Practice Areas > Premises Liability

North Carolina Dog Bite Laws

When a loved one is bitten by a dog in North Carolina, hire a lawyer in Raleigh.

Navigating North Carolina dog bite laws, managing medical recovery, locating a dog’s medical and attack records, filing proper incident reports with Animal Control, negotiating with homeowner’s insurance policies, and checking municipality dog laws and leash laws, are just a few of the tasks survivors of dog attacks need to manage.

At Owens & Miller, our dog bite injury attorneys handle the legal requirements imposed on innocent accident victims. (If the dog attack was fatal, learn about wrongful death administration in North Carolina.)

Our lawyers explain how North Carolina dog bite laws apply to your unique case. Dog bite victims should be aware of several important laws in the Tar Heel State:

Quarantine. Any dog that has bitten a human must be quarantined for 10 days, regardless of their rabies vaccination documentation.

One-Bite Rule. North Carolina is one of just a dozen or so states that impose the One-Bite Rule. A dog that has bitten someone or another dog once is classified as a ‘potentially dangerous dog’ and the owners must take extra precautions to ensure the safety of others around their pet. If you discover you were bitten by a dog with a history of dog attacks, it may help build evidence of the dog owner’s negligence. A ‘potentially dangerous dog’ is defined by the North Carolina General Statues as one that has:

  1. Inflicted a bite on a person that resulted in broken bones or disfiguring lacerations or required cosmetic surgery or hospitalization; or
  2. Killed or inflicted severe injury upon a domestic animal when not on the owner’s real property; or
  3. Approached a person when not on the owner’s property in a vicious or terrorizing manner in an apparent attitude of attack.


Breeds.
 Some parts of North Carolina (and some housing communities) have breed bans, or have proposed breed ban legislation. If the dog owner was in violation of these regulations, we will use this information to establish the dog owner’s negligence and liability. When it comes to homeowner’s insurance and breeds, some providers refuse to provide compensation for specific breeds. Our dog bite lawyers in Raleigh help victims seek all possible means of compensation.

As with any injury case, a dog bite victim’s claim is time-sensitive. The North Carolina statute of limitations for dog bite injuries is three years from the date of attack. During this time victims need to collect documentation to show their damages and losses caused by the dog attack. Lost wages from missing work, cost of medical care and corrective surgeries, and property damage assessments need to be documented. Intangible damages, such as pain and suffering, may also be included in the claim. Our dog bite lawyers in Raleigh will explain more during a consultation.

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We handle personal injury cases in Wake County and surrounding counties of central and eastern North Carolina. Call 919-719-2750, or contact us about your situation.