While Virginia doesn’t have a statewide leash law, some local governments have laws requiring dogs to be on leashes. If a dog owner breaks the law and their unleashed dog attacks someone in one of these cities, they could be held accountable for the harm their pet causes.
Even though many dogs are friendly, the Virginia dog bite lawyers at Marks & Harrison recognize they could still cause severe injuries if they attack someone. With 26 lawyers on our team and more than 100 years in business, we’re ready to defend your rights if an aggressive dog has bitten you. Contact us today for a free consultation.
What Are Some Local Virginia Leash Laws?
There are several notable examples of local leash laws. In Richmond, the city’s leash law requires all dogs to be kept “under restraint or confined to an enclosure.” This law applies to all dogs, not just certain breeds or dogs that have been dangerous.
Charlottesville is another Virginia city that has a local leash law in place. Under Charlottesville City Code, all dogs are banned from running “at large” within city limits. “At large” generally means without a leash outside of an enclosure. A dog is not considered at large if it is off-leash but is within “immediate voice control” of its owner, though. Leashes are required for all dogs within certain areas, including the following:
- All city parks, except for designated off-leash areas
- The city’s Greenway Trail System
- Meadow Creek Golf Course
- Downtown Pedestrian Mall
- Public school property
- City-owned cemeteries
What Happens if a Dog Is Not on a Leash and Attacks Someone?
If an unleashed dog attacks you, you could hold the owner accountable for any injuries you suffer through a personal injury claim. The dog’s owner might be considered negligent if they were not following local leash laws. You could be eligible to recover significant compensation for your injuries and other losses.
You might still be able to hold the dog’s owner accountable even if a dog attacked you in an area without a local leash law. However, filing a lawsuit after being bitten in an area without a leash law generally means working around Virginia’s “one-bite rule.”
What Is the One-Bite Rule?
The one-bite rule means that a dog must have previously attacked someone or another animal for you to seek compensation against the dog’s owner for injuries suffered in an attack.
Virginia law does not have a strict liability rule for dog bites, meaning you cannot automatically hold a dog’s owner liable just because their dog bit you. However, the owner could be found negligent if you can show the dog’s owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous.
Contact an Experienced Dog Bite Lawyer in Virginia Today
Dog bites pose a serious problem in Virginia and across the country. The American Veterinary Medical Association reports that each year, dogs bite or attack an estimated 4.5 million people in the U.S., with roughly one out of every five of those victims requiring medical attention. In many cases, the dogs who commit these attacks are unleashed and roaming through neighborhoods and parks.
Virginia has no statewide “leash law” that seeks to protect people from getting bitten or attacked by unrestrained and uncontrolled dogs. However, many municipalities in the state have enacted leash laws that address this issue. The specific duties that each law imposes on dog owners slightly vary from community to community.
Dog owners in Virginia have an obligation to know the leash laws that apply to them and their pets. More importantly, they have a duty to abide by those laws. Suppose a dog owner violates a local leash law, and another person suffers harm due to that violation. In that case, the dog owner could potentially be held liable for a personal injury or wrongful death claim.
As a law firm that represents dog bite victims and their families in Richmond and throughout Virginia, we thought it would be helpful to explain how dog leash laws work in our state. Here, we also discuss your legal rights and options if you suffer harm due to a dog owner’s violation of a local leash law.
Regardless of whether you were in an area with a local leash law, you deserve a chance to recover compensation for your injuries and losses after a dog attack in Virginia. Contact Marks & Harrison today for a free consultation with an experienced Virginia dog bite lawyer.
