State laws › MI
Dog bite law in Michigan: what you have to prove, and who pays
- Framework Strict liability
- Covers Bite only
- Damages Full damages available
A straightforward strict liability bite statute covering the owner's own property.
The rule
- The dog's record is irrelevant.
MCL 287.351 makes the owner liable for a bite without regard to the dog's former viciousness or the owner's knowledge of it.
- It applies on the owner's property.
The statute covers you on public property or lawfully on private property, including the dog owner's own. An invited guest bitten in the owner's kitchen is covered.
- It is limited to bites, and provocation is a defense.
Non-bite injuries fall outside the statute. Provoking the dog defeats the claim, as does being somewhere unlawfully.
Who the claim is actually against
In most Michigan bite claims the money comes from the dog owner's homeowners or renters liability coverage rather than from the owner personally. Liability limits commonly run from $100,000 to $500,000, and the coverage usually follows the dog off the property. Policies routinely exclude specific breeds or dogs with a documented bite history, which is the single most common reason an otherwise good claim goes nowhere.
How homeowners coverage works in a bite claim →
The deadline
There is a filing deadline in Michigan and it is shorter than most people expect. It can be shortened further if a city, county or state entity is involved, and it can be extended if the injured person is a minor. The general personal injury period is commonly cited as 3 years (MCL 600.5805), but do not rely on that figure — including from this page — without confirming the date that applies to your facts with a lawyer licensed in Michigan.
What to do next
If the injury was treated and is healing, there is no lasting scarring, and nobody is disputing what happened, this is the kind of claim most law firms will not take — and the kind you can often handle yourself. The Claim Kit covers it end to end.
If a child was bitten, there is scarring anywhere visible, you needed surgery or a specialist, there is nerve damage, you are still in treatment, or the insurer is denying coverage, talk to a lawyer before you sign anything.
Last reviewed August 2026 · Corrections welcome