Glendale Dog Bite Attorney
A dog bite in Glendale can happen anywhere people and dogs share space: on a sidewalk walk, at a neighbor’s gate, in a park or inside a friend’s house. California law makes the owner responsible for a bite in most of those settings, even if the dog had never bitten anyone before. Saeedian Law Group represents dog bite victims and their families in Glendale and across Los Angeles County from its Beverly Hills office. This page explains the state statute, Glendale’s own leash and vicious dog rules, who takes the report in Glendale, and where a case is filed if it goes to court.
To talk about what happened, call (310) 288-3000.
California’s Dog Bite Statute
Civil Code section 3342 makes the owner of a dog liable for damages suffered by anyone the dog bites while the person is in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the owner’s own property. Liability applies regardless of the dog’s former viciousness or the owner’s knowledge of it. In other words, California has no free first bite.
The statute defines lawful presence on private property. A person is lawfully there when performing a duty imposed by state law, or by federal law or postal regulations, which covers mail carriers and many utility and inspection workers, or when on the property by the owner’s express or implied invitation. Guests, delivery drivers and children invited to play generally fit that definition.
Section 3342 has a narrow exception for police and military dogs used by a government agency with a written policy, and only in specific situations such as apprehending a suspect. It also covers only bites. If a dog knocks someone down or chases a cyclist into traffic without biting, the claim is based on ordinary negligence instead, and the Glendale rules below can help prove it.
Glendale’s Leash and Vicious Dog Rules
Glendale Municipal Code section 6.04.190 is the city’s leash law. It bars letting an animal run at large in public places such as streets and parks.
Chapter 6.08 of the municipal code adds local rules for vicious dogs. We check the current text of those rules against the facts of each bite.
A violation of a city ordinance can support a presumption of negligence under Evidence Code section 669 when the injury is the type the ordinance was meant to prevent. A loose dog on a Glendale sidewalk is the situation the leash rule addresses.
Reporting a Dog Bite in Glendale
Glendale contracts with Pasadena Humane for animal control, and the city’s website tells residents to contact Pasadena Humane at (626) 792-7151 about animal bites or attacks, loose dogs and other dangerous animal situations. The contract is overseen by the Glendale Police Department.
Bites are also reportable for rabies control. Los Angeles County’s Veterinary Public Health program says all mammal bites to people are reportable, except bites from small rodents and rabbits, and that anyone with knowledge of a bite can report it through its online portal or by fax. The program sends people to separate agencies only for bites in Pasadena, Long Beach and Vernon, so a Glendale bite goes to the county program. After a report, a biting dog is quarantined for at least 10 days, usually at home. The county notes that a bite report is not the same as a finding that the dog is dangerous, which requires a separate report to animal control.
Those reports become part of the evidence. They identify the dog and its owner, record the date and place, and can show whether the same dog had been reported before.
At the scene, if you are able, get the owner’s name, address and phone number, ask whether the dog’s rabies vaccination is current, and photograph the dog, its collar tags, the gate or fence and your wounds. Neighbors who saw the dog loose earlier are often the most useful witnesses, and their names are easy to lose once the day is over.
Who Usually Pays
The Insurance Information Institute says homeowner’s and renter’s policies typically cover dog bite liability up to the policy’s liability limit, often $100,000 to $300,000, and that the owner is responsible for damages above the limit. It counted 28,450 dog bite claims nationwide in 2025, up from 22,658 in 2024. The institute also notes that some insurers decline to cover some breeds or exclude a specific dog after it has bitten someone, so the actual policy has to be checked rather than assumed.
When the bite happened at a rental property or a business, the landlord’s or business’s own policy may also be involved, depending on what they knew about the dog and what control they had over the premises. The owner’s name and address from the animal control or public health report are usually enough to open the claim.
Medical Care and Records
Deep punctures, tears to the face and hands, and bites to children often need emergency care, and some need surgery. For the most serious maulings, Los Angeles County’s designated trauma centers near Glendale include Huntington Hospital in Pasadena and Los Angeles General Medical Center, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles also appears on the county’s trauma center list. Keep photographs of the wounds from the first day through healing, because scarring changes over months. Records of infection, follow-up visits, rabies shots if they were needed and any counseling for fear or anxiety all belong in the claim.
