Missouri Dangerous Dog Law
Missouri has no state dangerous-dog registry and no hearing to declare a dog dangerous. Instead, § 578.024 works on the dog's record: a dog that bites again after an unprovoked bite, or seriously injures someone the first time, is seized and destroyed unless the owner appeals to circuit court5. A first bite usually leads to a rabies quarantine18.
After a bite in Missouri
| Rabies observation | 10 daysDetails below |
|---|---|
| State dangerous-dog law | RSMo § 578.024Keeping a dangerous dog — penalties |
| Classes of dog | dangerous dog |
| Required insurance for a declared dog | No statewide minimum |
| Breed-specific laws | Allowed: cities and counties may adopt them |
| Civil liability for the bite | Strict liability statute |
What happens right after a bite?
The first step is a rabies check, not a dangerous-dog case. In a county without its own animal-control rules, the bite must be reported immediately to the county health department, which passes it to the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS)9. DHSS can order the dog quarantined, isolated, impounded, tested, vaccinated or disposed of. It weighs the dog's rabies vaccinations, how serious the exposure was, the dog's past behavior and whether the bitten person will accept rabies shots9. Its guidance is that a healthy dog, cat or ferret may be quarantined for ten days18. Cities and counties decide whether that happens at home, at a vet or at the shelter.
Two rules bind the owner during this period. You may not knowingly ignore the order. You may not sell, give away or move the dog to another area until DHSS releases it. Either is a class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine91617. The owner also pays for testing the dog and for testing and treating the bitten person if rabies is a concern9.
Does Missouri have a dangerous-dog hearing?
Not at the state level. Many states let animal control or a court label a dog "dangerous" after a hearing and then impose rules on the owner. Missouri's statute skips the label. Section 578.024 defines the crime of keeping a dangerous dog by the dog's history: it has already bitten a person or a domestic animal without provocation, and it bites a person again5. There is no state registry, enclosure rule or insurance requirement. Cities and counties may adopt their own dangerous-dog ordinances with hearings and conditions, so the local code can matter as much as the state one.
When can the dog be seized and destroyed?
The statute requires seizure in two situations5:
- a dog that has bitten a person or domestic animal without provocation bites a person again; or
- a dog with no prior bite attacks and causes serious injury to, or the death of, a person.
Animal control or the county sheriff must seize the dog immediately. It is held for ten business days after the owner gets written notice and is then destroyed5.
How do I appeal?
File a written appeal in circuit court and give notice of the filing to the animal control authority or sheriff that took the dog5. With a proper appeal and notice, the dog stays impounded and cannot be destroyed until the court orders it. The court must hold a disposition hearing within 30 days of the filing to decide whether the dog will be humanely destroyed. It may order you to pay the dog's keeping and care while the appeal is pending5. The ten business days run from the written notice, so the appeal has to be filed fast.
What criminal charges can the owner face?
The offense requires a dog with a prior unprovoked bite that bites a person again. The grade depends on the harm5:
- Class B misdemeanor: a repeat bite without serious injury (up to six months and $1,000)1617.
- Class A misdemeanor: the repeat bite causes serious injury (up to one year and $2,000)1617.
- Class E felony: serious injury, and an earlier attack also caused serious injury (up to four years)16.
- Class D felony: the attack kills a person (up to seven years)16.
Separately, anyone found civilly liable for a bite under § 273.036 must pay a fine of up to $1,000, even for a dog's first bite1.
When does none of this apply?
If the person bitten was committing or attempting a crime, the owner commits no offense and the dog is not destroyed. Plain trespass on private property, or trespass by a child under 12, does not count as a crime for this purpose5. Police dogs biting in the line of duty are exempt from § 578.024 and the civil statute6. The law also protects the other side: a person who injures or kills a dog while reasonably fearing an imminent attack has an absolute defense11.
Are any breeds banned in Missouri?
Not by the state. No Missouri statute in force in October 2026 bars breed-specific local laws, so a city or county may still ban or restrict breeds. Section 67.140 only stops local governments from treating pets as anything other than owned property19. Check the city or county code where the dog lives.
What if the dog bites again?
A second bite changes everything. The first unprovoked bite is what makes any later bite a crime and triggers mandatory seizure5. The owner is also strictly liable in a civil suit for each unprovoked bite1. For the civil side, see Missouri dog bite law. For the national picture, see dangerous dog laws by state and dog bite euthanasia laws.
Rules for a declared dog in Missouri
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| After any bite | Report to the county health department if no local rules applyRSMo § 322.140.1.9 |
| Rabies observation | 10 days for a healthy dog (state guidance)18 |
| Comply with DHSS order | No sale, transfer or moving of the dog until releasedRSMo § 322.140.4.9 |
| Costs | Owner pays rabies testing and the victim's rabies treatmentRSMo § 322.140.5.9 |
| Appeal of a seizure | Written appeal to circuit court, notice to the seizing agencyRSMo § 578.024.4.5 |
| Liability insurance | None required by state law5 |
Missouri rules in brief
Reporting. In a county that has not adopted its own animal-control rules under §§ 322.090 to 322.130, any animal bite "shall be immediately reported to the county health department". The department then reports it to the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS)9. The statute does not say who must make the report. City and county ordinances may add their own reporting duties. DHSS tells people who are bitten to report the bite immediately18.
Euthanasia. A dog that bites a person after an earlier unprovoked bite, or a first-time biter that seriously injures or kills a person, must be seized by animal control or the sheriff, held ten business days after written notice to the owner, and then destroyed5. The owner can stop this by filing a written appeal in circuit court and notifying the seizing agency. The court holds a hearing within 30 days, and the owner may have to pay boarding costs5.
Criminal penalties. Keeping a dangerous dog (a dog that has bitten before and bites again) is a class B misdemeanor, a class A misdemeanor if the attack causes serious injury, a class E felony if both attacks caused serious injury, and a class D felony if a person dies5. Those classes carry up to six months, one year, four years and seven years in prison16.
Breed rules. No Missouri statute in force in October 2026 bars breed-specific city or county ordinances. Section 67.140 only stops local laws that describe pets as anything other than owned property19.
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
- RSMo § 273.036 (owner liable, when; fine), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 516.120 (actions within five years), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 516.170 (disability: persons under 21), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Gustafson v. Benda, 661 S.W.2d 11 (Mo. banc 1983), Justia (Supreme Court of Missouri opinion). Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 578.024 (keeping a dangerous dog; penalties), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 578.022 (law enforcement dogs exempt), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Wilson ex rel. Wilson v. Simmons, 103 S.W.3d 211 (Mo. App. W.D. 2003), Justia (Missouri Court of Appeals opinion). Checked 17 October 2026.
- J.D. ex rel. A.O. v. Parrish, No. SD36791 (Mo. App. S.D. 2020), Missouri Courts. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 322.140 (animal bite reports; owner's duties and costs), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 322.145 (liability of owner for animal bite), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 273.033 (killing or injuring a dog in self-defense), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 510.261 (punitive damages standard), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 510.265 (punitive damages limits), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 537.600 (sovereign immunity and its waivers), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 537.100 (wrongful death limitation), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 558.011 (terms of imprisonment), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 558.002 (fines), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Rabies Surveillance (actions after a potential rabies exposure), Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 67.140 (ownership of domestic animals), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.
- RSMo § 516.100 (when a cause of action accrues), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Checked 17 October 2026.