Utah Dog Bite Law

How dog bite liability works in Utah

Utah has had a dog statute since territorial days, and its core has not moved: the owner or keeper is liable for injury the dog causes, and you do not need to prove the dog was vicious or that anyone knew it¹³. It is broader than most strict-liability states. It is not limited to bites, to public places or to people lawfully on the property¹. A dog that knocks over a cyclist is covered as much as one that bites.

The catch is apportionment. In S.H. ex rel. Robinson v. Bistryski, 923 P.2d 1376 (Utah 1996), a jury put 88% of the fault for a three-year-old's bite on her mother and 12% on the dog's owner, and the Utah Supreme Court held that comparative fault applies to the statute³. The Legislature has since written that rule into § 18-1-1 itself¹⁵. Once fault is compared, evidence that the dog had bitten before becomes relevant again³.

Recent changes run in the owner's favor. A 2025 amendment, S.B. 101, added a trespasser exception for dogs fenced on the owner's land¹². In 2025 the Utah Supreme Court refused to make a landlord answer for a tenant's dog on the facts in Tesch v. Bonneville¹⁵. Two bills that would have set a clear four-year deadline, in 2024 and 2026, did not become law⁸⁹.

Compared with its neighbors, Utah sits between Colorado and Arizona, whose statutes cover bites or serious injuries in defined places, and Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming, which have no general strict-liability statute. See the national table.

The Utah dog bite statute

An individual who owns or keeps a dog is liable for an injury caused by the dog, regardless of whether the dog is vicious or mischievous or the owner knows it¹. Damages are set under the comparative-negligence statute, § 78B-5-818¹⁵. The statute has three exceptions: certified police dogs used under a written policy, injuries to an animal that strays onto the owner's land while the dog is fenced in, and, since 2025, injuries to a criminal trespasser on the owner's land while the dog is fenced in¹². When dogs of different owners attack together, each owner pays a separate share²⁴.

• Law: Utah Code § 18-1-1 (Liability and damages for dog injury -- Exceptions); last changed 2025: S.B. 101 (Laws 2025, ch. 311), effective May 7, 2025, added the trespasser exception
• Injuries covered: Any injury the dog causes (bites, knock-downs, chases)
• Where: Anywhere
• Who is liable: The owner, or a keeper or harborer
• Damages: All damages, under the ordinary rules

Other ways to prove liability

Because § 18-1-1 covers almost every injury a dog causes, Utah plaintiffs rarely need the old one-bite rule¹. Negligence still matters in two ways. First, after Bistryski the jury compares fault, so proof that the owner knew the dog had bitten before, or let it run loose against a leash ordinance, raises the owner's percentage³. Second, a negligence claim is the route against someone who is neither owner nor keeper, such as a landlord, and it must show a duty of care¹⁵. A negligence claim has four years under the catch-all limitations statute⁷.

Defenses owners raise

Trespassing

Since May 7, 2025, the owner is not liable for an injury to a trespasser who is committing criminal trespass under § 76-6-206(2), if the injury happens on the owner's private property while the dog is reasonably secured inside a fence or other enclosure¹². Criminal trespass needs more than stepping onto land: for example, entering knowing it is unlawful after a warning, a fence or posted signs²⁶. A child who walks into an open yard to get a ball does not fit easily within it.

Police dogs

The state, a county, city or town and their peace officers are not liable for a police dog's bite if the dog and handler are certified, the agency has a written policy on police dogs, the handler followed it, and the dog was used reasonably and carefully to find or arrest a suspect or keep public order¹.

Provocation

Utah's statute has no provocation defense written into it; the Utah Supreme Court pointed out that it lacks the built-in defenses of the Minnesota, Florida and Ohio statutes³. Teasing or hitting the dog instead counts as fault on the injured person's side and reduces or bars the award under comparative fault³⁵.

Other defense

A parent's poor supervision can be counted as fault. In Bistryski the jury assigned 88% to the mother of the bitten three-year-old, which cut the owner's share of the damages to 12%³. Fault can also be allocated to people who are not parties⁵.

Shared fault

Modified comparative fault (barred at 50%) (Utah Code §§ 78B-5-817 to -819).

Utah's definition of "fault" includes strict liability, so a dog owner's liability under § 18-1-1 is compared with everyone else's³⁴. You recover only if the combined fault of the defendants, immune persons and others exceeds your own; at 50% or more you get nothing⁵. Each defendant pays only its own percentage, so an owner found 12% at fault pays 12% of the damages³⁵.

