Chicago Dog Bite Lawyer

Strict Liability

A Chicago bite generates two files, and most people only create one. Calling 311 or reporting at your police district sends the information to both Chicago Animal Care and Control and Cook County Animal and Rabies Control, which run separate records — CACC handles the city investigation and any dangerous-animal determination, while the county administers the rabies side. Illinois adds a third automatic record on top: under 510 ILCS 5/18, any physician or medical personnel who treats a dog bite has to report it to the local animal control administrator within 24 hours, so getting treated the same day generates official documentation whether or not you file anything yourself.

The city's dangerous-animal process runs on a fast clock and produces evidence worth having. Under Chicago Municipal Code § 7-12-050, an owner served with a dangerous-animal determination has ten days to request a hearing, and the Department of Administrative Hearings then holds a de novo hearing within 30 days before an administrative law officer. One recent decision is worth knowing about if a dog-on-dog incident is part of your case: in Berrigan v. City of Chicago Department of Animal Care and Control, 2026 IL App (1st) 241732, decided June 26, 2026, the appellate court held that provocation under § 7-12-020 is limited by its plain language to provocation by a person — so an owner cannot defend a dangerous-animal determination on the ground that another animal started it. The court also reversed a circuit judge who had reweighed the hearing officer's findings, reaffirming that the administrative record governs.

Report a Chicago bite through 311 or your police district; the information reaches both Chicago Animal Care and Control and Cook County Animal and Rabies Control, which keep separate files. Two Chicago-specific points: under Municipal Code § 7-12-050 an owner has only ten days to appeal a dangerous-animal determination, with a hearing within 30 days, so that administrative record forms quickly after a serious incident — and under Berrigan v. City of Chicago Department of Animal Care and Control, 2026 IL App (1st) 241732 (June 26, 2026), provocation by another animal is not a defense to that determination. Separately, if a park district, forest preserve or other local public entity is involved, 745 ILCS 10/8-101 gives you one year to sue rather than the usual two.

Read the full statute breakdown: Illinois Dog Bite Laws → · Typical payouts: Illinois Settlement Amounts →