Lehi Dog Bite Lawyer

A typical Lehi dog bite happens close to home: a dog that slips through a gate or an open garage in a cul-de-sac, a dog off leash on a neighborhood path or the Murdock Canal Trail, or a dog that rushes a delivery driver, a salesperson or a child's friend visiting the house. In a city full of young families and new subdivisions, children are often the ones hurt.

Lehi's rule is simple: it is unlawful for any domesticated animal to be at large anywhere within city limits, and dogs four months and older must be licensed with a current rabies certificate, according to the city's animal control page. A dog loose in the street or on a trail is often already breaking that rule, which helps show what happened. The claim itself is usually paid through the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance, not out of a neighbor's pocket.

Utah's Dog Bite Statute

Owners and keepers are liable. Under Utah Code § 18-1-1, a person who owns or keeps a dog is liable for injuries the dog causes, whether or not it was vicious and whether or not the owner knew it was. Utah has no “first bite” defense.

A few exceptions. The statute carves out certified police dogs used under agency policy, injuries to another animal that entered the owner's fenced property without consent, and trespassers on the owner's property while the dog was reasonably secured in a fence or enclosure.

Comparative fault still applies. Damages are decided under § 78B-5-818, so an insurer may argue the injured person provoked the dog, which can reduce a recovery. Our damages page explains what can be claimed.

More time for children. The statute of limitations does not run while an injured person is under 18 (§ 78B-2-108); adults generally have four years. See our deadlines page.

What to Do After a Lehi Dog Bite

Have the wound cleaned and examined the same day; Holy Cross Hospital – Mountain Point in Lehi and American Fork Hospital both run emergency departments nearby. Report the bite to the Lehi Police Department, which handles animal control for the city (385-201-1005), so there is an official record, and ask whether the dog's rabies vaccination is current. Photograph the wounds as they heal and write down the owner's name, address and insurer.

If the dog lives in a rental, the landlord or property manager may matter too, especially when a broken gate, fence or shared courtyard played a part. Lehi's dog licenses are issued through the North Utah Valley Animal Shelter in Lindon.

For value questions, read our guides to dog bite compensation and average dog bite settlements, or start with our Lehi personal injury page.

Common Dog Bite Injuries

Deep punctures and tearing wounds that need stitches or plastic surgery, facial wounds in young children, nerve and tendon injuries to the hands and forearms, infections, broken bones from being knocked over, and a lasting fear of dogs that can keep a child from playing outside.

What Your Claim Should Include

A full claim accounts for:

• Medical care: the ER or urgent care visit, antibiotics, wound care and follow-up appointments.
• Future procedures: scar revision or reconstruction, including surgery a growing child may need later.
• Lost income: your wages, or a parent's time off to care for a child.
• Pain and emotional harm: the injury and the anxiety or nightmares that follow.
• Scarring: permanent disfigurement, particularly to the face or hands.

How Insurers Respond

Adjusters often argue that the person was teasing the dog, was in the yard without permission, or that the scar will fade, and they may offer to settle before scar revision has even been evaluated. Photos taken over several months and a plastic surgeon's opinion on future care are usually the strongest answers.

More on Utah dog bite law

• What actually changed in Utah's dog bite law in 2025 and 2026 — the new trespasser exception, what the amendment did not change, and the arbitration track with its 14-day election window.
• Utah Dog Bite Report — twelve Utah dog bite files next to the public data, plus Christian West's own bite.