Dog bite in Tempe: how to report it, when the owner pays, and finding a dog bite lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

Report a Tempe dog bite to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control at 602-506-7387.1 For urgent animal problems in business hours, call Tempe 311 at 480-350-4311.2 Arizona makes the owner pay for most bites, even with no earlier sign of danger.3 The deadline is unsettled, so treat one year as your safe limit.4

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Road map of Tempe showing the city's street grid, where Tempe has seven off-leash dog parks and county officers take bite reports
Tempe dog bites go to the county: 602-506-7387. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Who do I report a dog bite to in Tempe?

The county's Animal Care and Control call center takes bite and attack reports, by phone at 602-506-7387 or online.1 The county sends residents of seven named cities to their local police for bites, and Tempe is not one of them.5 Public health guidance also tells people to report bites to their animal control office.6

Tempe's own Office of Animal Welfare, at 480-858-7387, gives information on animal topics.7 It is not where a bite report belongs. If something is urgent during business hours, call Tempe 311.2 If a dog is attacking someone now, call 911.

Tell the county exactly what happened. Its definition matters: a bite is an injury where the teeth broke the skin.8 If the skin did not break, it may be logged as an attack, so describe any bruises and photograph them.

What should I do first after a dog bite in Tempe?

  1. Wash the wound and get medical care if you need it, then take photos of your injuries. That is the county's own first step.9
  2. Ask who owns the dog. Whoever owns or is caring for the dog must give you the owner's contact information.10
  3. Ask if the dog is vaccinated, and tell your doctor. An unvaccinated dog or cat that bites must be quarantined at least ten days.11
  4. For rabies questions, the county health line is 602-506-6767, any time of day.12
  5. Note the address, the time, and anyone who saw it. Save your bills and days missed from work.

What happens to the dog after a bite is reported in Tempe?

County officers open an investigation. The dog goes into quarantine, at home or elsewhere, for 10 days. If they find the dog was running at large, the owner gets a citation.13

That file and your money claim are separate tracks. If there is no citation, the county ends its case, and you may still seek money as a civil matter.14 Ask for the report number either way, since it will show the date and identify the dog.

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

Tempe has seven free dog parks where dogs may run off leash: Clark, Creamery, Jaycee, Kiwanis, Mitchell, Papago and the Tempe Sports Complex.15 The rules still bind owners. Dogs must be leashed coming in and going out, must be under voice control, and must be taken out at the first sign of aggression.16

A public park counts as a public place, so the owner's liability still applies.3 If you were bitten there, get the owner's name before they leave, and note whether they had removed the dog when trouble started. Your own dog being in the fight may raise a question about provocation.17

Do dogs have to be on a leash in Tempe?

We could not open the chapter of Tempe's city code on animals, so we cannot quote a city leash rule. Check it yourself or ask Tempe 311. State law says a vicious dog may not be permitted at large.18 And if a dog running loose hurts someone, the owner or person responsible is fully responsible.19

Evidence of a loose dog helps. Take a picture of an open gate or a gap in a fence from the sidewalk, and ask neighbors whether it has happened before. If the home is rented, find out who owns it too.

When does a dog owner have to pay in Tempe?

What happenedArizona's answer
Bite in a public place, or where you were lawfully presentThe owner must pay, even for a dog with a clean record3
You were invited, a guest, or there on a legal dutyYou count as lawfully on the property20
The dog was provokedThat gives the owner a defense17
You were partly carelessArizona can reduce your payment by your share of blame21

Homeowner or renter insurance often covers these claims. Ask the owner for the insurance company name, and wait to give a recorded statement until you know how your wound will heal.

How long do I have to bring a dog bite claim in Tempe?

This is one of the few injury deadlines in Arizona that is not clear. One state law gives one year for any liability created by a statute. Nothing in the statutes says whether a dog bite falls under it.4 The general limit for injuries is two years,22 but do not count on it. Plan around the one-year date.

SituationTime
Safe deadline for a bite claim1 year from the bite4
City-owned dog or a city worker involved180 days to the City Clerk23
Child was bittenA minor's time usually waits until adulthood,24 but keep the one-year date in mind

What should I ask a dog bite lawyer in Tempe?

  • Which deadline do you treat as controlling for my claim, and why?
  • How will you find out if the owner or landlord has insurance?
  • How do you handle scarring claims, and who photographs the healing?
  • What is your fee if the case settles quickly?

Questions

Does Tempe Police take dog bite reports?

The county handles them. Its call center is 602-506-7387, and Tempe is not among the cities it sends to local police.15

Do I have a claim if the skin did not break?

Possibly. The county logs that as an attack rather than a bite,8 so the dog bite statute may not fit. Other rules, such as the one for a dog running loose, may still apply.19 Document everything.

Do I have a claim if the dog was off leash at a Tempe dog park?

Off-leash areas are allowed, but owners must remove a dog at the first sign of aggression.16 The owner can still be liable.3

What if the dog has not had its shots?

It must be quarantined at least ten days, starting the day of the bite.11 Ask your doctor about rabies treatment right away.12

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Tempe

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 Tempe, Office of Animal Welfare, checked 2026-11-08. “If you have a time-sensitive, animal-related need during business hours, please contact Tempe 311 at 480-350-4311.”
  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, 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:”
  6. Maricopa County, Rabies, checked 2026-11-08. “Report all dog and cat bites to your appropriate municipal animal control office.”
  7. City of Tempe, Office of Animal Welfare, checked 2026-11-08. “can provide information on a variety of animal welfare topics”
  8. Maricopa County, 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.”
  9. Maricopa County, Victims Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “Seek medical attention if necessary, and take photos of any injuries.”
  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. Arizona Revised Statutes 11-1014, checked 2026-11-08. “for a period of at least ten days”
  12. Maricopa County, Rabies, checked 2026-11-08. “602-506-6767 (24 hours a day)”
  13. Maricopa County, 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.”
  14. Maricopa County, Victims Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “MCACC ends the investigation and the victim can choose to seek restitution as a civil matter.”
  15. City of Tempe, Dog Parks, checked 2026-11-08. “Tempe has seven free dog parks”
  16. City of Tempe, Dog Parks, checked 2026-11-08. “Remove dogs at the first sign of aggression.”
  17. 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.”
  18. A.R.S. 11-1012, checked 2026-11-08. “nor a vicious dog shall be permitted at large”
  19. 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.”
  20. 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”
  21. A.R.S. § 12-2505, checked 2026-11-08. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
  22. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  23. City of Tempe, Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “claims must be filed with the City Clerk's Office within 180 days 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”

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