Luật sư chuyên về các vụ cắn người do chó gây ra tại Los Angeles
Luật sư chuyên về các vụ cắn người do chó gây ra tại Los Angeles
On This Page
- Los Angeles and Los Angeles County Dog Bite Statistics
- California Dog Bite Law: Strict Liability Under Civil Code 3342
- Los Angeles Leash Law and Dog Ordinances
- Los Angeles Animal Control and Rabies Follow-Up
- What To Do After a Los Angeles Dog Bite
- Los Angeles Hospitals and Urgent Care for Dog Bites
- How To Report a Dog Bite in Los Angeles
- Who Can Be Held Responsible for a Los Angeles Dog Bite
- Filing a Dog Bite Claim in Los Angeles County
- Compensation for Los Angeles Dog Bite Victims
- Comparative Negligence in California Dog Bite Cases
- Statute of Limitations for Los Angeles Dog Bite Cases
- Homeowner and Renter Insurance for Los Angeles Dog Bites
- Why Choose Dog Bite Laws for Your Los Angeles Case
- Các câu hỏi thường gặp
- Strict Liability: Civil Code 3342 makes a Los Angeles dog owner liable for a bite in a public place or on private property where you were lawfully present, with no proof of prior viciousness required.
- Six Foot Leash: Los Angeles Municipal Code 53.06.2 requires a dog off its owner's property to be on a leash no longer than six feet and under the control of a competent person.
- LA Animal Services: Bites inside the City of Los Angeles are reported to LA Animal Services at (888) 452-7381, which handles the 10 day rabies observation and dangerous animal hearings.
- Level I Trauma: Los Angeles County has four Level I adult trauma centers, including Cedars-Sinai, Ronald Reagan UCLA, and LA General, plus Children's Hospital Los Angeles for pediatric trauma.
- Mail Carrier Attacks: Los Angeles led every U.S. city with 70 dog attacks on postal carriers in 2025, and California led every state with 673.
- Two Year Deadline: Code of Civil Procedure 335.1 gives an adult two years from the bite to file suit, and a government claim for a city or county dog is due in six months.
- Pure Comparative Fault: California reduces a bite victim's award by their share of fault but never bars recovery outright, even at 70 or 80 percent fault.
- Paid Not Billed: Under the Howell decision, medical damages are measured by what was actually paid or still owed, not the hospital's original bill.
If a dog bit you or your child anywhere in Los Angeles, California law is on your side from the first minute. Under California’s strict liability dog bite statute, Civil Code 3342, the dog’s owner is responsible for your injuries whether or not the dog ever bit anyone before and whether or not the owner did anything careless. You have to show that the dog bit you while you were in a public place or lawfully on private property, and that the bite caused harm.
This page covers the Los Angeles leash law, how LA Animal Services and the county’s Veterinary Public Health program handle a bite report, which Los Angeles hospitals offer trauma care for a serious bite, who can be held responsible beyond the owner, the two-year deadline, and how the owner’s homeowner or renter insurance actually pays these claims.
Dog Bite Laws handles dog attack cases only. Consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover money for you.
Los Angeles and Los Angeles County Dog Bite Statistics
Los Angeles is the largest city in the state that leads the nation in dog bite injuries. In the U.S. Postal Service’s 2025 dog attack rankings, released in the spring of 2026, Los Angeles ranked first among all American cities with 70 attacks on mail carriers, ahead of Dallas at 50 and Denver at 45. California ranked first among states with 673 carrier attacks, nearly double second-place Texas.
Neither the City of Los Angeles nor Los Angeles County publishes a simple annual count of dog bites to residents, so there is no single official number for the city. What exists is the county’s bite reporting system. Every mammal bite to a person in Los Angeles County must be reported to the Department of Public Health’s Veterinary Public Health program, and the county confirms that dogs and cats account for most reported bites.
Children remain the highest risk group. Because of their height they are far more likely to be bitten on the face, head, and neck, which is why facial scarring is such a large part of a child’s claim.
