Bitten by a dog in Mesa: who to call, what city code says and finding a dog bite lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

In Mesa, report a dog bite to Mesa Animal Control at 480-644-2268,1 or at 480-644-2211, press 7.2 Arizona makes the owner pay for a bite in a public place or where you were lawfully present.3 The deadline is unsettled, so treat one year as the safe limit.4

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Road map of Mesa, where city rules require a dog to be on a leash outside the home or back yard except at a lawful dog park
Bitten in Mesa? Call 480-644-2268. Treat 1 year as your safe limit. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Who do I call about a dog bite in Mesa?

Mesa runs its own Animal Control, so start with the city and not the county shelter. The city asks you to report when an animal bites a person and skin is broken.5 County public health also tells people to report all dog and cat bites to their municipal animal control office.6

What you needContact
Mesa Animal Control480-644-2268 or [email protected]1
Office phone hoursMonday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., except holidays7
Field officer hoursMonday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except holidays7
Police non-emergency line480-644-2211, press 7 for Animal Control2

If the phone goes to voicemail, leave your name, number, the type of incident and the location. If someone's life is in danger, call 911.

What should I do right after a dog bite in Mesa?

  1. Wash the wound and get medical care. Banner Desert8 and HonorHealth Four Peaks9 are trauma centers in Mesa, and urgent care can treat smaller bites.
  2. Ask who owns the dog. The owner or person caring for it must give you the owner's contact information.10
  3. Ask whether the dog has its rabies shots.
  4. Report the bite. Under Mesa City Code, anyone with direct knowledge must report it immediately.11
  5. Take photos of the wound today and again as it heals. Save every bill.

What happens to the dog after a bite in Mesa?

Usually it is quarantined. Arizona requires an unvaccinated dog or cat that bites a person to be quarantined at least ten days, starting the day of the bite.12 A licensed, vaccinated dog in Mesa may be quarantined at its owner's home, in the way the enforcement agent sets.13 Ask Animal Control how the quarantine ended. If the animal cannot be found or tested, your doctor needs to know quickly.

Do dogs have to be on a leash in Mesa?

Yes, outside your home or back yard. Mesa says it is unlawful to let a dog off leash anywhere else, except at a lawful dog park.14 In city parks, a dog must be on a manual leash no longer than six feet and under the owner's physical control.15 Allowing a dog to run at large is a criminal offense under city code.16

That matters for your claim. Mesa City Code makes the owner or responsible person fully responsible for injury by a dog while at large.17 Arizona law says the same.18 So write down whether the dog had a leash, whether a gate was open, and take a photo of the fence from the sidewalk.

When does a dog owner have to pay in Mesa?

What happenedWhat Arizona says
Bite in public, or where you were lawfully presentOwner must pay, even if the dog had never been mean3
You were on the owner's propertyYou are lawfully there if invited, a guest, or doing a legal duty19
You provoked the dogThe owner can use that as a defense20

A homeowner's or renter's policy often pays for these claims. Ask the owner for the insurer's name. Do not agree to a recorded call until you know whether a scar or nerve damage is coming.

Can a dog be declared vicious in Mesa?

Yes. Under city code, a vicious dog includes one that bites or injures a person without provocation, on public or private property.21 If the Police Chief or a designee has reasonable grounds to think a dog may be vicious, a hearing may be held.22 Your report can start that process. Whether or not the city holds a hearing, it is separate from your right to ask for money for your injuries.

We could not find public numbers on dog bites reported in Mesa each year, so we cannot tell you how often this happens.

How long do I have to file a dog bite claim in Mesa?

No one can give you a firm answer, and that is the honest truth. Arizona gives one year for a liability created by statute, and no statute says which deadline applies to a dog bite claim, so this is unsettled.4 A negligence claim may have the general two-year period,23 but do not plan around it. Treat one year from the bite as your limit.

A child's time usually waits until age 18,24 but a lawyer should confirm that for your child. If a City of Mesa employee or animal is involved, the 180-day claim rule at the City Clerk applies.25

What if a dog bit me while I was working in Mesa?

Delivery drivers, meter readers and home health workers get bitten on the job. You may have a workers' comp claim and a separate claim against the owner.26

When should I call a dog bite lawyer in Mesa?

  • You needed stitches, surgery or a plastic surgeon.
  • A child was bitten on the face.
  • The owner denies the dog was theirs or will not give insurance details.
  • The bite got infected or caused nerve problems.
  • Your one-year mark is getting close.

If you were treated at Banner, request records through MRO Patient Central.27

Questions

Does Mesa have its own Animal Control?

Yes. Reach it at 480-644-2268.1

Do I report a bite if the skin was not broken?

