly liable even if the dog escaped despite every precaution¹. When it is not met, the claim runs on negligence. Bolstad v. Pergeson (1991) limits strict liability to vicious animals and treats a broken leash law as some evidence of negligence, not automatic liability⁴.

Two Arkansas rules cut against people who are bitten. A landlord owes no duty to third parties hurt by a tenant's dog, even a landlord who knew the dog was dangerous⁹¹⁰. And the comparative-fault statute bars recovery when your fault equals or exceeds the defendant's⁸.

The neighbors split. Missouri and Oklahoma have dog bite statutes, Louisiana imposes liability through its Civil Code, and Tennessee drops the knowledge requirement off the owner's property. Mississippi and Texas, like Arkansas, keep the one-bite rule. The Arkansas legislature has not moved toward a statute: a 2025 dangerous-dog registration bill was withdrawn¹⁷.

No dog bite statute: the one-bite rule

Arkansas has no statute that makes a dog's owner automatically liable for a bite. Claims rest on the common law, described below. See the one-bite rule for how it compares with the states that have a statute.

Proving the owner knew or was careless

Two theories are available. Under scienter, you show the dog had vicious tendencies or dangerous propensities and the owner knew or should have known; playfulness that makes a dog prone to injure people can count¹³. The owner is then strictly liable¹². Otherwise you must prove ordinary negligence, and Bolstad v. Pergeson holds that breaking a city leash law is some evidence of negligence rather than negligence per se⁴. Leash ordinances bind owners and keepers, not their landlords¹⁰.

Defenses owners raise

Other defense

No knowledge, no strict liability. The owner's main defense is that nothing in the dog's past gave notice of a dangerous propensity. The question is usually for the jury; knowledge need not be actual, and constructive notice is enough²³. Without it, you must prove negligence, such as letting the dog run loose⁴.

Trespassing

Arkansas has no trespass rule written for dogs. In Hamby v. Haskins a stranger bitten on a rural porch after knocking to ask directions still recovered; the majority said treating her as a trespasser may have been more favorable to the owner than necessary, since common usage permits entering to ask directions². The dissent said an owner owes a trespasser only a duty not to injure willfully or wantonly².

Provocation

No Arkansas statute defines provocation for dog bites, and we found no Arkansas appellate decision that settles it. Teasing or hitting the dog would be argued as your fault under the comparative-fault statute, which counts any act or conduct that is a proximate cause of the harm⁸.

Assumption of risk

Arkansas folds assumed risk into comparative fault: "fault" under § 16-64-122 includes "risk assumed"⁸. A groomer, kennel worker or veterinarian who knowingly handles a dangerous dog can expect the owner to raise it. We found no Arkansas decision adopting a separate veterinarian's rule.

Shared fault

Modified comparative fault (barred at 50%) (Ark. Code Ann. § 16-64-122).

If your fault is less than the defendant's, your damages are cut by your percentage; if it is equal or greater, you recover nothing⁸. "Fault" covers any act, omission, conduct, risk assumed or breach of a legal duty that is a proximate cause of the damage, and the statute applies to personal-injury claims "predicated upon fault"⁸. We found no Arkansas appellate decision deciding whether it reduces a strict-liability award for a known vicious dog; owners will argue it does, given the broad definition.

How the five fault systems compare: provocation, trespass and shared fault.

Arkansas dog bite statute of limitations

3 years (Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105)

Arkansas applies the three-year limit of § 16-56-105 to negligence claims, and the clock starts at the injury, not when you learn of the claim⁵¹⁹. The same three years covers a claim for a pet or other property the dog injured⁵.

Children. Section 16-56-116 gives a person injured before full age three years after reaching it⁶. Full age is 18 "for all purposes" under § 9-25-101, so a bitten child generally has until their 21st birthday⁷.

Work out your own date with the dog bite claim checker, or compare deadlines in every state.

Damages

You can recover medical bills, lost earnings, pain and suffering, and scarring or disfigurement under ordinary Arkansas tort law; the plaintiff in Bradley recovered for permanent facial and ear scars³. Article 5, section 32 of the Arkansas Constitution forbids laws limiting recovery for personal injury, and in 2011 the Supreme Court struck down the statutory punitive-damages cap on that ground¹². Punitive damages require proof that the owner knew their conduct would probably cause injury and went on with malice or reckless disregard, or acted to cause harm¹¹. No Arkansas statute doubles or trebles damages for a bite to a person; treble damages exist only for livestock and other domestic animals killed or injured by a dog¹⁵.

Landlords and property owners

Arkansas is one of the clearest no-liability states. In Bryant v. Putnam (1995) the Supreme Court held that "our laws impose no liability on a landlord to third parties injured by a tenant's animals"¹⁰. In Mills v. Finch (2010) the Court of Appeals applied that to a landlord who allegedly knew the tenant's dog was vicious: there is no duty "even if the landlord knows that the animal has the propensity to be dangerous"⁹. Both attacks happened off the rental property; no Arkansas appellate case we found decides a bite in a common area the landlord controls.

Insurance

We found no Arkansas statute that limits insurers' use of dog breed in homeowners or renters underwriting. No state law requires the owner of a biting or dangerous dog to carry liability insurance; a 2025 bill that would have created dangerous-dog registration was withdrawn¹⁷.

More on coverage, breed exclusions and renters policies: dog bite insurance.

Why a first bite can still cost an Arkansas owner

Owners often hear that every dog gets one free bite. Arkansas law does not quite say that. The question is whether the owner knew or should have known of a dangerous propensity, not whether the dog had bitten before²³.