California Dog Bite Law: Strict Liability Under Civil Code 3342
California does not give a dog one free bite. Civil Code 3342 says the owner of any dog is liable for damages suffered by anyone bitten while in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the owner’s own property, regardless of the dog’s past behavior or the owner’s knowledge of it. For a Los Angeles victim, that means proving the defendant owned the dog, the dog bit you, you were somewhere you had a right to be, and the bite caused injury.
You are protected on any sidewalk, street, park, beach, or business open to the public. On the owner’s own property, you are covered if you were there by invitation, express or implied, which includes guests, repair people, and neighbors walking up to the front door, or if you were there doing a job the law requires, which the statute spells out for postal carriers and which applies equally to utility workers and delivery drivers.
Two groups fall outside the statute. A trespasser cannot use strict liability, though a trespasser can still bring an ordinary negligence claim. And a police dog that bites a suspect during listed police work is exempt, as long as the agency has a written K-9 policy. That exemption does not protect the agency when the person bitten was a bystander.
Civil Code 3342 applies to bites. A knock-down or chase injury without a bite is handled under ordinary negligence, and a leash law violation, discussed next, usually supplies the proof.
Los Angeles Leash Law and Dog Ordinances
California has no statewide leash law, so the rule that applies to a Los Angeles bite is the city’s own. Los Angeles Municipal Code 53.06.2 allows a dog off its owner’s premises only when it is under the control of a competent person and restrained by a substantial chain or leash no longer than six feet, with an exception for designated city dog exercise areas. A companion section, 53.06, prohibits letting any animal run at large on a public street, sidewalk, or park.
Every dog four months or older must also be licensed with LA Animal Services and vaccinated against rabies, which is one reason a bite report is so useful: it ties the dog to a named, licensed owner.
For dogs that bite, Los Angeles has its own dangerous animal process layered on top of the state’s Food and Agricultural Code 31601 framework. Municipal Code 53.34.2 allows a biting animal to be impounded, and 53.34.4 lets the Department of Animal Services hold a hearing and declare a dog dangerous whenever it has bitten, attacked, or injured a person or another animal, considering any prior history. State law bars any city from declaring a dog dangerous because of its breed.
Why does the leash rule matter to you? When an owner or dog walker breaks a safety ordinance and that violation causes the kind of injury the ordinance was written to prevent, California law presumes negligence. That presumption is the backbone of a non-bite injury claim and the main route to holding a dog walker or friend who was watching the dog responsible.
Los Angeles Animal Control and Rabies Follow-Up
Inside the City of Los Angeles, bite reports and dangerous animal complaints go to LA Animal Services, the city’s Department of Animal Services. The call center and the city’s shelters answer at (888) 452-7381, Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays.
When a report comes in, the officer identifies the dog and its owner, confirms the license and rabies vaccination status, and places the dog under the 10 day rabies observation that state regulation requires. Most observations happen at the dog’s home. If the dog stays healthy for 10 days, rabies is ruled out. If the dog cannot be found, your doctor will likely recommend the post-exposure vaccine series, and that cost becomes part of your claim.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Veterinary Public Health program, at (213) 288-7060 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., tracks every reported bite in the county and runs an online bite reporting portal for the public and medical facilities.
The paper trail is the point. The LA Animal Services file will show who owned the dog, whether it was licensed, whether it had been reported before, and whether a dangerous animal hearing was ever held. Read more about what happens after a dog bite is reported.
What To Do After a Los Angeles Dog Bite
The first day sets up everything that follows. Take these steps in this order.
- Get away from the dog and call 911 if anyone is seriously hurt or the dog is still loose. For a contained dog and a non-emergency situation, the LAPD non-emergency line is 1-877-ASK-LAPD (1-877-275-5273).
- Identify the dog and the owner before anyone leaves. Get the owner’s name, phone number, and where the dog lives, and ask for the dog’s rabies vaccination information.
- Get medical care the same day, even for a small puncture. A wound that looks minor can turn into a serious infection within a day or two, and any bite to the face, hand, or a child belongs in an emergency room.
- Report the bite to LA Animal Services at (888) 452-7381. This starts the rabies observation and creates the official record that identifies the owner and reveals any prior complaints.
