Oregon’s dog bite reporting requirements apply to anyone with direct knowledge of a bite that breaks the skin, not just doctors or animal control. Under ORS 433.345, you must report the incident to the local county health department where the bite occurred, and you must do it within one working day.1Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 433.345 – Report of Animal Bites2Oregon Health Authority. Animal Bites and Rabies Investigative Guidelines The report triggers a mandatory 10-day quarantine of the dog so officials can rule out rabies, and failing to report is a Class B violation punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.
Who Has to Report a Bite
The duty under ORS 433.345 is written broadly. It falls on “any person having direct knowledge” of the bite, which includes the victim, the dog’s owner, a witness, and any medical professional who treats the wound. Each of them is independently obligated. You can’t assume someone else will handle it.1Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 433.345 – Report of Animal Bites
The statute kicks in when the bite “causes a break in the skin.” A nip that leaves only a bruise is not covered. The reporting requirement also applies, separately, when an animal is suspected of having rabies or has had close contact with a rabies-suspect animal, whether or not it broke skin.1Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 433.345 – Report of Animal Bites
How and Where to File
Reports go to the local health department in the county where the bite happened, not where you live. If you live in Multnomah County and were bitten in Clackamas County, you report to Clackamas. The Oregon Health Authority publishes a directory of local health departments, and most counties accept reports by phone, email, or fax, with some offering a downloadable form.3Columbia County. Animal Bites
OHA guidelines set the deadline at one working day from the bite or from when you learned of it.2Oregon Health Authority. Animal Bites and Rabies Investigative Guidelines If the dog is still loose and poses an active threat, call your county’s animal control line immediately instead of waiting to complete a form.
Have this information ready when you file:
- The victim’s full name, phone number, and mailing address.
- The date, time, and specific location of the bite.
- A description of the dog, including breed, color, size, and any identifying features.
- The dog owner’s name and address, if you have them.
Owner information carries more weight than people assume. Without it, the health department can’t verify the dog’s rabies vaccination status, which drives whether the victim needs post-exposure treatment.
What Happens to the Dog After You Report
Oregon Administrative Rule 333-019-0024 requires a biting dog to be held for observation through the 10th day after the bite.4Oregon Public Law. OAR 333-019-0024 – Management of Animal Bites The reasoning is clinical: a dog shedding rabies virus in its saliva will show symptoms within that window. A healthy dog at day 10 means the victim was not exposed.
Observation must be supervised by a licensed veterinarian or someone the local public health administrator designates, and the dog must be kept in an enclosure or under restraints that prevent contact with people or other animals.4Oregon Public Law. OAR 333-019-0024 – Management of Animal Bites The administrator decides whether the dog can quarantine at home or must go to a county shelter. Home quarantine is common when vaccinations are current and the owner can securely confine the animal.
One rule catches owners off guard: no one may euthanize a biting dog, or destroy its head for testing, without authorization from the local public health administrator.4Oregon Public Law. OAR 333-019-0024 – Management of Animal Bites If the dog dies or is put down prematurely, the victim may need the full rabies vaccine series as a precaution because there’s no animal left to observe. In cases where the dog already shows signs consistent with rabies and waiting would put the victim at unacceptable risk, the OHA Director can order the animal seized and destroyed for tissue testing under ORS 433.350.5Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 433.350 – Power of Oregon Health Authority to Take Possession and Order Destruction of Animal
Penalties for Not Reporting
The law treats two failures differently. Not reporting a bite you knew about is a Class B violation, a civil infraction with a maximum fine of $1,000 for an individual.6Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 433.990 – Penalties7Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 153.018 – Maximum Fines
Disobeying a lawful order from the OHA Director under ORS 433.350, for example refusing to surrender an animal ordered destroyed for testing, is a Class C misdemeanor. That’s a criminal charge carrying a maximum fine of $1,250.6Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 433.990 – Penalties8Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 161.635 – Fines for Misdemeanors
Beyond the fine itself, the dog’s owner picks up the quarantine costs: shelter boarding during the 10-day period, the veterinary exam at the end, and the expense of secure confinement at home.
Longer-Term Consequences for the Owner
A reported bite can start more than a quarantine clock. Oregon classifies problem dogs in two tiers, and the labels tighten over time.
Under ORS 609.035, a dog is “potentially dangerous” if, without provocation, it menaces a person while off the owner’s property, inflicts a physical injury that doesn’t rise to “serious physical injury,” or injures or kills livestock or a domestic animal while off the owner’s property.9Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code Chapter 609 – Dogs and Exotic Animals Most bites that break the skin but don’t cause serious injury land here. Expect mandatory confinement requirements, possible muzzle orders, and closer scrutiny on any future incident.
A dog becomes “dangerous” under ORS 609.098 if it inflicts serious physical injury or kills a person without provocation, repeats potentially dangerous behavior after a prior violation, or is used as a weapon during a crime. An owner who, with criminal negligence, fails to prevent the dog from acting dangerously commits the crime of maintaining a dangerous dog.10Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 609.098 – Maintaining Dangerous Dog
Civil liability is separate and strict. Under ORS 31.360, a bite victim doesn’t have to prove the owner knew or should have known the dog was aggressive in order to recover economic damages such as medical bills and lost wages. Oregon has no “first free bite” defense.11Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 31.360 – Proof Required for Claim of Economic Damages in Action Arising From Injury Caused by Dog Provocation remains a defense, and the owner can still raise other defenses the law allows. Non-economic damages like pain and suffering, and punitive damages, go back to the standard tort burden of proof.
Owners should also check their homeowners or renters policy. Some insurers exclude certain breeds or deny coverage to dogs with a bite history, and a bite report in the public record gives an insurer documented grounds to raise premiums, add exclusions, or drop coverage at renewal.
One federal consequence often blindsides owners: if a mail carrier is bitten or feels threatened by an unrestrained dog at your address, the United States Postal Service can suspend mail delivery to your home, and in some cases to the entire block, until the owner shows the dog is secured.12United States Postal Service. USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign
What a Bitten Person Should Do
Wound care comes before paperwork. Wash the bite thoroughly with soap and water and see a doctor, especially if the wound is deep, on the face or hands, or shows signs of infection. Bites from unknown or unvaccinated dogs carry extra urgency because of rabies risk.
The standard rabies post-exposure treatment for someone never previously vaccinated is a four-dose vaccine series on days 0, 3, 7, and 14, plus a dose of rabies immunoglobulin at the first visit. Immunocompromised patients need a fifth dose on day 28.13Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Guidance Each vaccine dose runs around $400 before immunoglobulin and office visits, so a full course can reach several thousand dollars. If the dog finishes its 10-day quarantine healthy, you can avoid that expense, which is one of the strongest practical reasons to make sure the bite is reported and the dog is observed.
While quarantine runs, collect the owner’s contact information, photograph your injuries, and keep records of every medical visit. If you later pursue a civil claim under Oregon’s strict-liability statute, that documentation is the foundation of the case, and the official bite report becomes part of the record supporting your account of what happened.