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

Utah dog bite statute of limitations

3 years (Utah Code §§ 78B-2-305(1)(a)(iv), 78B-2-307(4))

Utah allows three years for an action "for liability created by statutes of this state" and four years for relief not otherwise provided for, which covers ordinary negligence⁶⁷. No Utah appellate court has decided which period governs a § 18-1-1 claim, so filing within three years of the bite avoids the question. A claim against a city, county, school district or the state needs a written notice of claim within one year, and the lawsuit must follow within two years¹¹¹².

Children. The limitations period does not run while the injured person is under 18, so a bitten child's own claim can be filed after the child turns 18¹⁰. The one-year notice of claim against a government body is not tolled the same way if the entity has a guardian ad litem appointed¹².

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

Damages

Utah sets no cap on damages in a dog bite claim against a private owner; § 18-1-1 makes the owner liable for the injury and leaves the amount to the comparative-fault statute¹⁵. Recoverable damages include medical bills, lost earnings, pain, scarring and emotional distress, reduced by your share of fault³⁵. Punitive damages need clear and convincing proof of willful and malicious conduct or knowing and reckless indifference to others' rights, and any amount above $50,000 is split with the state¹⁴. If you choose the fast-track arbitration under § 18-1-4, the bodily-injury award is capped at $50,000 and punitive damages are not allowed¹³.

Landlords and property owners

A landlord is not an owner or keeper and is not strictly liable under § 18-1-1¹. In Tesch v. Bonneville Property Investment, LLC, 2025 UT 58, a South Ogden tenant's pit bull bit a boy retrieving a baseball. The Utah Supreme Court held that the landlord owed no duty on those facts¹⁵. Allowing dogs, or offering a fenced yard and a dog run, did not create a dangerous condition, because "dogs are not necessarily dangerous"¹⁵. Monthly visits and a right to approve indoor pets did not give the landlord control of the yard¹⁵. The court noted that other states impose a duty when a bite happens in a common area the landlord controls and the landlord knew of that dog's vicious behavior, but it did not decide whether Utah would¹⁵.

Insurance

No Utah statute limits a homeowners or renters insurer's use of dog breed. The state's breed rule, § 18-2-101, bars breed-specific rules by cities and towns only¹⁶. Utah law sets no insurance requirement for owners of dogs found dangerous; any such condition comes from a city or county ordinance.

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

Three years or four? The open deadline question

Utah gives three years to an action "for liability created by statutes of this state" and four years to claims not otherwise provided for, which is where ordinary negligence falls⁶⁷. Strict liability for a dog's injuries exists only because § 18-1-1 says so, which is the argument for three years. Arizona's courts used the same reasoning to apply a one-year limit for statutory liability to its dog bite statute. No Utah appellate court has ruled.

The Legislature has twice considered settling it. S.B. 62 (2024), as introduced, would have given claims under § 18-1-1 four years⁹. H.B. 553 (2026) would have added the same four-year rule and raised the arbitration cap to $75,000⁸. Neither provision appears in § 18-1-1 as in force in October 2026¹. Until a court or the Legislature decides, filing within three years of the bite is the cautious course; a negligence count filed between three and four years is still timely⁷.

The dog-attack arbitration track

Utah has a special arbitration procedure for dog attack injuries, Utah Code § 18-1-4¹³. After filing a lawsuit, the injured person may elect binding arbitration within 14 days after the owner answers. The price is real: the bodily-injury award is capped at $50,000, plus property damage and certain medical benefits, punitive damages are off the table, and the injured person gives up any judgment against the owner's personal assets and collects only from available insurance¹³. Either side can ask for a new trial within 20 days of the award, with cost penalties if the result does not improve by 30%. The section was last amended in 2026¹³.

Bite reports and quarantine

No Utah statute requires the person bitten or a doctor to report an ordinary dog bite to the state. Reports go to the local animal control agency, which manages rabies quarantines, and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services lists those agencies and offers a rabies exposure assessment tool¹⁸¹⁹. A veterinarian or animal control officer must immediately report any illness in a quarantined dog to the local health department¹⁷.

A healthy dog that bites a person must be confined and observed for 10 days from the bite, whatever its vaccination status, as local animal control ordinances specify¹⁷. State guidance allows the quarantine at a shelter, a veterinary clinic or the owner's home if the owner agrees to the rules: the dog stays on the property, goes out only on a leash for bathroom breaks, and has no visitors¹⁸. An unvaccinated dog is vaccinated after the 10 days, at the owner's expense¹⁷. A stray or unwanted dog that bites may be euthanized at once for testing where local ordinance permits¹⁷.