- Photograph everything. The wounds, torn clothing, the location, the fence or gate the dog came through, and the dog itself if it is safe.
- Collect witness names and phone numbers. Neighbors, other dog owners, and delivery drivers who saw the dog loose before are the people who will confirm what happened.
- Keep everything. Save torn clothing unwashed and every discharge sheet and bill, and keep a short daily note about pain, missed work, and any fear of dogs your child is showing.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the owner’s insurance company before you talk to a lawyer. Adjusters are trained to turn an innocent description into a provocation argument that cuts your recovery.
Los Angeles Hospitals and Urgent Care for Dog Bites
A serious dog bite, meaning deep tissue damage, a wound to the face or hand, heavy bleeding, or any significant injury to a child, belongs at one of these hospitals rather than a walk-in clinic.
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Level I adult trauma center verified by the American College of Surgeons. Main line (310) 423-3277. Emergency department open 24 hours.
- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Level I trauma center and pediatric critical care center that houses UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. Main line (310) 825-9111. Emergency department open 24 hours.
- Los Angeles General Medical Center. The county’s Level I trauma center on the east side. Main line (323) 409-1000. Emergency department open 24 hours.
- Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The only Level I pediatric trauma center in Los Angeles County verified by the American College of Surgeons, and the destination for serious bites to children. Main line (323) 660-2450. Emergency department open 24 hours.
For a minor bite that has stopped bleeding, an urgent care clinic can clean the wound, start antibiotics, and file the county bite report. Cedars-Sinai Urgent Care in Los Feliz, (424) 314-5200, and the UCLA Health Immediate Care clinics in Westwood and Century City are walk-in options with extended hours.
If the wound is on the face, especially on a child, keep every record from that visit, because your lawyer will use the medical records to document the care you will need later.
How To Report a Dog Bite in Los Angeles
Because the state has declared all of California a rabies area, state regulations (Title 17, section 2606) require that the local health officer be notified whenever a dog bites a person. In Los Angeles that duty is met by contacting one of these agencies.
- LA Animal Services. (888) 452-7381. The place to report any bite or dangerous dog inside the City of Los Angeles.
- Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Veterinary Public Health. (213) 288-7060. Online bite reporting portal for the public.
- Los Angeles Police Department, non-emergency. 1-877-ASK-LAPD (1-877-275-5273), 24 hours. For an owner who refuses to identify the dog or leaves the scene.
- Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, 24-hour general information. (323) 267-4800. For bites in unincorporated county areas or county parks.
- 911. For any active attack, a dog that is still loose and aggressive, or an injury that needs an ambulance.
When you make the report, ask for the report or activity number and request a copy. If the agency will not release the file directly to you, your lawyer can obtain it. The report is the fastest way to learn whether the same dog was reported before.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for a Los Angeles Dog Bite
Los Angeles is a city of renters, roommates, dog walkers, and shared yards, and a careful investigation often finds more than one responsible party and more than one insurance policy.
- The owner. Strictly liable for a bite. Roommates or family members who share the dog may each be an owner with a separate policy. Learn more about what determines ownership of a dog.
- A keeper, dog walker, or pet sitter. Not covered by the strict liability statute, but liable for negligence, and a leash law violation makes negligence presumed.
- A residential landlord. Under the Uccello rule, a landlord who actually knew a tenant’s dog was dangerous and had the power to remove it owes a duty to people the dog injures.
- A commercial landlord or business. A commercial property owner has to inspect at lease renewal and remove a dangerous dog the owner knew or should have known about.
- A government agency. Responsible when a K-9 bites a bystander or a dog attacks on public property, but a government claim must be filed within six months.
Each responsible party usually brings its own insurance, and identifying every policy early is often the difference between a partial recovery and a full one.
Filing a Dog Bite Claim in Los Angeles County
A Los Angeles dog bite lawsuit is filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, the largest trial court in the country. Your lawyer prepares the filing, tracks every deadline, and handles the court so you can focus on healing.
Most cases never get there. The owner’s homeowner or renter insurer pays the great majority of dog bite claims, and most settle before suit. Filing still has a purpose when an adjuster stalls or offers too little: a filed case puts the claim on a calendar the insurer cannot ignore.