Mesa's reporting page is for bites that break the skin.5 If you are unsure, call and describe what happened.

Can I sue if the dog had never bitten anyone?

Yes. Arizona's law applies even if the dog had never been mean.3

Is a loose dog illegal in Mesa?

Yes. Allowing a dog to run at large is a criminal offense under Mesa City Code.16

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Mesa

Dog bite

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Sources

  1. City of Mesa, Animal Control, checked 2026-11-08. “Contact Mesa Animal Control at 480-644-2268.”
  2. Mesa Police, Non-Emergency Menu, checked 2026-11-08. “7 is for Animal Control”
  3. A.R.S. § 11-1025(A), checked 2026-11-08. “The owner of a dog that bites a person when the person is in or on a public place or lawfully in or on a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, is liable for damages suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner's knowledge of its viciousness.”
  4. A.R.S. § 12-541(5), checked 2026-11-08. “There shall be commenced and prosecuted within one year after the cause of action accrues, and not afterward, the following actions: [...] 5. Upon a liability created by statute, other than a penalty or forfeiture.”
  5. City of Mesa, Animal Control, checked 2026-11-08. “Report if an animal bites a person and skin is broken.”
  6. Maricopa County Public Health, Rabies, checked 2026-11-08. “Report all dog and cat bites to your appropriate municipal animal control office.”
  7. City of Mesa, Animal Control, checked 2026-11-08. “Office Phone Hours: Monday - Friday 7:00 am to 5:00 pm (Excluding holidays) Field Hours: Monday - Thursday 7:00 am to 5:30 pm (Excluding holidays)”
  8. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Banner Desert Medical Center 1400 South Dobson Rd., Meza, AZ 85202 06/10/24 06/10/27”
  9. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “HonorHealth Four Peaks Medical Center 1301 S. Crismon Rd, Mesa, AZ 85209 07/26/26 07/26/29”
  10. A.R.S. § 11-1025(B), checked 2026-11-08. “shall provide the owner's contact information to the person who suffered the dog bite.”
  11. Mesa City Code, Title 6 Chapter 4, checked 2026-11-08. “Whenever an animal bites any person, the incident shall be reported to the enforcement agent immediately by any person having direct knowledge.”
  12. Arizona Revised Statutes 11-1014, checked 2026-11-08. “for a period of at least ten days”
  13. Mesa City Code, Title 6 Chapter 4, checked 2026-11-08. “A dog properly licensed and vaccinated pursuant to this Chapter that bites any person may be confined and quarantined at the home of the owner”
  14. City of Mesa, Animal Control, checked 2026-11-08. “It is unlawful to allow your dog to be off leash outside of your home or back yard (with the exception of being at a lawful dog park).”
  15. City of Mesa, Park Rules, checked 2026-11-08. “not properly restrained on a manual leash no greater than 6’ and under the physical control of its owner.”
  16. City of Mesa, Animal Control, checked 2026-11-08. “Allowing your dog to run at large is a criminal offense under the Mesa City Code.”
  17. Mesa City Code, Title 6 Chapter 4, checked 2026-11-08. “Injury to any person or damage to any property by a dog while at large shall be the full responsibility of the dog owner or person or persons responsible for the dog”
  18. A.R.S. § 11-1020, checked 2026-11-08. “Injury to any person or damage to any property by a dog while at large shall be the full responsibility of the dog owner or person or persons responsible for the dog when such damages were inflicted.”
  19. A.R.S. § 11-1026, checked 2026-11-08. “A person is lawfully in or on the private property of the owner of a dog within the meaning of this article when an invitee or guest, or when in the performance of a duty imposed upon him by law”
  20. A.R.S. § 11-1027, checked 2026-11-08. “Proof of provocation of the attack by the person injured shall be a defense to the action for damages.”
  21. Mesa City Code, Title 6 Chapter 4, checked 2026-11-08. “Bites, inflicts injury, assaults, or otherwise attacks a human being or domestic animal without provocation on public or private property”
  22. Mesa City Code, Title 6 Chapter 4, checked 2026-11-08. “In the event that the Police Chief or his designee has reasonable grounds to believe that a dog may be vicious, a hearing may be convened.”
  23. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  24. A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-08. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
  25. City of Mesa, Claim Form (updated 08/03/2026), checked 2026-11-08. “shall file the claim with the Mesa City Clerk within 180 days after the claim accrues.”
  26. A.R.S. § 23-1023(A), checked 2026-11-08. “by the negligence or wrong of another person not in the same employ, the injured employee, or in event of death the injured employee's dependents, may pursue the injured person's remedy against the other person.”
  27. Banner Health, Patient Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “you can request your medical records from any Banner Health hospital, provider office, or urgent care location.”

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