The state-level rules every owner and walker in Delaware should know. Local leash lengths, licensing and off-leash rules are set by each city — find those on the city pages below.
Delaware (16 Del. C. § 3053F) makes the owner strictly liable for any injury a dog causes — no scienter, no prior bite — and the statutory definition of owner reaches anyone who keeps, harbors, or is the custodian of the dog, so a walker is squarely in scope.
Delaware imposes strict liability: 16 Del. C. § 3053F provides that the owner of a dog is liable in damages for any injury, death, or loss to person or property caused by the dog — regardless of the dog's history or the owner's knowledge. No one-bite rule and no proof of negligence are required. (The statute was recodified from the old 7 Del. C. § 1711 to Title 16 § 3053F, but the strict-liability rule is unchanged.)
The definition is broad and is the walker hook: § 3041F defines owner as any person who owns, keeps, harbors, or is the custodian of a dog. That reaches well beyond the person on the licence — a walker, sitter, or caretaker in control of the dog can be treated as an owner and held strictly liable under § 3053F for what the dog does while in their care.
Delaware requires a dog to be secured by a leash capable of physically restraining it when off the owner's property (running-at-large rules, § 3048F; a first violation is a $50 civil penalty), and a current rabies vaccination plus a dog licence are required. Strict liability does not apply where the injured person was, at the time, (1) committing or attempting a trespass or other criminal offense on the owner's property, (2) committing or attempting a criminal offense against any person, or (3) teasing, tormenting, or abusing the dog.
Delaware applies modified comparative negligence with a 51% bar (10 Del. C. § 8132): a claimant whose fault is greater than the defendant's recovers nothing, and any award is reduced by the claimant's share. The personal-injury statute of limitations is two years (10 Del. C. § 8119).
This is general information about Delaware law, not legal advice. Confirm current rules with the official state and municipal sources.