Herriman Dog Bite Lawyer

Herriman’s dog rules are stricter than many residents realize. Herriman City Code § 5-1-14 directs owners to restrain a dog by a leash no longer than eight feet, and says an owner whose animal is not restrained as that section provides is strictly liable for any damage it causes. Another section makes the owner of any animal strictly liable for personal injury the animal causes, and makes letting it bite a person a class B misdemeanor (§ 5-1-4). The code’s definitions add that a leash does not include an electronic collar or an owner controlling the dog by sight or sound.

Those rules matter in the places Herriman families take their dogs: K9 Memorial Dog Park at 5075 West Herriman Main Street; the city trail system, where the posted rule is dogs on leash at all times; and Blackridge Reservoir, where dogs are barred from the beach and the water and off-leash dogs are prohibited. Bites also happen close to home, when a dog slips out the garage as a delivery driver walks up, runs loose in a cul-de-sac, or turns on a visiting child.

The Statewide Rule Behind Every Herriman Claim

Owners and keepers are liable. 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 known to be vicious. A first bite counts as much as a tenth.

The exceptions are few. The statute shields certified police dogs used within agency policy, and owners whose securely fenced dog hurts a trespasser or an animal that came onto the property without consent. Outside those situations the real question is not whether the owner is responsible but what the injury is worth.

Comparative fault still applies. Section 18-1-1 sends damages through § 78B-5-818, so an insurer may argue the injured person provoked the dog. Our damages page lists what can be recovered.

Deadlines. An adult generally has four years to file (§ 78B-2-307). For a child, the limitations period does not run while the child is under 18 (§ 78B-2-108). Our deadlines guide has the full list.

What Happens After a Bite Is Reported

Herriman handles its own animal control. Herriman City Animal Services, based at City Hall, 5355 West Herriman Main Street, runs licensing, 24/7 field response to injured or aggressive animals and a shelter for lost pets; its office line is 801-758-0080, and after hours it can be reached through police non-emergency dispatch at 801-840-4000. The city code requires anyone who knows of a bite to report it to an animal control officer immediately (§ 5-1-17). That report becomes the backbone of a claim. It fixes the dog, the owner, the address and the date, and it lets officers check whether the dog’s rabies vaccination is current, which the code requires every 24 months.

Have the wound treated that day. Bites infect easily, and a medical record ties the injury to the date. Intermountain Riverton Hospital at 3741 West 12600 South is a Level IV trauma center for urgent stabilization. Photograph the wounds every few days as they heal, and get the owner’s name, address and insurer. If the owner rents, ask who the landlord or property manager is; a broken gate or a shared yard can bring them into the claim.

For how these claims are valued, read our guides on getting compensation for a Utah dog bite and what moves dog bite settlement values.

Insurance Is Usually Required

Herriman requires every dog that must be licensed in the city to be covered by homeowner, renter or other liability insurance (§ 5-1-12). In practice a bite claim is normally paid by that insurer rather than out of a neighbor’s savings, which makes many people more comfortable pursuing one. The coverage exists for exactly the injuries bites cause: deep punctures and tearing, facial scars, nerve and tendon damage in the hand, infection, and fractures from being knocked to the ground.

Losses a Herriman Dog Bite Claim Can Include

A complete claim looks at the visible wound and everything that follows it:

• Treatment costs: emergency care, antibiotics, rabies shots when the dog’s status is unknown, stitches and follow-up visits.
• Plastic surgery and scar revision: including procedures a child may need years later as the scar grows.
• Lost time: your missed work, or a parent’s time away from the job to care for an injured child.
• Pain and emotional harm: nightmares, anxiety and a lasting fear of dogs, especially in children.
• Permanent scarring: which weighs more heavily on the face or the hands.

When the Owner’s Insurer Pushes Back

Three arguments come up again and again: the victim provoked the dog, the victim was trespassing, or the scar is minor. A fourth is worth knowing about in Herriman: the dog was on its own property. The city code counts a dog on its owner’s land as restrained only when the owner is physically there with it, unless it is leashed, fenced, penned, indoors or otherwise secured. Photos taken across weeks of healing and a surgeon’s opinion on future revision are often the strongest response. For other injuries in the city, see our Herriman personal injury page; for vehicle crashes, the Herriman car accident page.

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.