Bitten by a dog in Phoenix: who to call, your rights, and finding a dog bite lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

In Phoenix, report a dog bite to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control at 602-506-7387.12 Arizona makes the owner pay for a bite in a public place or where you were lawfully present, even if the dog was never mean before.3 The deadline is unsettled, so treat one year as the safe limit.4

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Road map of Phoenix, where a dog off the owner's property must be on a leash of six feet or less under city code
Dog bite in Phoenix? Treat one year as your safe deadline. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What should you do right after a dog bite in Phoenix?

  1. Wash the wound and get medical care if you need it. Maricopa County's first step for a bite is to seek care and take photos of your injuries.5
  2. Ask who owns the dog. The person who owns or is caring for the dog must give you the owner's contact information.6
  3. Find out if the dog has its shots. An unvaccinated dog or cat that bites must be quarantined at least ten days, starting the day of the bite.7
  4. Report the bite. Call the county at 602-506-7387, open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.1 For rabies questions, Maricopa County Public Health has a line at 602-506-6767, 24 hours a day.8
  5. Keep taking photos as the wound heals. Save bills and a list of work you missed.

Who takes a dog bite report in Phoenix?

Maricopa County, not the city police. The county's page sends people in Avondale, El Mirage, Glendale, Mesa, Peoria, Surprise and Wickenburg to their local police, and Phoenix is not on that list.2 Phoenix's code says anyone with direct knowledge of a bite should report it right away.9

The county has a clear definition. A bite is an injury where the dog's teeth broke the skin. If they did not, the county calls it an attack, with or without injury.10 Tell the person taking your report exactly what happened, and ask for the report number.

What happens to the dog after a bite in Phoenix?

After a report, the county quarantines the dog, at home or somewhere else, for 10 days. If it finds the dog was running at large, it cites the owner.11 If a citation is issued, the owner has to go to court in the place where the bite happened.

That criminal or animal control process is not the same as your money claim. If no citation is issued, the county ends its investigation, and you can still seek money as a civil matter.12 So do not treat a closed county file as the end of your options.

Are dogs allowed off leash in Phoenix?

Mostly not. City code says that off the owner's property, a dog must be on a leash no longer than six feet and under the owner's direct control.13 Designated park areas are an exception. Arizona law also says that if a dog running loose hurts someone, the owner or the person responsible for the dog is fully responsible.14

If you can, note whether the dog had a leash, whether a gate was open and whether the fence had a gap. Photos of the yard, taken from the public sidewalk, can help.

When does an owner have to pay for a dog bite in Phoenix?

SituationWhat Arizona law says
Public place, or you were lawfully on private propertyThe owner is liable, even if the dog had never been mean3
You were on the owner's propertyYou count as lawfully there if you were invited, a guest, or doing a legal duty such as delivering legal papers15
You provoked the dogThe owner can use that as a defense16
The dog was running looseThe owner or person responsible is fully responsible14

Many dog bite claims are paid by the owner's homeowner or renter insurance. Ask the owner for the name of the insurer early, and do not give a recorded statement before you understand your injuries.

How long do you have to file a dog bite claim in Phoenix?

This is not settled, so be careful. Arizona gives one year for a liability created by statute, and no statute says which deadline applies to a dog bite claim.4 Some injury claims in Arizona get two years,17 but you should not count on that here. Plan around one year from the bite.

A child's deadline usually waits until age 18,18 but do not rely on that without asking a lawyer. Children are often bitten near the face, and a scar can look different as a child grows, so ask a doctor about follow-up care.

When should you call a dog bite lawyer in Phoenix?

  • The bite needed stitches, surgery or left a scar.
  • You think an infection or nerve damage is involved.
  • The owner will not give you their information or insurance.
  • The bite happened at work. Workers' comp rules may also apply.19
  • Your one-year mark is getting close.

Questions

Who do I call about a dog bite in Phoenix?

Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, 602-506-7387, every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.1

What if the dog's teeth did not break the skin?

The county calls that an attack, not a bite, with or without injury. You should still report it.10

Can I sue if the dog had never bitten anyone before?

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

Is the dog put down after a bite in Phoenix?

Not automatically. The usual step is a 10-day quarantine.11

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Sources

  1. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Our Field Team, checked 2026-11-08. “You or your pet are the victim(s) of a dog bite or attack?”
  2. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “If you live in any of the following cities or towns, please contact your local Police Department for assistance:”
  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. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “Seek medical attention if necessary, and take photos of any injuries.”
  6. 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.”
  7. Arizona Revised Statutes 11-1014, checked 2026-11-08. “for a period of at least ten days”
  8. Maricopa County Public Health, Rabies, checked 2026-11-08. “Report all dog and cat bites to your appropriate municipal animal control office.”
  9. Phoenix City Code 8-16, 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.”
  10. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “A dog bite is defined as an injury where the dog's teeth have broken skin on a person.”
  11. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “Dog is quarantined (home or other) for 10 days. If dog at-large violation is established, citation is issued to dog owner.”
  12. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “MCACC ends the investigation and the victim can choose to seek restitution as a civil matter.”
  13. Phoenix City Code 8-14, checked 2026-11-08. “on a leash not to exceed six feet in length and directly under the owner’s or custodian’s control”
  14. 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.”
  15. 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”
  16. 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.”
  17. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  18. 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”
  19. 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.”

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