Minnesota Dog Bite Law

How dog bite liability works in Minnesota

Minn. Stat. § 347.22 dates from 1951 and has not been changed since 1986¹. It covers a dog that "attacks or injures" a person, so a bite is not required. In Lewellin v. Huber (Minn. 1991), quoted in Anderson v. Christopherson (Minn. 2012), the Supreme Court read "injures" to cover a dog's affirmative but non-attacking conduct, as long as that conduct directly and immediately caused the harm³. So a dog that directly knocks a person down can fall under the statute. A dog that distracts a driver, who then crashes, was too remote in Lewellin³.

Anderson widened the rule in two ways. It dropped a lower-court test that required the dog's conduct to be "focused" on the injured person, so a man hurt while his leashed dog was being attacked could take his claim to a jury³. And it held that a parent who let an adult son keep his dog at the parent's house could be a "harborer" and so an "owner" under the statute, even though the registered owner stays primarily liable³.

The rule on fault is the main difference from Wisconsin and Iowa. Minnesota's comparative-fault statute counts strict liability as fault, but the Supreme Court held in Seim v. Garavalia (1981) that the dog statute is absolute, so a victim's own negligence is not weighed against the owner⁴. The owner's only statutory answers are provocation and that you were not acting peaceably or were not lawfully where you were^1,3. Fault can still be split between the owner and another wrongdoer, such as a driver who hits someone the dog chased into the street⁴.

A negligence claim is also available alongside the statute⁴. It matters mainly when the statute does not fit, for example when you were provoking the dog or the chain of events was indirect.

The Minnesota dog bite statute

If a dog, without provocation, attacks or injures any person who is acting peaceably in any place where the person may lawfully be, the owner is liable "to the full amount of the injury sustained"¹. "Owner" includes any person harboring or keeping the dog, but the owner is primarily liable¹. The courts treat the liability as absolute: negligence, the dog's past good behavior and the victim's comparative fault are beside the point, but the injury must be the direct and immediate result of the dog's act³.

• Law: Minn. Stat. § 347.22 (Dog owner's liability), enacted 1951; last changed 1986 (Laws 1986, ch. 444); no change from 2023 to October 2026
• Injuries covered: Any injury the dog causes (bites, knock-downs, chases)
• Where: Public places, or lawfully on private property
• Who is liable: The owner, or a keeper or harborer
• Damages: All damages, under the ordinary rules

Other ways to prove liability

The statute is not the only route. Lewellin v. Huber held that the statutory action "is not an exclusive remedy" and that a claim for common-law negligence against the owner is also available⁴. Negligence requires proof that the owner failed to use reasonable care, for example by letting a dog with a known history roam, and it is the fallback when provocation, a lack of peaceable conduct or remote causation defeats the statutory claim. Under a negligence theory your own fault is compared under § 604.01⁸.

Defenses owners raise

Provocation

The statute applies only to an attack or injury "without provocation"¹. Teasing, hitting or cornering the dog can defeat the statutory claim, though a negligence claim may remain⁴.

Trespassing

You must have been "acting peaceably" in a place where you could lawfully be¹. A person who was trespassing or fighting when bitten is outside the statute and must prove negligence instead^1,4.

Other defense

Causation: the injury must be the direct and immediate result of the dog's own act. In Lewellin v. Huber a dog that distracted a driver, who then crashed and killed a child, was too remote; in Anderson the question went to a jury³.

Other defense

Not an owner, keeper or harborer: a landlord or relative who merely owns the land is not liable under the statute, while someone who gives the dog lodging or manages its care can be³.

Shared fault

Modified comparative fault (barred at 51%) (Minn. Stat. § 604.01).

Minnesota bars recovery only when your fault is greater than the defendant's, and reduces the award by your share⁸. That rule does not reach a claim under the dog statute: Seim v. Garavalia, 306 N.W.2d 806 (Minn. 1981), held that a victim's negligence is not compared with the owner's absolute statutory liability⁴. Fault can be allocated between the dog owner and a co-defendant, such as a negligent driver, under § 604.02⁴. If you also sue in negligence, your share counts in that claim⁸.

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

Minnesota dog bite statute of limitations

6 years (Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1)

Six years apply to "a liability created by statute" and to other injury to the person not listed elsewhere, which covers claims under § 347.22 and negligence claims². A separate two-year period applies to assault, battery and "other tort resulting in personal injury", so a claim that someone deliberately set a dog on you may face a shorter deadline⁹. Claims against a city, county or other municipality need written notice within 180 days after the injury is discovered⁵.

Children. A child's period is suspended while the child is under 18, but the extension cannot run more than one year after the 18th birthday¹⁰. In practice a bitten child has until the later of six years from the bite or age 19.

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

Damages

The owner is liable "to the full amount of the injury sustained": medical bills, lost earnings, pain, scarring and emotional harm¹. No Minnesota statute caps damages in a private dog bite claim. Punitive damages need clear and convincing evidence that the owner acted with deliberate disregard for the safety of others, for example by ignoring known attacks¹¹. There is no double or treble damages rule for dog bites.

Landlords and property owners

A landlord is not liable under § 347.22 just for owning the property. In Gilbert v. Christiansen (Minn. 1977), as summarized in Anderson, an apartment manager without control inside the tenant's unit was not a harborer, and neither the right to exclude nor possession of the land is enough³. A property owner who gives the dog shelter, as the father in Anderson may have done by letting his son keep the dog at his house, can be a harborer³. A tenant who owns a declared dangerous dog must tell the landlord before signing or renewing a lease¹².

