Billings, MontanaBillings Dog Bite
Billings Dog Bite Lawyers: Dog Attacks, Child Bite Injuries and Animal Attacks in Billings, Lockwood and Yellowstone County
Boland Aarab PLLP.
If a dog bit you or your child inside Billings city limits, the owner is generally liable even if the dog never bit anyone before. In Lockwood, Shepherd, Huntley and other unincorporated parts of Yellowstone County, you can still recover by proving the owner was careless. Homeowner’s or renter’s insurance usually pays, and you generally have 3 years to file.
Bitten by a dog, or is your child hurt? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Does it matter where in Yellowstone County the bite happened?
Yes, more than most people expect. Montana’s dog bite statute makes an owner strictly liable for an unprovoked bite only when the bite happens in a public place, or while the person is lawfully in a private place, within an incorporated city or town (§ 27-1-715, MCA).
That makes the map important around Billings:
- Inside Billings city limits, the statute applies. So does it in Laurel and the county’s other incorporated towns.
- Lockwood, east of the Yellowstone River, is one of the largest communities in the Billings area but is an unincorporated census-designated place, not a city or town. So are Shepherd, Huntley and Worden.
- Subdivisions and rural homes on the edge of Billings, on the West End, below the Rims and out toward Blue Creek, may carry a Billings mailing address while sitting outside city limits.
A Billings address does not settle the question. We check the actual location against city boundaries at the start, because it decides what must be proven. Outside a city or town, the claim rests on ordinary negligence (§ 27-1-701, MCA): usually that the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous, or failed to control it.
What happens after a dog bite in Billings?
Report it. Inside the city, animal control is handled by the Billings Police Department, whose animal control officers respond to animal bites and dangerous-animal calls; the line is (406) 657-8226 (City of Billings Animal Control). Outside the city, call the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office. The report documents the bite, identifies the owner and starts the city’s process for confining and observing a biting animal. It also creates a record of the dog’s history, which matters if the dog has bitten before.
Get treatment and records. Deep punctures to hands and faces often need follow-up care beyond the emergency room. Billings Clinic and St. Vincent Regional Hospital are the region’s two Level 1 / Comprehensive Trauma Centers (DPHHS list), and a severe facial bite to a child may involve plastic surgery follow-up for years.
Photograph and preserve. Photograph the wounds as they heal, the yard, the gate or fence, and the leash or lack of one. Keep bloodied clothing.
Be careful with the insurer. The owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s carrier will call. Do not give a recorded statement or sign a broad medical release before talking with a lawyer.
A dog bite lawsuit is filed in the Thirteenth Judicial District Court at the Yellowstone County Courthouse, 217 North 27th Street (§ 3-5-101, MCA). Most claims resolve with the insurer without trial, but they resolve better when the insurer knows the case is ready.
Where do Billings dog bites happen?
The claims we see come from ordinary places:
- Neighborhood sidewalks and parks, where a dog gets through a gate or slips a collar.
- Visits to friends and relatives, where the victim is often a child.
- Delivery and service work. Mail carriers, meter readers, delivery drivers and in-home workers are lawfully on the property and are protected by the statute inside city limits.
- Trails and open space, including the paths along the Rims and the river, where off-leash dogs meet runners and cyclists.
- Rental homes, where the landlord’s policy, the tenant’s renter’s policy, or both may be involved.
A large dog that knocks down an older adult or a cyclist can cause fractures and head injuries without biting. Those claims are proven through negligence rather than the bite statute.
Montana law that applies
- Strict liability inside incorporated cities and towns, “regardless of the former viciousness of the dog,” with provocation as the statutory defense; the statute was amended in 2025 to cover service animals (§ 27-1-715, MCA).
- Negligence everywhere else (§ 27-1-701, MCA), with comparative fault (§ 27-1-702, MCA).
- Deadline: generally 3 years (§ 27-2-204, MCA); for a child, the time of minority generally is not counted (§ 27-2-401, MCA).
See our Montana dog bite page for provocation, insurance and children’s claims in more depth.
Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Billings case?
We are based in Great Falls and handle dog bite cases statewide. Many are resolved with the insurer through documents, photographs and medical records, and we can handle much of the work by phone and video. When the case needs it, our attorneys travel to Billings for depositions, hearings and trial, and our firm has tried jury trials in Yellowstone County. We do not have a Billings office.
The Boland Aarab Way
- We try cases. More than a dozen jury trials, in Cascade, Phillips, Meagher and Yellowstone Counties, and more than 4,000 hours in the courtroom.
- We protect verdicts. The Montana Supreme Court reinstated a $168,500 jury verdict for our client (Voegel v. Salsbery, 2023 MT 137).
- You work with the lawyers. Caitlin Boland Aarab and Samir Aarab handle your case themselves. Both are members of the American Association for Justice and the Montana Trial Lawyers Association.
Related Billings pages: premises liability · bicycle accidents · all Billings personal injury cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a dog owner in Billings liable for a first bite? Inside Billings city limits, yes, unless the dog was provoked. The statute applies regardless of the dog’s history (§ 27-1-715, MCA).
The bite happened in Lockwood. Does the same rule apply? No. Lockwood is unincorporated, so the strict-liability statute does not apply. You can still recover by proving the owner was negligent, for example by letting a dog known to be aggressive run loose.
Who do I report a dog bite to in Billings? Inside the city, Billings Police Department Animal Control at (406) 657-8226. Outside the city, the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.
My child was bitten at a friend’s house in Billings. Will the family have to pay? Usually the claim is paid by the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, not the family’s savings. We handle these claims with care for the relationship.
I was bitten while delivering a package. Am I covered? Inside city limits, a delivery driver or mail carrier is lawfully on the property, so the statute generally applies. A separate workers’ compensation claim may also exist; we handle the claim against the owner.
Talk to a Billings Dog Bite Lawyer
Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Our attorneys: Caitlin Boland Aarab · Samir F. Aarab
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