In Bradley v. Hendricks (1972) a small dachshund in Morrilton bit a five-year-old. The dog had never bitten anyone, but it had growled at the boy's father and nipped at his sister's heels. The Supreme Court held that was enough to send the owner's knowledge to the jury³. In Hamby v. Haskins (1982) the Court added that notice can be constructive or imputed, and that the dog's behavior after the bite is admissible to show what kind of dog it was². Strange v. Stovall (1977) relied on Finley v. Smith (1966) to hold that a dangerous propensity can come from playfulness as well as savagery¹.

So a growling, lunging or jumping dog can create liability before any bite. Once that is shown, the owner is liable "without proof that the owner was otherwise at fault"¹.

Bite reports and quarantine

Arkansas makes bite reporting mandatory: it is unlawful for the person bitten, their family, the treating physician or a veterinarian who knows of a bite to refuse to notify the health authorities promptly¹⁵. The Department of Health asks you to report to the local county health unit, animal control or the police¹³. Ignoring the health authority's written instructions is also unlawful, and the rabies rules allow civil fines of up to $1,000 per violation¹⁵¹⁴.

A dog or cat that bites a person is confined for 10 days by a veterinarian, the owner or the public pound¹⁵. Under the Department of Health rules effective November 2024, the owner may confine a dog with proof of rabies vaccination; an unvaccinated dog goes to a public pound or licensed veterinary hospital, or may be euthanized and tested¹⁴. The owner pays all confinement, veterinary and transport costs; for a stray, the statute puts the expense on the person bitten¹⁴¹⁵.

Dangerous-dog hearings, euthanasia orders and criminal penalties are covered on Arkansas dangerous dog law.

Questions about Arkansas dog bite law

Is Arkansas a strict liability state for dog bites?

Not in the usual sense. Arkansas has no dog bite statute, so you must show the owner knew or should have known the dog had dangerous propensities²³. If you can, the owner is strictly liable, even for an escape the owner tried hard to prevent¹. If you cannot, you need to prove negligence⁴.

Can I sue my neighbor's landlord after their dog bit me?

Almost never. The Arkansas Supreme Court held in 1995 that landlords have no liability to third parties hurt by a tenant's animals¹⁰. The Court of Appeals applied that in 2010 even where the landlord allegedly knew the dog was vicious⁹. The claim lies against the owner or keeper.

Does breaking a leash law make the owner automatically liable in Arkansas?

No. In Bolstad v. Pergeson the Supreme Court held that violating a city leash law is some evidence of negligence, which a jury weighs with everything else⁴. It is not negligence per se. The leash law also binds the owner or keeper, not a landlord¹⁰.

Who pays for the rabies quarantine after a bite in Arkansas?

The owner pays all confinement, veterinary and transport costs¹⁴. If the dog is a stray with no owner, the statute puts the confinement and observation expense on the person bitten, or the head of the family for a child¹⁵. Those costs can be claimed as damages from an owner who is liable.

Is there a cap on what I can recover for a dog bite in Arkansas?

No. The Arkansas Constitution bars laws limiting the amount recovered for injuries to persons, and in 2011 the Supreme Court struck down the statutory cap on punitive damages for that reason¹². Your recovery can still be reduced, or barred, by your own share of fault⁸.

Official contacts

Sources

1. Strange v. Stovall, 261 Ark. 53, 546 S.W.2d 421 (1977), Arkansas Supreme Court. Checked 17 October 2026.
2. Hamby v. Haskins, 275 Ark. 385, 630 S.W.2d 37 (1982), Arkansas Supreme Court. Checked 17 October 2026.
3. Bradley v. Hendricks, 251 Ark. 733, 474 S.W.2d 677 (1972), Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School. Checked 17 October 2026.
4. Bolstad v. Pergeson, 305 Ark. 163, 806 S.W.2d 377 (1991), Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School. Checked 17 October 2026.
5. Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105 (three-year limitation), Justia (Arkansas Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
6. Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-116 (persons under disability), Justia (Arkansas Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
7. Ark. Code Ann. § 9-25-101 (age of majority), Justia (Arkansas Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
8. Ark. Code Ann. § 16-64-122 (comparative fault), Justia (Arkansas Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
9. Mills v. Finch, 2010 Ark. App. 199, Arkansas Court of Appeals. Checked 17 October 2026.
10. Bryant v. Putnam, 322 Ark. 284, 908 S.W.2d 338 (1995), Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School. Checked 17 October 2026.
11. Ark. Code Ann. § 16-55-206 (punitive damages standard), Justia (Arkansas Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
12. Bayer CropScience LP v. Schafer, 2011 Ark. 518, Arkansas Supreme Court. Checked 17 October 2026.
13. What Should You Do if an Animal Bites You?, Arkansas Department of Health. Checked 17 October 2026.
14. Rules Pertaining to Rabies Control, 007.49.24 Ark. Code R. 001 (effective Nov. 28, 2024), Legal Information Institute (Arkansas Administrative Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
15. Arkansas dog laws: Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-102 and 20-19-301 to -307, Animal Legal & Historical Center, Michigan State University College of Law. Checked 17 October 2026.
16. HB 1519 (2023): To prohibit municipalities from enacting breed-specific regulations for animals, Arkansas State Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
17. HB 1992 (2025): To require a certificate of registration for dangerous dogs and vicious dogs, Arkansas State Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
18. Ark. Code Ann. § 5-10-105 (negligent homicide), Justia (Arkansas Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
19. Courtney v. First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas, 300 Ark. 498, 780 S.W.2d 536 (1989), Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School. Checked 17 October 2026.