Park City Dog Bite Lawyer

Park City is a dog town. Dogs share the city's trail network, the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail, which runs nearly 30 miles from near Park City to Echo Reservoir, the parks, the vacation rentals and the neighborhoods from Old Town to the Snyderville Basin. Most of those dogs are friendly. When one is not, the bite tends to happen at a trailhead, on a narrow singletrack, at a rental property or at a neighbor's door, and small children often take the worst of it.

Plenty of people hesitate to make a claim against a neighbor, a host or a friend. In practice, a Utah dog bite claim is usually paid by the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance rather than out of the owner's own pocket.

What Utah Law Says About Dog Owners

Strict liability. Under Utah Code § 18-1-1, a person who owns or keeps a dog is liable for injuries it causes, whether or not the dog was vicious or mischievous and whether or not the owner knew it. Utah has no “one free bite” rule.

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

Shared fault. Damages are figured under Utah's comparative fault law, § 78B-5-818, which is where an insurer will argue provocation. Our damages page explains what can be recovered.

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. Our deadlines page has the details.

After a Bite in Park City

Have the wound cleaned and treated the same day; Park City Hospital at 900 Round Valley Drive runs a 24-hour emergency department. Report the bite so there is an official record and the dog's vaccinations can be checked. Park City's own dog rules cover dogs running at large, vicious dogs, dog bites and a duty to report, and the city points residents to Summit County Animal Control, which is based in Wanship. Photograph the wounds as they heal, and write down the owner's name, address and insurer.

If the dog belonged to a guest or tenant at a short-term rental, the property owner or manager may also matter, particularly if a broken gate or fence let the dog get loose.

More on value is in our guides to dog bite compensation and dog bite settlements. Our Park City personal injury page covers the town's other injury cases, and if a loose dog caused a traffic crash, our Salt Lake City car accident page explains those claims.

Injuries After a Dog Attack

Deep punctures and tears that need stitches or plastic surgery, facial scars on young children, nerve and tendon damage to hands and arms, infections, broken bones and knee injuries from being knocked down on a trail, and a lasting fear of dogs.

What Your Claim Should Include

A full accounting covers:

• Medical care: the emergency visit, antibiotics, wound care and every follow-up appointment.
• Scar revision: including reconstructive surgery a child may not be ready for until years from now.
• Lost income: your own, or a parent's time off work to care for a child.
• Pain and fear: the physical injury and the emotional aftermath, including trouble returning to the trails.
• Disfigurement: permanent scarring, especially on the face and hands.

What the Owner's Insurer Will Say

The adjuster may say you provoked the dog, came onto the property uninvited, or will heal without a mark, and may make an offer before treatment is finished. Photos taken over several months and a surgeon's view of future procedures tend to carry the most weight.

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.