Bitten by a dog in Austin: report it, know the rules and find a dog bite lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

All animal bites in Austin must be reported to Animal Protection. If you got medical care, file the online Animal Bite Report.12 The dog must be observed for 10 full days.3 You generally have 2 years to sue.4 If city property or a city animal program played a part, the city says 45 days.5

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Road map of Austin, where city code says a dog must be kept under restraint outside designated off-leash areas
All animal bites in Austin must be reported to Animal Protection. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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

  1. Wash the wound and get care. Austin warns that rabies has a strong presence in Travis County, so tell the doctor about the bite right away.6
  2. Find out whose dog it is. City code counts anyone who feeds, keeps or harbors a dog as its owner, not only the person on the paperwork.7
  3. Report it. After medical care, complete the Animal Bite Report.2 You can also call 311 or 512-974-2000.8
  4. Take photos of the bite that day and every few days as it heals.
  5. Write down where the dog was, whether it had a leash and who else saw it.

What happens to the dog after a bite in Austin?

A dog reported for biting a person has to be watched for 10 full days from the date of the bite, no matter what its vaccine status is.3 The owner must give Animal Protection a current rabies certificate.9 Where that observation happens depends on what the dog was doing. A dog that was loose at the time, or was not current on its shots, has to finish at a vet clinic.10

Ask Animal Protection for the outcome and any incident number. Those details help you later, because they show the bite was reported and where the dog spent those 10 days. They also tell your doctor whether the dog stayed healthy, which matters for rabies treatment.

Is there a leash law in Austin?

Yes. City code provisions in city records say an owner or handler must keep a dog under restraint, with exceptions for certain public areas.11 They also say an owner or handler may not let a dog run at large.12 A city working group summed it up this way: leash and control your dog in every area not designated off-leash.13

Enforcement varies. That working group said Animal Protection Officers can write off-leash citations and park rangers cannot.14 So a bite at a city park should still go to Animal Protection. Note if the dog was off-leash and whether the area was designated for that. If the dog came through a broken fence, take a photo from the sidewalk.

How does a dog get labeled dangerous in Austin?

Animal Protection handles dangerous dogs in the City of Austin and unincorporated Travis County.15 You must submit a signed bite affidavit to seek the designation.16 Owners of registered dangerous dogs have to pay an annual $50 fee to register the dog,17 and Austin lists $100,000 in liability insurance among the court orders.18 State law also requires that coverage, or proof the owner can pay that amount.19

City code provisions in city records also bar keeping a dog in the city if it has bitten or scratched a person on at least three separate occasions there.20 Ask whether this dog has any earlier reports.

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

This part is less simple than people expect. Texas Chapter 822 covers seizing dogs and criminal charges, and it does not say when an owner must pay an injured person, so a claim comes from other Texas law.21 Ask your Austin dog bite lawyer what you would have to prove on your facts, including what the owner knew about the dog.

  • Criminal charges are possible if a negligently unsecured dog seriously hurts someone away from the owner's property.22
  • They are also possible if an owner knows the dog was found dangerous and it attacks someone outside a secure enclosure.23
  • Anyone can ask a Texas court, by sworn complaint, to have a dog seized after it causes death or serious injury.24

Fault counts here too. If you are found more than 50% responsible, Texas bars recovery.25 The owner's homeowners or renters insurance is often where a claim begins, so ask for that information early.

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

Generally two years from when your claim arises.4 Children may have longer.26 If a city-run property or animal program played a part, do not rely on two years. The city says a claim letter is due within 45 days of the incident.5

Where can you get records of a dog bite in Austin?

Bites that send you to the emergency room leave a medical record. Dell Seton and St. David's South Austin are the area's main trauma centers.2728 St. David's lists several ways to request records, including its portal, and Ascension Seton takes requests by mail or in person.2930 Small bite claims can sometimes go through justice court, up to $20,000.31

Questions

Who do I call about a dog bite in Austin?

Animal Protection, through 311 or 512-974-2000, or the online Animal Bite Report if you got medical care.82

How long does a dog stay in quarantine after a bite in Austin?

It must be observed for 10 full days from the bite.3

How long do I have to sue after a dog bite in Texas?

Generally two years.4

Does Texas have a dog bite statute that makes owners pay?

