State laws › NJ
Dog bite law in New Jersey: what you have to prove, and who pays
- Framework Strict liability
- Covers Bite only
- Damages Full damages available
One of the plainest strict liability statutes in the country. No provocation exception appears on the face of the law and no sign defense exists.
The rule
- The statute states the rule and stops.
N.J.S.A. 4:19-16 makes the owner liable for a bite regardless of the dog's former viciousness or the owner's knowledge of it, where the person bitten was in a public place or lawfully on private property including the owner's own.
- There is no written provocation exception.
Unlike most strict liability states, New Jersey's statute lists no exceptions. Trespass is implied by the requirement that you were lawfully present, but the statute does not carve out provocation on its face.
- It is limited to bites.
Non-bite injuries fall outside the statute and are argued as negligence.
Who the claim is actually against
In most New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 2 years (N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2), 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 New Jersey.
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