Where a Glendale Dog Bite Case Is Filed
Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 2.3 requires unlimited personal injury cases, a category that covers premises liability and other personal injury claims, to be filed in the district where the incident happened. Glendale is in the North Central District. Although Glendale has its own courthouse on East Broadway, the court’s directory lists its unlimited civil office as excluding personal injury cases. The district’s other courthouse is in Burbank at 300 East Olive Avenue, and its directory lists a civil clerk’s office. Where the bite happened near the edge of the district, the court’s filing locator settles the question.
Deadlines
A dog bite lawsuit generally must be filed within two years of the injury under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a public entity is involved, for example a bite from an animal in public custody, a written claim must be presented within six months under Government Code section 911.2.
Contact Saeedian Law Group
Saeedian Law Group’s office is at 9100 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 500W, Beverly Hills, and the firm meets Glendale families by phone, by video or in person. There is no attorney fee unless there is a recovery in your case. Call (310) 288-3000 for a free consultation.
For more on the statewide rules, see our California dog bite attorney page. If a dog knocked you down without biting, or you were hurt some other way on someone else’s property, our Glendale personal injury lawyer and Glendale slip and fall lawyer pages apply. Bites in neighboring cities are covered on our dog bite pages for Burbank, Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.
Our Beverly Hills Office — 9.3 Miles from Glendale
Saeedian Law Group serves Glendale clients from our Beverly Hills office at 9100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 500W, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Call +1-310-288-3000 or visit by appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does California have a one-bite rule for dogs?
California does not follow a one-bite rule. Civil Code section 3342 makes a dog’s owner liable when the dog bites someone in a public place or someone lawfully in a private place, including the owner’s own property, regardless of the dog’s past behavior or what the owner knew about it. The owner can still raise defenses, for example that the injured person was trespassing or provoked the dog, and a claim based on a non-bite injury, such as being knocked over, follows ordinary negligence rules instead of the statute.
Who do I call to report a dog bite in Glendale?
The City of Glendale contracts with Pasadena Humane for animal control, and the city directs residents to call Pasadena Humane at (626) 792-7151 about animal bites or attacks. For after-hours animal emergencies, the city lists the Glendale Police Department at (818) 548-4911. Separately, Los Angeles County’s Veterinary Public Health program accepts bite reports through an online portal and by fax for rabies control, and any person who knows about a bite can report it. The report number or case number you receive should go with your medical records.
Is Glendale’s leash law relevant to my claim?
The leash law often matters as evidence. Glendale Municipal Code section 6.04.190 bars letting an animal run at large in public places. When a loose dog causes an injury, the ordinance violation can support a presumption of negligence under Evidence Code section 669. That matters most when the injury was not a bite.
What happens to the dog after a bite is reported?
Los Angeles County’s Veterinary Public Health program requires a quarantine of at least 10 days for a dog that bites a person, and most quarantines happen at the owner’s home. Animal control may investigate a bite report. A bite report by itself does not mean the dog has been declared dangerous. Ask animal control for the outcome of its investigation.
I was bitten while delivering a package to a Glendale home. Am I covered by the statute?
A delivery worker at the front door is generally covered. Section 3342 applies to a person lawfully on private property, which includes someone performing a duty under state law, or under federal law or postal regulations, and someone on the property by the owner’s express or implied invitation. A delivery driver walking to the front door to drop off a package is generally there by implied invitation. If the bite happened while you were working, a workers’ compensation claim through your employer may run alongside a claim against the dog owner.
Which court hears a Glendale dog bite lawsuit?
Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 2.3 sends unlimited personal injury cases to the district where the incident happened, and Glendale is in the North Central District. According to the court’s directory, the Glendale Courthouse unlimited civil office excludes personal injury cases, and the district’s other courthouse, in Burbank at 300 East Olive Avenue, lists a civil clerk’s office. The filing location for a specific address is confirmed with the court’s filing locator. Small claims and limited civil cases follow different rules.
How long do I have to file a dog bite claim?
The general deadline is two years from the date of the bite under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 for a claim against a private owner. When a public entity is involved, Government Code section 911.2 requires a written claim within six months. Acting early also helps on the practical side, because animal control and public health records, witness memories and photographs of the dog and the scene are easier to collect in the first weeks. A child’s own claim can follow different timing, so ask early.
My child was bitten by a dog in Glendale. Does the deadline work differently?
