Because the law already expects it. Long Beach’s Health Department says a dog bite to a person is legally reportable, and that you or your doctor must report it. A Long Beach dog bite lawyer wants that report on file because it records the owner, the date and the rabies status. It typically starts a 10-day quarantine, often at home, not a dangerous dog case.
Robert Hindin & Associates is a West Los Angeles personal injury firm that represents people hurt by dogs throughout California, Long Beach included. The firm takes only injured people as clients and never works for insurance companies. Robert Hindin has practiced law in California since 1975. His son and partner, Kyle Hindin, has represented only injured clients since he joined the bar in 2016, and the office helps clients in Spanish.
Did a neighbor’s dog bite you in Belmont Shore, Bixby Knolls or anywhere else in Long Beach? Call Robert Hindin & Associates at (310) 473-0337 for a free case review before the owner’s insurance company calls you.
Do You Have to Report a Dog Bite in Long Beach?
Yes. The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services says all animal bites to people are legally reportable in the city, and that you or your doctor must report the bite. The dog bite accident attorneys in California at Robert Hindin & Associates point clients to that rule first. The rule does not change because the owner is a friend, a relative or the family next door.
The state rule sits in Title 17, section 2606 of the California Code of Regulations. In a declared rabies area, it requires that the local health officer be notified when an animal of a species subject to rabies bites a person. Long Beach’s Health Department, founded in 1906, is one of only three city-operated health departments in California. So a bite here goes to the city’s own Health Department, not to Los Angeles County.
Who Takes a Bite Report Inside Long Beach City Limits
Two city offices share the job. The Health Department’s Communicable Disease Surveillance and Control Division judges the rabies risk and whether rabies shots are needed. Long Beach Animal Care Services handles the dog and the quarantine. The Health Department says it notifies Animal Care Services after a report, so one report starts both tracks.
Some guides written for Los Angeles County readers send them to the county’s Veterinary Public Health program. That program does not take Long Beach bites. Its own reporting page sends Long Beach callers to Long Beach Animal Control at 562-570-7387 instead.
Reporting to the Health Department Online or by Fax
The Long Beach Health Department’s animal bite reporting page links an online form through its Veterinary Diseases Reporting System. If the portal does not load, a paper Animal Bite Reporting Form can go by fax to 562-570-4374. The city says each report must include the animal’s location, if you know it. Questions go to the division at 562-570-4302.
Calling Long Beach Animal Care Services on Spring Street
Long Beach Animal Care Services works out of 7700 East Spring Street and answers at 562-570-7387. It also keeps its own online Animal Bite Report Form. The same agency takes animal complaints from Signal Hill residents. Have these details ready before you call or type.
- The address or spot where the bite happened, since the city asks for the dog’s location.
- The owner’s name, address and phone number, plus the dog’s license tag number.
- The dog’s breed, color and size, in case the owner cannot be found.
- A photo of the wound taken the same day, before it is cleaned up or stitched.
- The name of the clinic or emergency room that treated you.
The Owner’s 48-Hour Duty Under Penal Code Section 398
Reporting runs both ways. Penal Code section 398 requires the person who owns or has custody of a dog that bit someone to share their name, address and phone number as soon as practicable, and within 48 hours. They must also give you the dog’s name and license tag number. When the law requires the dog to have a rabies shot, they owe you its vaccination status within the same 48 hours.
A violation is an infraction with a fine of up to $100. The section has one limit worth knowing. For this rule, a bite means contact that breaks or punctures the skin. If a minor was holding the leash, the minor must give you contact information for an adult owner or responsible party instead.
What Happens to the Dog After a Long Beach Bite Report?
In most cases, a 10-day rabies quarantine. Title 17, section 2606 of the California Code of Regulations sets the isolation period for a dog that bites a person at no less than 10 days after the day of the bite. The Long Beach Health Department calls 10 days the minimum for dogs and cats. The dog is watched for illness, and the owner hears from an animal control officer when it is cleared.
Both the Long Beach and Los Angeles County health pages say a bite report does not mean the dog is deemed dangerous. A dog may bite while playing, and some bites are provoked. The report treats the bite as a rabies question first.
The 10-Day Quarantine, Step by Step
Long Beach Animal Care Services lays out the sequence on its Report a Bite page. Each step leaves a record with a date on it. Those dates matter later, because they show when the city learned of the bite and what it found about the dog.
- You report the bite, and the city recommends medical attention.
- The bite is evaluated and documented with a photo.
- The owner provides proof of a current rabies vaccine.
- The dog is quarantined at home or at the local animal shelter for 10 days.
- The dog is watched for signs of illness while kept in strict confinement.
- An animal control officer clears the dog and notifies the owner.
Where the Dog Spends the 10 Days
The answer depends on whether the dog was impounded and whether it can be kept securely at home. Title 17 lets the local health officer approve the place and manner of isolation. The Long Beach Health Department says many owned dogs finish quarantine at home when they can be kept securely on site.
