Dog bite claim checker
Pick the state where the bite happened and answer six questions. The checker applies that state's dog bite statute, as written, to your answers and counts the deadline to sue from the date of the bite. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Your result
Choose a state to see the result. It updates as you answer.
How the checker decides
Every state page on this site records the conditions in that state's dog bite statute: whether it covers only bites or any injury, where the victim has to be, whether it protects trespassers, and whether provocation is a defense. The checker tests your answers against those conditions. If the statute does not apply, it shows what the state's common law requires instead, which is usually proof that the owner knew the dog was dangerous (the one-bite rule) or was careless.
The deadline is the state's general statute of limitations for personal injury, counted from the date of the injury. Real deadlines can be shorter (claims against a city, county or state agency often need a written notice within months) or longer (most states pause the clock for children). The result shows the state's rule for children rather than a date, because the tolling rules differ too much to compute safely. See deadlines in every state.
What it can't tell you
The checker can't weigh evidence, judge whether a dog was "provoked" in the legal sense, or tell you what a claim is worth. Courts decide close cases on facts a form can't capture. Treat the result as a map of the rules, then read your state's page and the sources it cites, and talk to a lawyer licensed in that state before a deadline is near. The state bar's lawyer referral service is listed on each state page.