Columbia Dog Bite Lawyer

Strict Liability

Richland County Animal Control (803-776-8003) handles dog bite reports, mandatory quarantine, and dangerous dog proceedings for Columbia and Richland County. All bites must be reported within 24 hours, and the dog is held for a ten-day rabies observation quarantine. The animal control file is an official public record and should be requested in writing as soon as possible — it documents the dog's identity, the owner's information, vaccination status, and any prior complaints at the same address.

South Carolina's strict liability statute under S.C. Code § 47-3-110 applies the same way throughout Richland County — there is no Columbia-specific carve-out and no local ordinance that narrows or expands the statutory liability. The feature most relevant to a Columbia claim is the keeper theory: § 47-3-110 extends direct strict liability to any person having the dog in their care or keeping, which in Columbia's urban residential landscape frequently means dog walkers, boarding kennels, and apartment complex pet-care vendors are in the liability chain alongside the registered owner.

Columbia's mix of student housing, apartment complexes, and dense urban neighborhoods creates recurring scenarios where a dog owned by a tenant bites someone in a shared stairwell, courtyard, or lobby. If the dog belongs to a tenant, the property owner or management company may face a negligence claim if they had notice of the dangerous dog and the contractual authority to require its removal — a theory that runs alongside the § 47-3-110 strict liability claim against the owner or keeper.

Report a Columbia dog bite to Richland County Animal Control at (803) 776-8003. Request all prior animal control records for the dog's address in writing — prior bite complaints or dangerous dog filings are evidence that strengthens negligence theories alongside the § 47-3-110 strict liability claim. If the dog was in the care of a commercial dog walker or boarding facility at the time of the attack, identify that business immediately — South Carolina's keeper liability makes them directly and strictly liable, and a commercial policy typically carries higher limits than an individual homeowners policy.

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