New York City Dog Bite Lawyer

Mixed Statute

New York City has a reporting rule most cities do not: section 11.03 of the NYC Health Code requires every animal bite be reported within 24 hours. Reports go to the Health Department through 311 or directly to the DOHMH Animal Bite Unit at 646-364-1799, and the department uses them to determine whether rabies post-exposure treatment is needed and to confirm the dog is healthy ten days later — which is often what spares a victim an unnecessary vaccine series.

The city's density shapes what these cases look like. A large share of NYC bites happen in building common areas — lobbies, elevators, stairwells, hallways — rather than fenced yards, which puts landlord and building liability in play far more often than in a suburban metro. Where the incident occurred in a common area, the building's own liability policy may respond alongside or instead of the owner's, and most residents rent, so renters insurance is frequently where coverage is actually found.

The deadline that ends New York City claims is municipal rather than the ordinary three-year rule. A bite involving NYCHA property, a city park, a transit facility or an agency dog triggers General Municipal Law § 50-e, which requires a notice of claim within 90 days. That clock runs whether or not the correct defendant has been identified yet, so where public property is even a possibility it needs resolving in days rather than months.

Report an NYC bite within 24 hours — section 11.03 of the New York City Health Code requires it. Use 311 or the DOHMH Animal Bite Unit at 646-364-1799. Two New York City specifics worth knowing: if the bite happened in a building common area, the building's liability policy may respond in addition to the dog owner's, and if any city agency or housing authority is involved, the General Municipal Law § 50-e notice of claim is due within 90 days rather than on the ordinary three-year schedule.

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