Small claims court allows an individual to sue for up to $12,500 without a lawyer. That limit rarely fits a bite that needed an emergency room visit, stitches, or any follow-up care, so talk to a lawyer before choosing that route.
Compensation for Los Angeles Dog Bite Victims
A Los Angeles dog bite claim can recover every category of loss the bite caused, and California places no cap on pain and suffering in a dog bite case. The categories are:
- Past and future medical expenses. Emergency care, antibiotics, the rabies vaccine series if the dog could not be found, plastic surgery, and scar revision.
- Lost wages and earning capacity. Time off work and any long-term reduction in what you can earn.
- Pain and suffering. The physical pain of the injury and the treatment.
- Scarring and disfigurement. Compensated separately, and often the largest element in a child’s facial bite case.
- Emotional distress and PTSD. Anxiety, nightmares, and fear of dogs are common, especially in children, and counseling costs are recoverable. Read about emotional trauma after a dog attack.
- Out-of-pocket costs. Torn clothing, prescriptions, mileage to appointments, and help at home.
One California rule surprises many victims. Under the Howell decision, past medical damages are measured by what was actually paid or is still owed, not by the hospital’s original bill. If your health plan negotiated a $30,000 bill down to $9,000, the medical damages are $9,000. That makes the handling of medical liens critical, because Medi-Cal, Medicare, and private plans expect to be repaid from your recovery.
Punitive damages are available only when the owner acted with malice or a conscious disregard for safety, for example keeping a dog loose after it had already bitten someone. See what drives value on our California average dog bite settlement page, or get a rough estimate with the dog bite settlement calculator.
Comparative Negligence in California Dog Bite Cases
California uses pure comparative fault. If a jury decides you share some blame for the bite, your award is reduced by your percentage of fault, but it is never wiped out, no matter how high that percentage is.
Here is how it plays out in a Los Angeles case. Suppose a jury finds your total damages are $200,000 for a hand bite at a Silver Lake dog park and decides you were 25 percent at fault for reaching toward a dog after a warning. You recover $150,000. If the jury put your share at 70 percent, you would still recover $60,000. Only a finding that you were 100 percent responsible produces nothing.
Provocation is the defense you will hear most. Civil Code 3342 has no provocation exception, so teasing, cornering, or startling a dog is argued as your comparative fault, not as a complete bar. The only complete defenses are narrow: a person who intentionally courted the bite, or a professional such as a veterinarian or kennel worker who accepted the dog into their care for pay. An ordinary guest, a neighbor, or a child is at most in the comparative fault category. Learn more about whether a child can provoke a dog.
Statute of Limitations for Los Angeles Dog Bite Cases
An adult bitten in Los Angeles has two years from the date of the bite to file a lawsuit under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1. Opening an insurance claim does not stop that clock, and once it runs the claim is over regardless of merit. Our overview of the dog bite statute of limitations explains the rules.
For a child, the clock does not start until the 18th birthday, so the filing deadline is in practice the 20th birthday. That does not mean waiting is wise. The dog may be rehomed, the owner may move, LA Animal Services records are easier to obtain while they are fresh, and witnesses forget.
The deadline is dramatically shorter when a government entity is involved. If the dog belonged to the city, the county, a school district, or any other public agency, or if a police K-9 bit a bystander, a written government claim must be filed with that agency within six months of the bite, and that rule is not extended for children. After the agency rejects the claim, a lawsuit must follow within six months.
Homeowner and Renter Insurance for Los Angeles Dog Bites
Most Los Angeles dog bite claims are paid by the dog owner’s homeowner, condo, or renter insurance policy, not from the owner’s own pocket. When the dog belongs to a friend or neighbor, making a claim is not asking that person to write a check; it is asking the insurer they already pay premiums to for exactly this situation.
Typical personal liability limits run from $100,000 to $300,000, and a policy may also include medical payments coverage, which can pay reasonable medical expenses for someone accidentally hurt on the owner’s property. Owners with umbrella policies carry $1 million or more on top, which matters in cases involving surgery or a child’s face.