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

Questions about Utah dog bite law

Is Utah a one-bite state?

No. Under § 18-1-1 the owner or keeper is liable even if the dog never showed aggression before¹. The dog's history still matters to how fault is split, because after Bistryski a jury compares the owner's fault with yours or a parent's, and prior bites raise the owner's share³.

Does Utah's law cover injuries that are not bites?

Yes. The statute covers "an injury caused by the dog", not only bites, so being knocked down or chased into a fall is included¹. It also covers injuries anywhere, not only in public places, apart from the trespass and police-dog exceptions¹.

My child was bitten while I was watching. Can my fault reduce the claim?

It can. In S.H. ex rel. Robinson v. Bistryski the jury put 88% of the fault on the mother for her supervision, and the owner paid 12% of the damages³. The Supreme Court upheld comparing fault that way, though it ordered a new trial because the jury did not hear that the dog had bitten before³. See child dog bites.

Can I sue my neighbor's landlord in Utah?

Usually not. In Tesch v. Bonneville (2025) the Utah Supreme Court held that a landlord who allowed dogs and provided a dog run owed no duty to a boy bitten by the tenant's pit bull, because the landlord did not control the yard¹⁵. The court left open whether a landlord who controls a common area and knows a particular dog is vicious could be liable¹⁵.

What if a police dog bit me?

The government and the officer are not liable if the dog team is certified, the agency has a written policy, the handler followed it, and the dog was used reasonably and carefully to find or arrest a suspect or keep public order¹. If any of those conditions fails, the ordinary rules apply, and a claim against the agency needs a notice of claim within one year¹¹. See police dog bites.

Official contacts

Sources

1. Utah Code § 18-1-1, Liability and damages for dog injury -- Exceptions, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
2. S.B. 101, Dog Related Liability Amendments (2025 General Session), enrolled copy, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
3. S.H. ex rel. Robinson v. Bistryski, 923 P.2d 1376 (Utah 1996), CourtListener (Free Law Project). Checked 17 October 2026.
4. Utah Code § 78B-5-817, Definitions (comparative fault), Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
5. Utah Code § 78B-5-818, Comparative negligence, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
6. Utah Code § 78B-2-305, Actions with a statute of limitations of three years, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
7. Utah Code § 78B-2-307, Within four years, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
8. H.B. 553, Dog Attack Amendments (2026 General Session), introduced, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
9. S.B. 62, Dog Related Liability Amendments (2024 General Session), introduced, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
10. Utah Code § 78B-2-108, Effect of disability -- Minority, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
11. Utah Code § 63G-7-402, Time for filing notice of claim, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
12. Utah Code §§ 63G-7-401 and 63G-7-403, Notice of claim and time for commencing action, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
13. Utah Code § 18-1-4, Use of arbitration in personal injury from dog attack cases, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
14. Utah Code § 78B-8-201, Basis for punitive damages awards, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
15. Tesch v. Bonneville Property Investment, LLC, 2025 UT 58, CourtListener (Free Law Project). Checked 17 October 2026.
16. Utah Code § 18-2-101, Regulation of dogs by a municipality, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
17. Utah Admin. Code R386-702, Communicable Disease Rule: Special Measures for Control of Rabies, Legal Information Institute (copy of Utah Administrative Code). Checked 17 October 2026.
18. Rabies Animal Quarantine and Isolation Guidelines (Nov. 2021), Utah Department of Health and Human Services. Checked 17 October 2026.
19. Rabies, Utah Department of Health and Human Services. Checked 17 October 2026.
20. Utah Code § 76-13-212, Allowing a vicious animal to go at large, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
21. Utah Code § 76-3-204, Misdemeanor conviction -- Term of imprisonment, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
22. Utah Code § 76-3-301, Fines of individuals, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
23. Utah Code § 76-3-203, Felony conviction -- Indeterminate term of imprisonment, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
24. Utah Code § 18-1-2, Dogs acting together, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
25. Utah Code § 18-1-3, Dogs attacking domestic animals, service animals, hoofed protected wildlife, or domestic fowls, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
26. Utah Code § 76-6-206, Criminal trespass, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
27. Salt Lake County Animal Services: Laws, Salt Lake County. Checked 17 October 2026.