Usually, for the child’s own claim. Code of Civil Procedure section 352 pauses the two-year deadline while the injured person is a minor. That pause does not reach a claim that must first be presented to a public entity, so the six-month government claim rule still applies if a city or county animal was involved, although a late-claim application may still be possible within one year (Government Code sections 911.4 and 911.6). A child also cannot settle alone. Under Probate Code section 3500, a parent may compromise a minor’s disputed claim, but the settlement is valid only after a superior court approves it, which for a Glendale family is usually Los Angeles Superior Court. If a lawsuit is filed, Code of Civil Procedure section 372 requires the child to appear through a guardian ad litem or a guardian or conservator of the estate. Photograph facial bites as they heal. Scars on a growing child change over months and years.
Can a Glendale landlord be held responsible for a tenant’s dog?
Sometimes, though not under the bite statute. Civil Code section 3342 makes the dog’s owner liable, and a landlord who does not own the dog is judged under ordinary negligence. The main California case is Uccello v. Laudenslayer (1975) 44 Cal.App.3d 504. It holds that a landlord owes a duty of care to a tenant’s guests when the landlord actually knows about the dangerous dog and has the right to remove it, for example by retaking possession under the lease. Constructive knowledge is not enough, and a landlord has no duty to inspect to find out. Evidence of actual knowledge often comes from earlier complaints to the property manager, prior bite reports to Pasadena Humane and the lease’s pet terms. A bite in a courtyard or hallway the landlord controls may raise separate premises questions.
How does a Glendale dog get declared potentially dangerous or vicious?
State law sets the process. Under Food and Agricultural Code section 31621, when an animal control or law enforcement officer finds probable cause that a dog is potentially dangerous or vicious, the agency petitions the superior court, or a city administrative hearing if the city has created one. In Glendale, animal control is handled by Pasadena Humane under a contract with the city. Whenever possible, a complaint from a member of the public that supports the petition is sworn and verified, so a bite victim’s written account can become part of the file. Either side may appeal within five days of receiving notice of the decision (Food and Agricultural Code section 31622). A dog found potentially dangerous must be kept indoors or in a securely fenced yard and, off the property, on a substantial leash held by a responsible adult (section 31642).
A police dog bit me in Glendale. Can I use the dog bite statute?
It depends on your role in what happened. Civil Code section 3342(b) bars a strict liability claim against a government agency using a dog in police or military work when the dog was defending itself from provocation or helping an officer hold a suspect, investigate a crime, serve a warrant or protect someone. Section 3342(c) lifts that bar when the person bitten was not a party to, a participant in or a suspect in the conduct that led to the dog’s use. A bystander on Brand Boulevard is the kind of person that subdivision protects. Because a police dog belongs to a public agency, a written government claim is due within six months under Government Code section 911.2. The minority pause in Code of Civil Procedure section 352 does not extend that claim deadline, even for a child.
A loose dog attacked my dog in Glendale and bit me when I stepped in. What can I claim?
There are two separate losses. Your own bite falls under Civil Code section 3342, which covers a person bitten in a public place. The other owner may argue that you provoked the dog, and the facts of that moment decide the point. Your dog’s injuries are a property claim, because Civil Code section 655 treats domestic animals as property, and the vet bills are the main record of that loss. Civil Code section 3340 allows exemplary damages for injuries to an animal caused willfully or by gross negligence. A dog running loose on a Glendale street or in a city park also violates the leash rule in Glendale Municipal Code section 6.04.190. Under Food and Agricultural Code section 31602, two unprovoked attacks on domestic animals off the owner’s property within 36 months can qualify a dog as potentially dangerous. Report the attack to Pasadena Humane.
About the Author
Michael Saeedian, Esq., Founding Attorney, Saeedian Law Group (California State Bar #265470). Michael founded Saeedian Law Group in 2009 and has spent more than 16 years representing injured Californians and their families in personal injury and wrongful death matters across the state. His practice includes dog bite cases throughout Los Angeles County.
Legal disclaimer: This page provides general information about California injury law and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is different; past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship with Saeedian Law Group. For advice specific to your situation, contact our office at (310) 288-3000 or schedule a free consultation.
Nearby Cities We Serve for Dog Bite Cases
Saeedian Law Group handles dog bite cases across Southern and Northern California. If Glendale is near your incident, these neighboring cities are also served by our team:
Browse all California personal injury practice areas or see every California city we serve for jurisdiction-specific information.