California leads the nation in dog bite insurance claims. The Insurance Information Institute reported 2,104 California claims in 2023, the most in the country, with an average payout of $68,125.
Two coverage traps come up in Los Angeles cases. Some insurers will not cover certain breeds, and once a dog has bitten someone an insurer may charge a higher premium, nonrenew the policy, or exclude the dog from coverage, so some policies carry an animal liability exclusion buried in the endorsements. And if the owner never disclosed the dog when applying, the insurer may try to void coverage. Both problems can sometimes be solved by finding a second policy, a co-owner, or a landlord with actual knowledge of the dog.
Why Choose Dog Bite Laws for Your Los Angeles Case
Dog Bite Laws handles dog attack cases and nothing else. That focus shows up in the details: knowing how LA Animal Services files a bite report and how to get the prior complaint history, how the Howell rule changes the value of your medical bills, and how to find the second insurance policy that many firms never look for.
When you hire us, we deal with the owner’s insurance company, gather the animal control and medical records, negotiate the medical liens that come out of your recovery, and file and handle the court case if the insurer will not pay what the claim is worth. You pay nothing up front and no fee unless we recover money for you.
If a dog bit you or your child in Los Angeles, call Dog Bite Laws or send us a message for a free consultation. We will tell you honestly what your case involves and what we can do about it.
Các câu hỏi thường gặp
Either one works, and they share the information. Inside the City of Los Angeles, the most direct route is LA Animal Services at (888) 452-7381, which sends an Animal Control Officer, starts the 10 day rabies observation, and opens the file on the dog and owner. The county's Veterinary Public Health program, (213) 288-7060, also accepts bite reports through its online portal. If you were treated at a hospital or urgent care, the facility likely filed a county report already, but a direct call to LA Animal Services is still worth making.
Los Angeles Municipal Code 53.06.2 requires any dog off its owner's property to be on a leash no longer than six feet and under the control of a competent person, except inside a designated dog exercise area. A dog loose on a sidewalk or at a park violates that rule and the separate at-large ban in section 53.06. For a bite, strict liability already applies. For a knock-down or chase injury, or when the person handling the dog was not the owner, the violation creates a presumption of negligence that makes your case much easier.
Children's Hospital Los Angeles, (323) 660-2450, is the only Level I pediatric trauma center in Los Angeles County verified by the American College of Surgeons, and it is the place to go for a serious facial bite on a child. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, (310) 825-9111, is a Level I trauma center with a pediatric critical care unit and is another strong option on the west side.
A claim against a neighbor is almost always a claim against the neighbor's homeowner or renter insurance, which exists for exactly this purpose. The insurer pays the settlement, and your neighbor's out-of-pocket cost is usually nothing. Typical policies carry $100,000 to $300,000 in liability coverage. Declining to make a claim does not help your neighbor; it only leaves you paying for medical care and scar treatment that the policy was designed to cover.
No. Civil Code 3342 covers bites only, and under the Drake decision a knock-down without a bite is handled as ordinary negligence. That is still a strong claim in Los Angeles because the city's six foot leash rule applies in parks, and when an owner's leash violation causes the kind of injury the rule was meant to prevent, negligence is presumed. You would recover the same categories of damages, including medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, but through the negligence route rather than strict liability.
It is reduced, not eliminated. California is a pure comparative fault state, so a jury assigns each side a percentage and your award is cut by your share. A $100,000 verdict with 30 percent fault on you pays $70,000. Even a victim found 80 percent at fault still recovers 20 percent. Provocation claims are argued inside this system as a percentage, not as a complete defense, which is why you should let a lawyer present the facts rather than describing them to an adjuster on a recorded line.
Possibly, and the deadline is short. Civil Code 3342 exempts a police dog that bites a suspect during listed police work, but that exemption does not reach a bystander who was not involved in the incident that prompted the dog's use. Because the City of Los Angeles is a government entity, a written claim must be filed with the city within six months of the bite, and that six month window is not extended for children. Talk to a lawyer immediately so the claim is filed in time.
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