Sep 3, 2026

Dog Bites in Park City: $500, and a Duty to Report

A county that prices a bite and a chase separately, two governments publishing different numbers to call, and a quarantine requirement named without a term.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Park City, Utah9 min readPet Care & Services

Summit County publishes what a bite costs, which almost no county does. A first bite is $500, a second is $750 and a third is $1,000, and a note beneath the schedule doubles every fine for an unsterilised dog.

There is also a line one step below a bite, at $300, for a dog that chases without making contact. In a county surrounded by elk and moose, that is the line most owners hit first.

The published numbers

From Summit County's citation fee schedule, the bite and aggression lines:

Violation, as published	Fine
Dog attacking chase, worry	$300
Dog attack Bite (1st Offense)	$500
Dog attack Bite (2nd Offense)	$750
Dog attack Bite (3rd Offense)	$1000
Vicious animal	$500
Animal cruelty	$500

The wording in the left column is the county's own.

And the notes beneath, verbatim: "* Additional $100 for each additional violation applicable." / "* Fine doubled if dog is unsterilized."

A first bite by an unsterilised dog reads as $1,000 on the face of that schedule. We are describing what the page says rather than asserting how the county applies it in a given case.

"Vicious animal" is a separate line from a bite, which suggests a designation rather than an incident.

The duty the city names and does not explain

Park City's own dogs page puts the responsibility on you in one sentence, verbatim:

"It is the responsibility of all dog owners to be aware of the registration, licensing and vaccination requirements for their animals, as well as regulations associated with dogs running at-large, vicious dogs, dog bites and duty to report."

"Duty to report" is named there and explained nowhere. The city then gives numbers and stops, which is why this guide exists.

Who to call, and the numbers do not match

Summit County Animal Control is the enforcing body. Its own page gives, verbatim: "Reach out to us at (435)-336-3985".

Park City's page gives a different number for the same service, verbatim: "Summit County Animal Control: 435-615-3985".

And two different after-hours numbers. The city says, verbatim: "After-hours or Holidays, Summit County Sheriff Dispatch: 435-615-3600". The county's animal control page says, verbatim: "If you have found an animal after hours, please call Summit County Non-Emergency Dispatch at 435-615-3601".

Park City Police Dispatch is 435-615-5500, and for anything threatening a person the city says, verbatim: "For all Emergencies: 911".

Practical order for a bite: 911 if someone is seriously hurt, then the county's animal control number, then the city's police dispatch if you cannot reach either. Our lost dog in Park City guide sets out the same list for a different problem.

What the county says it handles

Verbatim from its Animal Control or HOA page, the county's own list of what it enforces includes:

"Dangerous or aggressive animal cases" "Rabies vaccination and quarantine requirements" "Leash laws and running at large ordinances" "Animal cruelty or neglect investigations"

"Rabies vaccination and quarantine requirements" is the phrase that matters after a bite. The county names quarantine as something it enforces, though it does not publish a period on any page we could read.

So we are not printing a quarantine length for Summit County. In other counties in this series that period is published, at ten days in Boulder County and seven in a pound for an unlicensed dog in Maricopa County. Summit County names the requirement without stating the term, and guessing at it would be worse than saying so. Ask when you make the report.

And the county is explicit that an HOA cannot handle this for you, verbatim: "HOAs cannot enforce county laws, nor can they investigate cruelty, handle stray animals, or issue legal citations outside of HOA rules." Its worked example puts it plainly: the county states that if a dog is frequently running loose in your neighbourhood or bites someone, Summit County Animal Control should be contacted even where the incident occurs inside an HOA. We are paraphrasing that sentence rather than quoting it because the county joins its two halves with a dash our house style does not print.

Why licensing matters more after a bite than before

Two reasons, and both are on county pages.

Rabies status is the first question. The county requires every dog in the county to be licensed and vaccinated, verbatim: "Did you know that having your dog licensed and vaccinated against rabies is a Summit County requirement?" A dog whose rabies status cannot be shown turns a manageable incident into a public-health conversation.

And an unvaccinated dog is a separate fine. "No rabies vaccination" is $50 on the schedule, "Failure to license" is $50 and "Failure to display tag" is $25, and each additional violation adds $100.

So the bite is the headline and the paperwork is the surcharge. Our Summit County dog licence guide covers the $12 and $20 options, and our pet health and vaccination tracker guide is where to keep the certificate you will be asked for.