Home Quarantine When the Dog Can Be Kept Securely
Home quarantine means strict confinement on the owner’s property for the full period. The dog stays isolated and is monitored for changes in behavior, illness or death. Your neighbor keeps the dog, follows the conditions and waits for the officer’s clearance. In that setting, the report does not take the dog out of the home.
Shelter Quarantine When Animal Care Services Impounds the Dog
Some dogs serve the 10 days at the shelter instead. The Health Department says any animal impounded by an animal control agency must finish its quarantine in a shelter. Title 17 also lets the local health officer release a dog after five days of veterinary observation in a pound or veterinary hospital. The veterinarian must examine the dog on day five or later and certify that it shows no signs of disease.
Proof of a Current Rabies Vaccine
Long Beach Municipal Code section 6.12.110 requires a rabies vaccine for every dog four months or older in the city. After a bite, Animal Care Services asks the owner to prove the dog’s shots are current. When the owner cannot show proof, the city’s bite page recommends medical attention for the person bitten. The Health Department rates a healthy local dog as low risk. A dog showing abnormal behavior, such as an unprovoked attack, drooling or neurologic trouble, is high risk.
A Bite Report Is Not a Dangerous Dog Case
A bite report and a dangerous dog case run on separate tracks. The Long Beach Health Department says residents who believe an animal is dangerous must file a separate report with Animal Care Services. The city declares vicious dogs under Long Beach Municipal Code section 6.16.250. The firm’s article on what happens when a dog is declared dangerous explains how those hearings work in another city.
Title 17 does let a local health officer authorize euthanasia of a biting animal for rabies testing, but only with the owner’s permission and any other legal clearance. Civil Code section 3342.5 lets any person, the district attorney or the city attorney sue once a dog has bitten people on at least two separate occasions. After a hearing, the court may order the dog removed from the area or, if necessary, destroyed. A severe, unprovoked attack is different. Food and Agricultural Code section 31603 defines a vicious dog to include one that, unprovoked and aggressive, severely injures or kills a person. After any bite, section 3342.5 also requires the owner to take reasonable steps to remove the danger to others.
Why a Long Beach Dog Bite Lawyer Wants the Bite on File
A Long Beach dog bite lawyer builds a claim from records, and the bite report is often the first one with a government date on it. It ties one dog and one owner to one injury at one address. Memories soften once an insurance claim opens. A report made the week of the bite does not change.
Records alone do not settle anything. How much weight a report carries depends on what it says and on the rest of the evidence, which a lawyer reviews before forming any view of the claim. Still, a missing report is hard to replace, and the details below are easiest to collect while the bite is fresh.
Facts a Bite Report Pins Down
The report and the steps around it collect details that are hard to rebuild months later. Each one answers a question an insurance adjuster will ask. Some come from the city, some from the owner and some from you.
- The owner’s name and address, which decide whose insurance policy may apply.
- The dog’s Long Beach license tag, which Municipal Code section 6.08.010 requires for dogs over four months old.
- The dog’s rabies vaccination status and the date of its last shot.
- The exact place the bite happened, which shows whether you were lawfully there.
- A dated photo of the wound, taken before stitches or healing change how it looks.
The license tag deserves a second look. Long Beach issues tags stamped with the words “LONG BEACH” and a serial number, so the number ties the dog to a city license.
Leash Law Violations an Officer Can Note
Long Beach Municipal Code section 6.16.100 requires a dog in public to be on a leash no longer than six feet. A person able to control the dog must hold the leash at all times. The rule also covers private property open to the public, and it bars an unleashed dog from entering another person’s property without permission.
The main off-leash exception is a fenced dog exercise area that the City Council designates. Even there, the code bars aggressive dogs. It says the people responsible for them are legally responsible for any injury the dogs cause. Under Civil Code section 3342, an owner can be liable even with the leash on, so a violation adds proof rather than creating the claim.
Can You File a Claim Against a Neighbor or Friend in California?
Yes. California Civil Code section 3342 makes a dog’s owner liable for a bite suffered in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the owner’s own property. That liability applies whether or not the dog was ever vicious before, and whether or not the owner knew it. A friendship does not change the statute.
Most people asking this question are not angry at the owner. They have an emergency room bill and a neighbor they will still see every day. The personal injury attorneys in Long Beach at Robert Hindin & Associates can explain how a claim would work before you decide anything. Whether one makes sense turns on facts a lawyer reviews with you.
A bite inside your neighbor’s yard still counts. Section 3342 treats you as lawfully there when the owner invited you, and the invitation can be express or implied. A barbecue invitation is express. Knocking on a neighbor’s front door can rest on an implied invitation, depending on the facts. The statute also protects anyone there to perform a duty under state law or federal postal rules. On private property, a person with no invitation and no legal duty falls outside section 3342. That claim runs on other legal theories.
Who Pays When a Neighbor’s Dog Bites You in Long Beach?
