Mississippi Dangerous Dog Law

What happens first after a dog bites someone in Mississippi?

The first rules are about rabies, not blame. Under the Mississippi State Department of Health's rabies rule, a healthy dog, cat or ferret that bites a person "shall be confined and observed for 10 days in a manner acceptable to the local health officer or his or her designee"¹³. The dog may not get a rabies shot during those 10 days. If it falls ill, a veterinarian must examine it, and the illness must be reported to the local health department at once. If it shows signs of rabies, it is euthanized and its head goes to the state public health laboratory for testing¹³.

Where the dog stays for those 10 days is up to the local health officer. The rule does not say "home" or "shelter"; it says "a manner acceptable" to that officer¹³. In practice the city or county animal-control agency, or a shelter under contract, often holds the dog. In Thibodeaux, for example, the City of Biloxi's contract had the Humane Society of South Mississippi hold bite animals for no more than 10 days⁴.

A stray or unwanted dog that bites a person may be euthanized right away instead of being observed¹³. An unvaccinated dog that is exposed to a rabid animal should be euthanized immediately; a vaccinated one is revaccinated and observed for 45 days¹³.

Does someone have to report the bite?

We found no Mississippi statute or health rule that requires a doctor, the owner or the victim to report every dog bite. The state rule requires a report only when the observed animal falls ill¹³. The health department tells people who are bitten to get the owner's name, address and phone number, wash the wound and get medical care, and to call it at 601-576-7725 (after hours 601-576-7400) about rabies testing¹⁴. City and county ordinances may add their own reporting rules.

Is there a state dangerous-dog law?

No. As of October 2026, Mississippi has no statewide procedure for declaring a dog dangerous or vicious, no state hearing and no state registration, insurance or enclosure rule for such dogs. The legislature has tried. House Bill 530 (2023) would have let anyone file a sworn dangerous-dog complaint with the police or sheriff, required owners of declared dogs to carry a $100,000 surety bond and allowed euthanasia¹⁹. It died in committee on January 31, 2023¹⁷. House Bill 413 (2024) passed the House but died in the Senate Judiciary A committee in April 2024¹⁸. The legislature's 2025 and 2026 bill lists contain no dangerous-dog bill that passed.

Instead, the state hands animal control to local government. Section 21-19-9 lets every city regulate animals running at large, impound them, tax dog owners and destroy dogs at large that lack proof of rabies vaccination¹⁵. Section 19-5-50 gives similar powers to a few counties described by population and geography, which by their descriptions include the Gulf Coast counties and Hinds County¹⁵. Whether your dog can be declared dangerous, and what follows, depends on your city or county ordinance. Read it, and note any appeal deadline in the notice you receive.

Can the dog be put down?

There is no state court process for ordering a biting dog destroyed. Three state rules can still end a dog's life:

• the health rule allowing immediate euthanasia of a stray or unwanted dog that bites, or of a dog that shows signs of rabies during observation¹³;
• § 41-53-11, which makes it the duty of sheriffs and peace officers to kill or destroy dogs over three months old running at large without the required rabies vaccination, and bars the owner from suing over the killing of an untagged dog at large (after a five-day hold)¹⁵;
• § 95-5-19, which lets a livestock owner, family member or employee kill a dog found chasing or killing livestock or poultry¹⁵.

Beyond those, euthanasia orders come from local ordinances.

Can the owner be charged with a crime?

Mississippi's main criminal rule for dog attacks is old. Section 97-3-45 makes an owner guilty of manslaughter if they know an animal is mischievous, willfully let it go at large or keep it without ordinary care, and it kills a person who took all reasonable precautions¹⁶. It applies only when someone dies. No state statute makes a non-fatal bite a crime in itself.

Failing to vaccinate a dog against rabies is a misdemeanor, with fines capped at $5 for a first offense, $25 for a second and $50 for a third¹⁵. Local ordinances may add leash, at-large and dangerous-dog offenses with their own fines.

Are there breed bans?

No state law bans or restricts any breed, and none stops a city or county from doing so¹⁵. Check your local code.

