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

Last checked November 8, 2026

Report a Scottsdale dog bite to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control at 602-506-7387.1 A city staff report says the county handles animal bite response for Scottsdale.2 Arizona makes owners pay for bites in public 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 Scottsdale showing Chaparral Park on Hayden Road, one of the city's dog parks, where owners are legally liable for their dogs
Scottsdale dog parks: report any dog attack to 602-506-7387. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What should I do after a dog bite in Scottsdale?

  1. Get medical care if you need it, and photograph the wound. Those are the county's first steps.5
  2. Get the owner's name. Whoever owns or is caring for the dog has to give you the owner's contact information.6
  3. Report it to the county at 602-506-7387, or online. The call center answers 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, weekends included.17
  4. Ask whether the dog has its shots. An unvaccinated dog that bites must be quarantined at least ten days.8
  5. Keep taking photos as you heal, and save every bill.

Scottsdale code says a bite has to be reported to the enforcement agent right away by anyone with direct knowledge of it.9 So reporting a neighbor's dog is not rude. It is what the rule asks you to do. County public health says to report all dog and cat bites to animal control.10

What happens after I report a dog bite in Scottsdale?

County field officers interview you, any witnesses and the owner, if they can find one.11 The dog is quarantined at home or somewhere else for 10 days, and if it was running loose, the owner can be cited.12 The quarantine is there to check for rabies, and it is not a death sentence for the dog.

The county has its own definitions. A bite means the dog's teeth broke the skin. If they did not, the county calls it an attack, with or without injury.13 Report it either way. If no citation is issued, the county ends its investigation, and you can still seek money as a civil matter.14

Need someone to talk to about the process? The county's victim page lists 480-312-2442 for Scottsdale.15

What is the leash law in Scottsdale?

Off the owner's property, a dog must be on a leash of no more than six feet and directly under the owner's physical control.16 The rule follows dogs into city parks too. A dog has to be on a six-foot leash there unless it is in a designated exercise area or one of a few other exceptions.17

Arizona adds a second layer. If a dog running loose hurts someone, the owner or the person responsible for the dog is fully responsible.18 If you were bitten on the Indian Bend Wash path or on a neighborhood street, note whether the dog was leashed and who was holding the leash.

What if a dog bit me at a Scottsdale dog park?

Rules posted by the city say owners or custodians are responsible and legally liable for their dog at all times in a city park.19 All dog attacks there should be reported to the county right away at 602-506-7387.20 City dog parks include Chaparral at 5401 N. Hayden Road, Horizon, Thompson Peak and Vista del Camino.21

The city also warns that it does not supervise the park and that users are there at their own risk. That language is about the city, and it is not a free pass for the owner. Get the owner's name and license tag before they leave, because a dog park has no front desk that signs people in.

When does the owner have to pay for a dog bite in Scottsdale?

SituationArizona rule
Public place, or lawfully on private propertyThe owner is liable, even if the dog had never been mean3
Guest, invitee, or there on a legal dutyYou count as lawfully on the property22
You provoked the dogThe owner can use that as a defense23
The dog was looseThe owner or person responsible is fully responsible18

Homeowners and renters insurance often pays these claims. The person holding the leash may not be the owner. Ask who owns the dog and who has the insurance, and do not give a recorded statement until you know how your wound is healing.

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

This point is not settled. Arizona allows one year for a liability created by statute, and no statute says which deadline applies to a dog bite.4 Other injury claims get two years,24 but do not lean on that here. Plan on one year from the bite.

A child's clock usually waits until age 18,25 but ask a lawyer before you count on it. If a public agency is responsible, a claim is due within 180 days.26

When should I call a dog bite lawyer in Scottsdale?

  • The bite needed stitches, surgery or left a scar.
  • The wound got infected, or you have nerve damage.
  • The owner will not share their name or insurance.
  • The bite happened at work. Workers' comp may also apply, and another person may also owe you.27
  • You are close to the one-year mark.

Questions

Who do I call about a dog bite in Scottsdale?

Maricopa County Animal Care and Control at 602-506-7387.1

Does Scottsdale have a leash law?

Yes. Off the owner's property, a dog must be on a leash of six feet or less.16

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

The county calls it an attack, not a bite. You should still report it.13

Is the dog put down after a Scottsdale bite?

Not automatically. The usual step is a 10-day quarantine.12

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Scottsdale

Dog bite

Arizona

Sources

  1. Maricopa County, Our Field Team, checked 2026-11-08. “You or your pet are the victim(s) of a dog bite or attack? Contact the Call Center (602-506-7387) or submit an online report”
  2. City of Scottsdale staff report, county animal control agreement, checked 2026-11-08. “Since 1977, Maricopa County”
  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. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Our Field Team, checked 2026-11-08. “representatives are available to assist you between 8AM – 5PM every day”
  8. Arizona Revised Statutes 11-1014, checked 2026-11-08. “for a period of at least ten days”
  9. Scottsdale Revised Code, 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.”
  10. Maricopa County, Rabies, checked 2026-11-08. “Report all dog and cat bites to your appropriate municipal animal control office.”
  11. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “interviewing the bite/attack victim, any witnesses, and the dog owner”
  12. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “MCACC begins investigation of reported bite. Dog is quarantined (home or other) for 10 days. If dog at-large violation is established, citation is issued to dog owner.”
  13. 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.”
  14. 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”
  15. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “Scottsdale 480-312-2442”
  16. Scottsdale Revised Code, Chapter 4, checked 2026-11-08. “on a leash not to exceed six (6) feet in length and directly under the owner's physical control when not on the owner's property”
  17. Scottsdale Revised Code, Sec. 20-32, checked 2026-11-08. “securing it with a leash of not more than six (6) feet in length”
  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. City of Scottsdale, Dog Parks, checked 2026-11-08. “Owners or custodians of a dog are responsible and legally liable for the acts and conduct of the dog at all times when the dog is in a city park.”
  20. City of Scottsdale, Dog Parks, checked 2026-11-08. “All dog attacks should be immediately reported to the Maricopa County Animal Care & Control at 602-506-7387.”
  21. City of Scottsdale, Dog Parks, checked 2026-11-08. “5401 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85250”
  22. 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”
  23. 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.”
  24. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  25. 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”
  26. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  27. 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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