New York Dog Laws — Bite Liability, Leash & Dangerous-Dog Rules

Dog bites: New York's law changed in April 2025

For nearly 20 years (under Bard v. Jahnke, 2006) New York barred ordinary negligence claims against dog owners — a victim could only win by proving the owner knew of the dog's vicious propensities. On April 17, 2025, the Court of Appeals decided Flanders v. Goodfellow and overruled Bard, creating a dual-track system. It is the biggest New York personal-injury shift in a generation, and most content published before April 2025 is now out of date.

The three recovery paths

New York now has three routes:

• Strict liability — vicious propensities: the owner is strictly liable for all damages (including pain and suffering) if they knew or should have known the dog was dangerous. Propensity can be shown by growling, snarling, lunging, or baring teeth — not just a prior bite.
• Strict liability — medical costs (Ag & Mkts Law § 123): if a dog has been adjudicated dangerous, the owner is strictly liable for medical costs regardless of precautions.
• Ordinary negligence (new): the owner or other responsible party is liable for failing to use reasonable care, even with no prior aggression — unlocking full damages for first-bite cases. Leash-law violations, unlatched gates, frayed leashes, and rushing an open door are now negligence evidence.

Leash laws, defenses & time limit

Defenses include provocation and trespass, and comparative negligence now applies to the negligence track. Leash laws are local — the NYC Health Code requires a leash no longer than 6 ft in public — and a violation is negligence evidence (the older Petrone v. Fernandez rule that a leash violation was not itself negligence is now in doubt). The personal-injury limit is three years, and New York has one of the highest average dog-bite claim costs in the nation (about $92,000).