The state-level rules every owner and walker in Oregon should know. Local leash lengths, licensing and off-leash rules are set by each city — find those on the city pages below.
Oregon splits dog-bite liability — strict for medical costs, negligence-based for pain and suffering.
Oregon is neither a pure strict-liability state nor a pure one-bite state. Under ORS 31.360, for economic damages (medical bills, lost income, property loss) a dog's owner is strictly liable — the victim need not prove the injury was foreseeable, and the owner cannot defend by saying they could not have foreseen it. For non-economic damages (pain and suffering, scarring, emotional distress), the victim must prove negligence or that the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous.
Liability extends beyond the registered owner to keepers — anyone who harbors or controls the dog. Violating a leash or animal-control ordinance can itself establish negligence (negligence per se); the negligence route also covers a dog knocking someone down or frightening them; recovery is reduced by the victim's share of fault and barred above 50% (ORS 31.600); provocation and trespass are defenses; and there is no cap on non-economic damages. The personal-injury limit is two years (ORS 12.110).
If a dog bite breaks the skin, Oregon law (ORS 433.345) requires the incident to be reported to the local health officer or county animal control, generally within 24 hours. Reporting triggers a rabies quarantine and creates an official record.
Like Washington, Oregon has no statewide leash statute — leash rules come from city and county ordinances and vary. (For example, Portland's Waterfront Park runs a zero-tolerance off-leash policy: $50 first offense, up to $150 after.) Your actual leash obligation is municipal — see the city page.
Under ORS 609.098, a dog may be classified potentially dangerous or dangerous if it attacks a person or domestic animal without provocation, and maintaining a dangerous dog is a criminal offense. Under ORS 609.115, once a dog is formally determined potentially dangerous, its keeper is strictly liable for economic damages for any later injury — a heightened rule that kicks in after designation, with carveouts for trespass and provocation.
This is general information about Oregon law, not legal advice. Confirm current rules with the official state and municipal sources.