Who pays in your state?
The bite, the owner and the insurance policy determine your claim.
Your state sets the deadline Call about my state law(844) 703-3920Claim details
This is the planning limit for an ordinary adult claim against a private owner. Children's claims and claims against public owners need a separate timing review. It is not an automatic personal last date.
Your state's dog bite lawOhio Rev. Code 2305.07All state rules
What the one bite rule means
The name is misleading. A dog does not get a free bite.
Many states allow two distinct routes. The first is knowledge: you prove the owner knew the dog had a dangerous propensity. The second is negligence: you prove the owner was careless in controlling the dog.
Each state's law decides which routes are open. The state card above gives the actual rule for your state.
Texas has used the knowledge rule since a 1974 Texas Supreme Court case. A separate negligence claim is also open there. The State Bar of Texas explains this.
New York changed in April 2025. In Flanders v. Goodfellow, the Court of Appeals allowed suits against owners for carelessness. A New York bite no longer needs proof of an earlier attack, as the NYSBA notes.
States with mixed or limited rules
These states do not share one identical rule. Their rules are mixed or limited. Most let you prove what the owner knew or, separately, that the owner was careless. Some have no statute making the owner pay for every bite. Others apply strict liability only in limited cases, such as dogs already found dangerous.
- Georgia: vicious propensity or a leash law
- Maryland: a presumption that the owner knew
- New York: medical costs for dangerous dogs
- North Carolina: strict only for dangerous dogs
- Pennsylvania: medical costs paid by the owner
- Tennessee: mixed, depending on the place and the dog
- Texas: one bite rule
- Virginia: one bite rule
your state may not appear on this list. The state card above shows which routes apply there. You can compare this list with the strict liability states.
How you prove the owner knew
Proof of knowledge comes from people and paper. Any of these can count:
- A neighbor who saw the dog lunge
- An earlier animal control report
- A warning sign on the fence
- Texts about the dog
Proof of carelessness is different. It focuses on how the owner controlled the dog, not on what the owner knew.
Georgia also has a separate leash route. It can be enough to show the dog was off leash where a local ordinance required a leash. That rule comes from Georgia Code 51-2-7.
- Write down every earlier growl, lunge or warning with its date now, while you remember it.
- Ask neighbors who saw the dog lunge for their names and numbers this week.
- Save any messages you sent the owner about the dog.
The deadline still runs
The one bite rule does not change your filing deadline. The state card above lists the periods for your state.
Texas allows 2 years.
New York and North Carolina allow 3 years.
For a child, the clock often waits until age 18, as it does in Texas. See deadlines by state.