Insurance

Since a 2023 law, a homeowner's insurer may not refuse, decline to renew or cancel a policy based solely on the fact that the homeowner owns one dog of a specific breed or mix¹³. The insurer may still act on a dog declared dangerous or potentially dangerous, a dog with a history of causing bodily injury, or sound underwriting and loss data¹³. The owner of a declared dangerous dog must carry a $300,000 bond or liability policy⁷.

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

Why your own carelessness usually does not reduce a Minnesota claim

Most states that impose strict liability for dog bites still cut the award by the victim's share of fault. Minnesota is different. The comparative-fault statute defines fault to include acts that "subject a person to strict tort liability"⁸, yet in Seim v. Garavalia (1981) the Supreme Court held that § 347.22 is absolute statutory liability and that the victim's negligence is not compared with the owner's⁴. Lewellin v. Huber (1991) repeated the point: neither common-law defenses nor statutory comparative fault are available to the owner³.

The owner is not left without answers. The statute itself excludes provoked attacks and people who were not acting peaceably or were not lawfully present¹. And when another person shares the blame, Clark v. Connor (Minn. Ct. App. 2014) allows fault to be split between the owner and that person. In Clark, a man chased into the street by a dog was hit by a van, and the jury could put 10% of the fault on the driver⁴.

Bite reports and quarantine

No Minnesota statute or rule makes every dog bite reportable to the state. Health care providers must report rabies cases and suspected cases to the Minnesota Department of Health immediately, by phone, at any hour¹⁴. Ordinary bites are reported to local animal control or police, who enforce the 10-day confinement rule⁶.

A dog, cat or ferret that bites a person must be confined and observed for 10 days, or euthanized and tested for rabies⁶. A dog with current rabies vaccination may be confined at home or as local authorities direct; an unvaccinated dog may be required to stay at a veterinary clinic or other secure place at the owner's expense⁶. Any illness during confinement must be reported to the Department of Health, and a dog that dies or shows signs of rabies is tested⁶.

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

Questions about Minnesota dog bite law

Is Minnesota a one-bite state?

No. Minn. Stat. § 347.22 makes the owner liable when the dog attacks or injures a peaceable person lawfully present, whether or not the dog had ever bitten before¹. The Supreme Court has said the dog's past good behavior is irrelevant³. See the one-bite rule for states that still use it.

Does the Minnesota statute cover injuries that are not bites?

Yes. The statute says "attacks or injures", and the courts read "injures" to include non-attacking conduct, such as a dog knocking someone down, if it directly and immediately caused the injury³. A long chain of events, such as a dog distracting a driver who later crashes, is not enough³.

Can I sue the dog owner's parents or the person watching the dog?

Possibly. "Owner" includes anyone who harbors or keeps the dog¹. In Anderson the court said a father who let his adult son keep a dog at his house could be a harborer, while a meal given to a stray or a dog's casual presence is not enough³. The legal owner remains primarily liable¹.

My child was bitten. How long do we have to file?

The six-year period is suspended while the child is under 18, but not for more than one year after the child turns 18^2,10. A claim against a city or county still needs a notice within 180 days⁵. See the child dog bite guide.

Can my homeowner's insurer drop me because of my dog's breed?

Not solely for that reason, if you own one dog. Since 2023, § 65A.303 bars a homeowner's insurer from refusing, not renewing or cancelling a policy based solely on one dog's breed or mix¹³. It may still act if the dog is declared dangerous or potentially dangerous, has injured someone, or on sound loss data¹³.

Official contacts

Sources

1. Minnesota Statutes § 347.22, Dog owner's liability, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
2. Minnesota Statutes § 541.05, Various cases, six years, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
3. Anderson v. Christopherson, No. A11-0191 (Minn. July 18, 2012), Minnesota Supreme Court (State Law Library archive). Checked 17 October 2026.
4. Clark v. Connor, No. A13-1110 (Minn. Ct. App. Jan. 21, 2014), Minnesota Court of Appeals (State Law Library archive). Checked 17 October 2026.
5. Minnesota Statutes § 466.05, Notice of claim against a municipality, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
6. Minnesota Rules 1721.0580, Management of animals that bite humans, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
7. Minnesota Statutes § 347.51, Dangerous dogs: registration, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
8. Minnesota Statutes § 604.01, Comparative fault, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
9. Minnesota Statutes § 541.07, Two- or three-year limitations, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
10. Minnesota Statutes § 541.15, Periods of disability not counted, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
11. Minnesota Statutes § 549.20, Punitive damages, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
12. Minnesota Statutes § 347.52, Dangerous dogs: requirements, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
13. Minnesota Statutes § 65A.303, Homeowner's liability insurance; dogs, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
14. Reporting Rabies (animal and human cases and suspected cases), Minnesota Department of Health. Checked 17 October 2026.
15. Minnesota Statutes § 347.56, Destruction of dog in certain circumstances, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
16. Minnesota Statutes § 347.54, Confiscation, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
17. Minnesota Statutes § 609.226, Harm caused by dog, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
18. Minnesota Statutes § 609.205, Manslaughter in the second degree, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
19. Minnesota Statutes § 347.50, Dangerous dogs: definitions, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
20. Minnesota Statutes § 347.541, Disposition of seized animals (hearing), Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
21. Minnesota Statutes § 347.565, Applicability, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
22. Minnesota Statutes § 347.55, Penalty, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
23. Minnesota Statutes § 347.542, Restrictions (dog ownership bans), Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.