Florida Dog Bite Laws

Florida’s dog bite statute, Fla. Stat. § 767.04, imposes strict liability upon dog owners. This means that an owner can be held liable for injuries and damages resulting from their dog biting a person who was either in a public place or lawfully in a private place. The victim of a dog bite is not required to prove that the owner knew of any prior aggressive behavior. However, a victim may be unable to recover damages if he/she was trespassing at the time of the bite or was provoking the dog. Florida’s law contains an additional exception that shields the owner from liability where the bite occurred on the owner’s property, and there was a sign saying “Bad Dog” or “Beware of Dog” that was easily readable and located in a prominent place. This exception for signs does not apply if the victim was under the age of six years old.