Chapter 822 does not say when an owner must pay an injured person, so a claim comes from other Texas law.21

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Austin

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Sources

  1. Austin Animal Services, Animal Bites, checked 2026-11-08. “All animal bites must be reported to Animal Protection.”
  2. Austin Animal Services, Animal Bites, checked 2026-11-08. “If medical attention has been received after a bite, complete an Animal Bite Report.”
  3. Austin Animal Services, Animal Bites, checked 2026-11-08. “must be observed for 10 full days from the date of the bite, regardless of rabies vaccination status”
  4. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(a), checked 2026-11-08. “personal injury, forcible entry and detainer, and forcible detainer not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues.”
  5. City of Austin, File a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “You must send this letter within 45 days of the incident.”
  6. Austin Animal Services, Animal Bites, checked 2026-11-08. “Rabies has a strong presence in Travis County”
  7. City of Austin records, Austin City Code provisions on dogs, checked 2026-11-08. “OWNER means a person who owns, feeds, keeps, maintains, or harbors an animal”
  8. Austin Animal Services, Animal Bites, checked 2026-11-08. “File a report with Animal Protection by calling 3-1-1 (512-974-2000)”
  9. Austin Animal Services, Animal Bites, checked 2026-11-08. “Owners of dogs involved in bite cases must provide a current rabies vaccination certificate to Animal Protection.”
  10. Austin Animal Services, Animal Bites, checked 2026-11-08. “If your animal was loose at the time of the incident, and/or your pet was not current on their rabies vaccine at the time of the incident, your pet needs to complete the rabies observation time at a vet clinic.”
  11. City of Austin records, Austin City Code provisions on dogs, checked 2026-11-08. “an owner or handler of a dog shall keep the dog under restraint”
  12. City of Austin records, Austin City Code provisions on dogs, checked 2026-11-08. “an owner or handler may not allow livestock, fowl, a dog, or other domestic or dangerous animal or reptile to run at large”
  13. City of Austin, Off-Leash Dogs Working Group, checked 2026-11-08. “Keep dogs on a leash and under control in all areas that are not designated as “off-leash””
  14. City of Austin, Off-Leash Dogs Working Group, checked 2026-11-08. “Cannot write tickets for off-leash dog violations”
  15. Austin Animal Services, Dangerous and Vicious Dogs, checked 2026-11-08. “Animal Protection handles dangerous dogs in the City of Austin and unincorporated Travis County”
  16. Austin Animal Services, Dangerous and Vicious Dogs, checked 2026-11-08. “You must submit a signed bite affidavit to Animal Protection.”
  17. Austin Animal Services, Dangerous and Vicious Dogs, checked 2026-11-08. “Register the dog as dangerous with the City of Austin and pay an annual $50 fee.”
  18. Austin Animal Services, Dangerous and Vicious Dogs, checked 2026-11-08. “Purchase $100,000 of liability insurance.”
  19. Tex. Health & Safety Code § 822.042(a)(3), checked 2026-11-08. “obtain liability insurance coverage or show financial responsibility in an amount of at least $100,000 to cover damages resulting from an attack by the dangerous dog causing bodily injury to a person”
  20. City of Austin records, Austin City Code provisions on dogs, checked 2026-11-08. “on at least three separate occasions bitten or scratched a person in the city”
  21. Tex. Health & Safety Code ch. 822, subch. A, checked 2026-11-08. “SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS; DOGS THAT ATTACK PERSONS OR ARE A DANGER TO PERSONS”
  22. Tex. Health & Safety Code § 822.005(a)(1), checked 2026-11-08. “with criminal negligence, as defined by Section 6.03, Penal Code, fails to secure the dog and the dog makes an unprovoked attack on another person that occurs at a location other than the owner's real property or in or on the owner's motor vehicle or boat and that causes serious bodily injury, as defined by Section 1.07, Penal Code, or death to the other person;”
  23. Tex. Health & Safety Code § 822.005(a)(2), checked 2026-11-08. “knows the dog is a dangerous dog by learning in a manner described by Section 822.042(g) that the person is the owner of a dangerous dog, and the dangerous dog makes an unprovoked attack on another person that occurs at a location other than a secure enclosure”
  24. Tex. Health & Safety Code § 822.002(a), checked 2026-11-08. “on the sworn complaint of any person, including the county attorney, the city attorney, or a peace officer, that the dog has caused the death of or serious bodily injury to a person by attacking, biting, or mauling the person;”
  25. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
  26. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001, checked 2026-11-08. “the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period”
  27. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “DELL SETON MEDICAL CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS 10/1/2028 O AUSTIN 78701”
  28. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “ST DAVIDS SOUTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER 10/1/2028 O AUSTIN 78704”
  29. St. David's South Austin, Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “We offer several ways to request your medical records”
  30. Ascension Seton, Authorization for Release of Information, checked 2026-11-08. “Mail in or present your request in person at the applicable site location(s).”
  31. Travis County JP5, Filing a Lawsuit in Justice Court, checked 2026-11-08. “The claim can be for no more than $20,000”

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