Utah Dangerous Dog Law
After a dog bites someone in Utah, local animal control usually orders a 10-day rabies quarantine, often at the owner's home1718. Whether the dog is then labeled dangerous or vicious, and what the owner must do, depends on the city or county ordinance, because Utah has no statewide dangerous-dog statute1627. State law adds a criminal offense for owners who knowingly let a vicious animal run loose20.
After a bite in Utah
| Rabies observation | 10 daysDetails below |
|---|---|
| State dangerous-dog law | None: cities and counties set the rules |
| Classes of dog | vicious animal |
| Required insurance for a declared dog | No statewide minimum |
| Breed-specific laws | Banned: state law bars breed-specific local rules |
| Civil liability for the bite | Strict liability statute |
What happens right after the bite?
Utah's rabies rules apply statewide even though no statute requires the bitten person to file a report. A healthy dog, cat or ferret that bites a person "shall be confined and observed at least daily for ten days from the date of bite, regardless of vaccination status"17. The rule leaves the details to local animal control ordinances, and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services says local animal control agencies have the final say in managing rabies quarantine18.
State guidance allows the 10 days to be served at a shelter, a veterinary clinic or the owner's home, if the owner can and will follow the rules18. During a home quarantine the dog should not leave the property. It stays inside as much as possible and goes out on a leash only for bathroom breaks. No outside visitors should touch it, and it should have no contact with animals other than its housemates18. Animal control should check on the dog at least on day five and day ten18.
Do not have the dog vaccinated during those 10 days, even if its shots have lapsed; a rare vaccine reaction could be mistaken for rabies1718. If the dog stays healthy, a dog that was already vaccinated is released with no further restrictions, and an unvaccinated dog is vaccinated at the owner's expense before release17. If the dog falls ill, a veterinarian must examine it and the illness must be reported to the local health department at once. If signs of rabies appear, the dog is euthanized and tested17. A stray or unwanted dog that bites can be euthanized immediately for testing where local ordinance allows17.
To find the agency that handles your area, the state rabies page links to a list of Utah animal control agencies19.
Who decides whether a dog is dangerous?
Not the state. The Utah Code has no statute that defines a "dangerous dog", sets up a hearing, or lists conditions an owner must meet. Those rules are written by each city or county. Salt Lake County Animal Services, for example, serves several cities and the county's metro townships, and enforces a different ordinance in each; it publishes links to each one27. Expect the local code to define terms such as "dangerous", "potentially dangerous" or "vicious", to set who can start a case and how fast an owner must ask for a hearing, and to list conditions such as secure enclosures, leashes, muzzles, signs or extra license fees.
Because the deadlines for asking for a hearing or an appeal are local and often short, read the notice that animal control serves and the ordinance it cites before the deadline passes.
Can a city ban a breed?
No. A 2014 law, now § 18-2-101, says a municipality "may not adopt or enforce a breed-specific rule, regulation, policy, or ordinance regarding dogs" and that any breed-specific dog rule is void16. A designation must rest on what the dog did, not its breed.
Can the dog be put down?
No state statute orders a dog destroyed because it bit someone. State rules require euthanasia only for rabies testing: a quarantined dog that shows signs of rabies, or a stray or unwanted biting dog where local law permits17. Any power to order a dangerous dog destroyed, and the owner's right to contest it, comes from the local ordinance27. Separately, anyone may kill a dog while it is attacking or chasing livestock with commercial value, a service animal or protected hoofed wildlife, or attacking fowl25.
Can the owner be charged with a crime?
Yes, in serious cases. Utah Code § 76-13-212, renumbered from § 76-9-304 in 2025, makes it a crime for the owner of a vicious animal, knowing its propensities, to willfully let it go at large or keep it without ordinary care, if it then injures or kills a person who took reasonable precautions, or another animal20. Injury is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine202122. If the animal kills a person, the offense is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine202223. Local ordinances add their own citations for running at large or for breaking dangerous-dog conditions.
What about the civil claim?
The owner's civil liability is separate from any designation or charge, and it does not depend on the dog's history. See the Utah dog bite law page and the national guides to quarantine and what to do when your dog bit someone.
Rules for a declared dog in Utah
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Rabies quarantine | 10 days from the bite, vaccinated or not17 |
| Home quarantine | Allowed if the owner agrees: dog stays home, leashed outside, no visitors18 |
| Vaccination | Not during the quarantine; after it, at the owner's expense1718 |
| State registration or insurance | None under state lawLocal ordinances may require them.27 |
| Breed-based rules | Void; cities and towns may not adopt them§ 18-2-101.16 |
Utah rules in brief
Reporting. 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.
Euthanasia. No Utah statute sets a dangerous-dog hearing or authorizes destroying a dog because it bit someone; that power, and any appeal, comes from city and county ordinances1627. State rabies rules require euthanasia and testing only if a quarantined dog shows signs of rabies, or allow it for a stray or unwanted dog that bites17. Anyone may kill a dog while it is attacking livestock, a service animal or protected hoofed wildlife25.
Criminal penalties. Under Utah Code § 76-13-212, the owner of a vicious animal who knows its propensities and lets it run at large, or keeps it without ordinary care, commits a class B misdemeanor if it injures a person or animal, and a third-degree felony if it kills a person20. That means up to six months and a $1,000 fine, or up to five years and a $5,000 fine212223.
Breed rules. Since 2014, § 18-2-101 has barred cities and towns from adopting or enforcing breed-specific dog rules and makes any breed-specific dog ordinance void16.
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
- Utah Code § 18-1-1, Liability and damages for dog injury -- Exceptions, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- S.B. 101, Dog Related Liability Amendments (2025 General Session), enrolled copy, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- S.H. ex rel. Robinson v. Bistryski, 923 P.2d 1376 (Utah 1996), CourtListener (Free Law Project). Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 78B-5-817, Definitions (comparative fault), Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 78B-5-818, Comparative negligence, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 78B-2-305, Actions with a statute of limitations of three years, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 78B-2-307, Within four years, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- H.B. 553, Dog Attack Amendments (2026 General Session), introduced, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- S.B. 62, Dog Related Liability Amendments (2024 General Session), introduced, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 78B-2-108, Effect of disability -- Minority, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 63G-7-402, Time for filing notice of claim, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code §§ 63G-7-401 and 63G-7-403, Notice of claim and time for commencing action, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 18-1-4, Use of arbitration in personal injury from dog attack cases, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 78B-8-201, Basis for punitive damages awards, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Tesch v. Bonneville Property Investment, LLC, 2025 UT 58, CourtListener (Free Law Project). Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 18-2-101, Regulation of dogs by a municipality, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- 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.
- Rabies Animal Quarantine and Isolation Guidelines (Nov. 2021), Utah Department of Health and Human Services. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Rabies, Utah Department of Health and Human Services. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 76-13-212, Allowing a vicious animal to go at large, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 76-3-204, Misdemeanor conviction -- Term of imprisonment, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 76-3-301, Fines of individuals, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 76-3-203, Felony conviction -- Indeterminate term of imprisonment, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 18-1-2, Dogs acting together, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 18-1-3, Dogs attacking domestic animals, service animals, hoofed protected wildlife, or domestic fowls, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Utah Code § 76-6-206, Criminal trespass, Utah Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
- Salt Lake County Animal Services: Laws, Salt Lake County. Checked 17 October 2026.