If your dog is the one that bit

Contain the dog first. A frightened dog in a crowd bites twice.

Give your details and check on the person. They need medical advice regardless of how the wound looks.

Report it to the county, and do not wait to be contacted. The city names a duty to report and the county lists dangerous and aggressive animal cases among the things it investigates.

Have the rabies certificate to hand before you call. The county enforces vaccination and quarantine requirements, and the certificate is what shortens that conversation.

Ask about quarantine terms on that call, since the county does not publish them.

And expect a citation. $500 for a first bite, doubled if the dog is unsterilised, plus $100 for each additional applicable violation. One route back: the county's citation page states that a person receiving a citation may request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, and that the judge may dismiss violations on proof of compliance. Hearings are on the third Thursday of the month at the Summit County Courthouse in Coalville. Our Summit County dog fines guide covers that route.

If your dog was bitten

Different order, and the medical part comes first.

Get to a vet. Puncture wounds close over contamination, and a dog can look fine for a day. This is where Park City's biggest gap bites: we could not verify a 24-hour hospital in town, and the nearest one we could verify is thirty miles down Parley's Canyon. Our emergency vets in Park City guide covers who is open when.

Get the other owner's details and their dog's rabies status. That is the first question your vet will ask.

Report it anyway, because reporting is what puts an aggressive dog on the county's record before the next incident.

And keep the photographs and the invoices. Our pet first aid basics guide covers the immediate handling.

The chase line, and why it exists here

"Dog attacking chase, worry" at $300 is the county's own label, and it sits above every paperwork violation and above a first at-large offence.

The underlying rule, verbatim from the county's animal control FAQ: "Additionally, dogs are not allowed to charge, chase, or otherwise display aggression toward any person or animal."

"Any person or animal." So a dog that chases a deer, a horse, a cyclist's heels or another dog has crossed the same line, with no contact required.

That pricing makes sense in this county. The trails run through winter range for elk and mule deer, moose come down into the neighbourhoods, and the same singletrack carries bikes at speed. Our Park City leash law guide covers the restraint rule, and note that Summit County's permissive e-collar option puts the whole burden on your recall.

Snyderville Basin Recreation District applies the same logic on its land, requiring sight and voice control in its off-leash areas and a leash on hand at all times. Our Basin Recreation dog parks guide covers the four sites and the 150-foot buffer.

Why the chase line exists in a county like this

Worth a paragraph, because the pricing tells you what Summit County is actually worried about.

This is livestock and big-game country. The county's own leash guidance prohibits aggression toward "any person or animal", and its enforcement list includes stray and injured animal response alongside dangerous animal cases. A dog that harasses cattle or runs deer is a rural problem as much as a suburban one.

And a chase becomes a bite quickly. The schedule steps from $300 for chasing to $500 for a first bite, which is the same event ten seconds later. The county is pricing the moment before the injury, which is unusual and sensible.

One consequence for owners of otherwise gentle dogs. A dog with no history of aggression toward people can still cross this line the first time it sees an elk. The county's restraint rule accepts an e-collar precisely because it expects owners to interrupt that moment, and our Park City leash law guide covers the conditions attached.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fine if my dog bites someone in Summit County? $500 for a first offence, $750 for a second and $1,000 for a third, per the county's published citation schedule, with a note doubling fines for an unsterilised dog.

Is there a fine if my dog chases someone without biting? Yes. The county's schedule lists "Dog attacking chase, worry" at $300, and its leash guidance prohibits a dog from charging, chasing or otherwise displaying aggression toward any person or animal.

Do I have to report a dog bite? Park City's own page names a duty to report among the regulations owners must know, and Summit County lists dangerous and aggressive animal cases among the matters it investigates. Report it to county animal control.

Who do I call? Summit County Animal Control, on (435) 336-3985 per the county's own page or 435-615-3985 per Park City's page. After hours the county gives 435-615-3601 and the city gives 435-615-3600. Park City Police Dispatch is 435-615-5500, and 911 for emergencies.

How long is the quarantine after a bite? The county names rabies vaccination and quarantine requirements among the things it enforces but does not publish a period on any page we could read, so ask when you make the report.

Does my HOA handle a bite in my neighbourhood? No. The county states that HOAs cannot enforce county laws or investigate cruelty, and that animal control should be contacted if a dog bites someone even where the incident occurs inside an HOA.

Sources

Ordinance text and the quarantine period could not be verified. Contact Summit County Animal Control for anything consequential.