Usually an insurance company, not your neighbor’s savings. The Insurance Information Institute says homeowners and renters policies typically cover dog bite liability up to the policy’s liability limits. If the claim exceeds the limit, the owner is responsible for the rest. Whether a given policy covers a given bite depends on its wording, which a lawyer checks before anyone assumes coverage.
California sees more of these claims than any other state. The Institute and State Farm estimate that California had 2,830 dog-related injury claims in 2025, averaging $81,789 per claim. That average blends small bites with severe ones, so it says nothing reliable about what a single claim is worth.
Homeowners and Renters Coverage Usually Answers First
Once the owner reports the bite to their insurer, an adjuster handles the claim. When the policy applies, the insurer pays a covered claim up to the limits. The owner owes only what exceeds them. If an adjuster asks you for a taped interview right away, the firm’s article on giving an adjuster a recorded statement explains why you can decline.
Limits That Usually Run $100,000 to $300,000
The Institute puts typical liability limits on these policies at $100,000 to $300,000. A lawyer asks for the declarations page early, because the limit caps what the policy will pay. The Long Beach Health Department warns that bite wounds can cut nerves or tendons and can become infected, and injuries like those raise the stakes. Where a claim lands depends on the injury and the records, so the limit is a boundary, not a forecast.
Breed Rules and Dogs Excluded From Coverage
Not every policy covers every dog. The Institute reports that some insurers will not cover owners of certain breeds, such as pit bulls, while others decide dog by dog. Some require liability waivers for bites or charge more for some breeds. A lawyer reads the exclusions before telling you whether the policy will respond.
What a Claim Can Mean for Your Neighbor’s Policy
Honesty helps here. The Institute says that once a dog has bitten someone, an insurer may raise the premium, decline to renew the policy or exclude the dog from coverage. Reporting the bite to the city and making an insurance claim are separate decisions. The Health Department rule covers the first one. The second is yours, and a lawyer can lay out the tradeoffs before you choose.
How Long You Have to Act After a Long Beach Dog Bite
Two years for most claims against a private owner. Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives two years to sue over an injury caused by another person’s wrongful act or neglect. Your exact deadline depends on who owned the dog and how old you were when it bit you, so confirm the date with a lawyer. These clocks come up most often.
- The city asks that every bite be reported immediately, along with the dog’s location.
- A lawsuit against a private dog owner must be filed within two years under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1.
- For a child, Code of Civil Procedure section 352 pauses that two-year clock while the child is a minor.
- A claim against a public entity for an injury must be presented within six months under Government Code section 911.2.
The minor’s pause in section 352 does not apply to a claim against a public entity. That shorter clock matters when a city or other public agency owns the dog. If a claim becomes a lawsuit, it is usually filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. The court hears civil jury trials in Long Beach at the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, 275 Magnolia Avenue.
Questions Long Beach Neighbors Ask After a Dog Bite
These questions come up most when the dog belongs to someone you know, such as a neighbor, a friend or a relative. Each answer gives the general rule and its source. How the rule applies to your bite depends on the facts, so treat each answer as a starting point.
Should I Report a Dog Bite to the Police in Long Beach?
Usually the bite report goes to the Health Department or Animal Care Services, not the police. Animal Care Services says to call 911 for an emergency involving public safety due to an animal. A dog still loose and attacking is that kind of emergency.
Will My Neighbor Know the Bite Was Reported?
Almost certainly, because the quarantine involves the owner directly. Animal Care Services asks the owner for proof of the rabies vaccine and notifies the owner when the quarantine ends. Some people tell the neighbor first, so the call from the city is not a surprise.
What Does Rabies Treatment Involve After a Bite?
The Long Beach Health Department describes rabies post-exposure treatment as wound washing plus a dose of rabies immune globulin and vaccine on the first visit. More vaccine follows on days 3, 7 and 14. The Health Officer recommends it or not based on the dog’s risk level.
Is a Bite at a Long Beach Dog Park Treated Differently?
Civil Code section 3342 covers bites in public places, and a city park is one. Long Beach Municipal Code section 6.16.100 also bars aggressive dogs from the city’s fenced dog exercise areas. Who is responsible still depends on what happened, which a lawyer would review.
Talk to a Long Beach Dog Bite Lawyer Before You Answer the Insurer
Reporting the bite protects your health and puts the facts on paper. The claim is a separate step. It usually runs through an adjuster who works for your neighbor’s insurance company, not for you.
A Long Beach dog bite lawyer at Robert Hindin & Associates can gather the bite report, the quarantine record and the policy, then explain what your claim looks like. Call (310) 473-0337 for a free consultation. You pay no legal fees unless the firm wins.
The office is at 11400 West Olympic Boulevard, Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90064, and the firm represents injured people in Long Beach and across Los Angeles County. Read about both attorneys on the About Robert Hindin & Associates page.
Prefer to write first? Use the firm’s contact page to describe the bite and the dog. No lawyer can promise an outcome, but a short conversation shows where you stand before you sign anything.