Tennessee Dog Bite Law decides who pays when a dog injures someone — and the answer changes a great deal from one state to the next. This guide explains whether Tennessee uses strict liability or the one-bite rule, how long you have to file, how leash and dangerous dog rules work, and exactly how a homeowners policy responds. Whether you own a dog in Tennessee or you were bitten by one, Tennessee Dog Bite Law is what determines the outcome.
Tennessee Dog Bite Law is summarized here in plain English. Everything in this guide was verified against Tennessee statutes, the state courts, and Insurance Information Institute claim data as of August 2026.
In This Tennessee Dog Bite Law Guide:
Tennessee Dog Bite Law: Strict Liability or One-Bite Rule?
Tennessee applies a mixed standard. Some dog bite claims fall under strict liability and others must be proven through negligence, depending on the circumstances of the attack and where it happened.
The governing statute is Tenn. Code Ann. 44-8-413 (Dianna Acklen Act of 2007). Statutes are amended, so confirm the current text before relying on it in a claim.
Tennessee dog owners have a statutory duty to keep a dog under reasonable control at all times and to prevent it from running at large.
If the dog injures someone in a public place, or where that person is lawfully present on another person’s private property, the owner is strictly liable — the victim does not have to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous.
But under the statute’s “residential exclusion,” if the injury happens on the owner’s own residential, farm, or other noncommercial property, the victim must fall back on the common-law one-bite rule and prove the owner knew or should have known of the dog’s dangerous propensities.
The Tennessee rule is broad — it covers not just bites but other injuries a dog causes, such as knocking a person down.
Filing Deadline Under Tennessee Dog Bite Law
A dog bite lawsuit in Tennessee must be filed within 1 years of the date of the injury (Tenn. Code Ann. 28-3-104(a)(1)(A)). Miss that deadline and the claim is normally barred no matter how strong it is.
The deadline for notifying an insurance company is much shorter than the deadline for filing suit. Most homeowners policies require prompt notice, so report the incident to the insurer right away even if you have not decided whether to sue.
How Tennessee Dog Bite Law Treats Leash Laws and Dangerous Dogs
Tennessee has no statewide requirement that a dog be physically leashed, but Tenn. Code Ann. 44-8-408 makes it a criminal offense (Class B misdemeanor up to Class D felony, graded by the harm caused) to let a dog go uncontrolled onto another person’s premises or onto a highway, public road, street, or other place open to the public, and 44-8-413(a) imposes a parallel civil duty of reasonable control. Actual leash and confinement requirements are set by county and municipal ordinance and vary widely across the state.
Tennessee has no single statewide dangerous-dog declaration and abatement procedure; Tenn. Code Ann. 39-17-1363 defines “vicious dog” (attacked a person off the owner’s property causing death or serious bodily injury) and “potentially vicious dog,” but uses those definitions to make it a criminal offense for a person convicted of a violent felony to own or control such a dog for ten years after release. Declaration procedures, confinement, muzzling, signage, and registration requirements for dangerous dogs are set at the county and city level.
Leash rules matter far beyond the ticket. In a mixed-rule state, breaking a leash ordinance is powerful evidence of negligence, and it can defeat an owner’s defense outright.
Tennessee Dog Bite Law and Homeowners Insurance
Dog bites are normally paid under the personal liability section of a standard homeowners policy — Coverage E — not under the part that repairs your house. Renters policies carry the same liability coverage.
Two other pieces of the policy come into play. Medical payments coverage (Coverage F) pays a modest amount of the injured person’s medical bills with no finding of fault, which often settles a minor bite quietly. And an umbrella policy sits above your liability limit — the single most useful thing a dog owner in Tennessee can buy.
Coverage is not automatic. Most policies exclude injuries to people who live in your household, deliberate acts, and business-related animals. Some exclude a dog with a prior bite on record. Read the exclusions before you need them, not after.