What if the dog bites again?

A second bite matters most in a civil case. Mississippi follows the one-bite rule, so an earlier bite or attack that the owner knew about is the evidence that makes the owner liable the next time¹. Keep records of what you did after the first incident: a secure fence, a leash, a muzzle in public. See what to do if your dog bit someone and the national dangerous-dog guide.

Rules for a declared dog in Mississippi

Mississippi rules in brief

Reporting. No Mississippi statute or health rule requires every dog bite to be reported. The health department's rule requires that any illness in a dog under observation be reported immediately to the local health department¹³. The department asks people who are bitten to get the owner's contact details, wash the wound, get medical care and call 601-576-7725 about rabies testing¹⁴. City and county ordinances may require reports to animal control.

Euthanasia. No state statute provides a hearing or court order to destroy a dog after a bite; that is left to city and county ordinances under § 21-19-9 and § 19-5-50¹⁵. The health rule allows immediate euthanasia of a stray or unwanted biting dog and of a dog showing rabies signs¹³, and officers must destroy unvaccinated dogs found at large¹⁵.

Criminal penalties. If a dog the owner knew to be mischievous kills a person who took reasonable precautions, and the owner willfully let it go at large or kept it without ordinary care, the owner is guilty of manslaughter under § 97-3-45¹⁶. No state statute makes a non-fatal bite a crime.

Breed rules. No Mississippi statute bans breeds or bars breed-specific city or county ordinances; the municipal animal-control power in § 21-19-9 says nothing about breed¹⁵.

Compare states: dangerous dog laws by state, bite quarantine rules, euthanasia after a bite. If your dog bit someone, start with what happens next.

Sources

1. Poy v. Grayson, 273 So. 2d 491 (Miss. 1973), Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School. Checked 17 October 2026.
2. Mongeon v. A & V Enterprises, Inc., 733 So. 2d 170 (Miss. 1997), Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School. Checked 17 October 2026.
3. Ringo v. Wilson, No. 2014-CA-01313-COA (Miss. Ct. App. Feb. 16, 2016), Mississippi Court of Appeals. Checked 17 October 2026.
4. Thibodeaux v. Humane Society of South Mississippi, No. 2016-CA-01627-COA (Miss. Ct. App. Dec. 5, 2017), Mississippi Court of Appeals. Checked 17 October 2026.
5. Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49 (general three-year limitation), Justia (Mississippi Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
6. Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-59 (savings for infancy and unsound mind), text as quoted in S.B. 2278, 2002 Regular Session, Mississippi Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
7. Miss. Code Ann. § 1-3-27 (definition of minor), Justia (Mississippi Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
8. Miss. Code Ann. § 11-7-15 (comparative negligence), Justia (Mississippi Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
9. Miss. Code Ann. § 11-46-11 (Tort Claims Act notice and limitation), Justia (Mississippi Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
10. Miss. Code Ann. § 11-46-15 (Tort Claims Act damages limits), Justia (Mississippi Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
11. Miss. Code Ann. § 11-1-60 (noneconomic damages cap), Justia (Mississippi Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
12. Miss. Code Ann. § 11-1-65 (punitive damages), Justia (Mississippi Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
13. 15 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2, Subpt. 11, R. 1.17.14 (rabies control; animals that bite humans), amended 3/13/2022, Legal Information Institute (Mississippi State Department of Health rule). Checked 17 October 2026.
14. Rabies, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked 17 October 2026.
15. MS - Dog - Consolidated Dog Laws (Miss. Code §§ 19-5-50, 21-19-9, 41-53-1 to 41-53-13, 95-5-19 to 95-5-21), Animal Legal & Historical Center, Michigan State University College of Law. Checked 17 October 2026.
16. Miss. Code Ann. § 97-3-45 (death caused by mischievous animal), Justia (Mississippi Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
17. House Bill 530, 2023 Regular Session (dangerous dog complaints), history of actions, Mississippi Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
18. House Bill 413, 2024 Regular Session, history of actions, Mississippi Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
19. House Bill 530, 2023 Regular Session, as introduced, Mississippi Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.