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Unique to Tennessee:
The “residential exclusion” in 44-8-413(c) is unique — Tennessee applies strict liability in public but the one-bite rule on the owner’s own residential, farm, or noncommercial property. Under 44-8-408(c) the statutory exceptions to the running-at-large criminal offense do not apply unless the owner pays or tenders payment for all damages within 30 days.
Tenn. Code Ann. 68-8-109 requires a biting animal to be confined or quarantined for a 10-day rabies observation period, investigated by the state health department or local animal control, and makes concealing such an animal a Class C misdemeanor. Tennessee has no dog bite compensation fund and no statewide breed registry.
Dog Bite Claim Costs in Tennessee
Tennessee Dog Bite Law decides who is liable. The claim figures below show what that liability actually costs when it lands.
State-level claim counts for Tennessee were not available from the Insurance Information Institute at the time of writing. Nationally, dog bite and dog-related injury claims are among the costliest homeowners liability claims, and the average payout has risen every year for over a decade.
| Typical liability limit | $300,000 |
Tennessee Dog Bite Law, Breed Restrictions and Insurance Exclusions
Tennessee permits local breed-specific ordinances. Some cities and counties restrict or ban particular breeds, and violating a local ban can also be used against you in a civil claim.
Insurers in Tennessee are generally free to refuse or surcharge coverage based on breed. This is a real risk — a policy can be non-renewed after an insurer learns which dog lives at the address.
Breeds most often excluded or surcharged by insurers:
- pit bull
- rottweiler
- doberman pinscher
- german shepherd
- chow chow
- akita
- presa canario
- wolf hybrid
Landlord and Property Owner Liability
A Tennessee landlord who is neither the owner nor harborer of the dog is liable only on proof of actual knowledge of that specific dog’s propensity for violence plus retention of enough control over the leased premises to have required the tenant to remove or restrain the dog (Langford v. Darden, No. M2004-00158-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. 2005)). Constructive notice is not enough, which makes landlord claims difficult to win.
Under Tennessee Dog Bite Law the tenant who owns the dog is the first target of a claim, but a landlord with knowledge of a dangerous animal can be pulled in alongside them.
If you rent out property in Tennessee, this is worth taking seriously — see our guide to liability coverage and what happens when someone is hurt on your property.
Defenses Available Under Tennessee Dog Bite Law
Defenses recognized in Tennessee:
- Trespassing
- Provocation
- Comparative fault
- Police or military dog exemption
- Dog securely confined in a kennel crate or other enclosure
- Dog protecting the owner or an innocent party from attack
- Dog performing protection herding hunting or other lawful work
These defenses rarely erase a claim by themselves. They more often reduce what an owner pays, which under comparative fault rules can still be a substantial difference.
How to Lower Your Liability Risk
Tennessee Dog Bite Law sets the standard you will be judged against. These are the steps that reduce both the chance of a bite and the size of the bill if one happens:
- Raise your liability limit. Going from $100,000 to $300,000 usually costs very little per year.
- Add an umbrella policy. $1 million of extra liability typically runs $150-$300 a year.
- Tell your insurer about the dog. A non-disclosed dog is a reason to deny the claim later.
- Check your local leash ordinance. A violation is evidence against you in a civil case.
- Secure the yard and post a sign. Fencing and gate latches prevent the bite in the first place.
- Document training and vet visits. A record of responsible ownership supports the defense that you had no notice the dog was dangerous.
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Official Sources & Resources
- Insurance Information Institute — dog bite liability: iii.org
- CDC — dog bite prevention: cdc.gov
- American Veterinary Medical Association: avma.org
- Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Insurance Division: https://www.tn.gov/commerce/insurance.html
- NAIC: naic.org
This is a plain-English summary of Tennessee Dog Bite Law, not legal advice. Statutes change and every bite turns on its own facts — talk to a licensed Tennessee attorney about a specific claim. Last verified August 2026. If something here looks out of date, please contact us.