Havre, MontanaHavre Dog Bite
Havre Dog Bite Lawyers: Dog Attacks in Town, Ranch Dog Bites and Children’s Injuries in Hill County
Boland Aarab PLLP.
If a dog bit you or your child inside Havre city limits, Montana law generally makes the owner liable even if the dog had never bitten anyone. Outside incorporated towns, on Hill County farms and in places like Box Elder or Rudyard, you can still recover, but you must prove the owner was careless. Most claims are paid by insurance.
Bitten by a dog in Havre or on the Hi-Line, or is your child hurt? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Does it matter where in Hill County the bite happened?
Yes, more than almost anywhere else in Montana. The strict-liability dog bite statute applies only to bites in a public place, or where the person was lawfully in a private place, “within an incorporated city or town” (§ 27-1-715, MCA). Much of the Hi-Line is not incorporated.
| Where the bite happened | Which rule usually applies |
|---|
| Havre, the incorporated city and county seat | Strict liability under § 27-1-715 |
| Hingham, an incorporated town on US-2 | Strict liability under § 27-1-715 |
| Chinook and Harlem (Blaine County) and Chester (Liberty County) | Strict liability, if within the town limits |
| Box Elder, Rudyard, Kremlin, Gildford and other unincorporated communities | Negligence; the owner’s knowledge of the dog matters |
| Farms, ranches and rural homes anywhere in the county | Negligence |
| Rocky Boy’s or Fort Belknap Reservation | Jurisdiction must be analyzed first (see below) |
A mailing address can mislead. A rural home with a Havre address may be well outside the city limits. We confirm the exact location at the start, because it decides what must be proven.
What local rules and agencies apply in Havre?
City ordinances. The City of Havre regulates aggressive animals in its city code, defining an aggressive animal to include one that attempts to bite or chases people who are not trespassing on the owner’s property (Havre City Code § 6-2-17). The code also sets out the duties of the city’s animal control officer (§ 6-2-23). A citation under a city ordinance does not decide a civil claim, but the report, any earlier complaints and the officer’s findings are useful evidence of the dog’s history.
Reporting. Inside Havre, bites and aggressive-dog complaints go to the Havre Police Department and animal control. In the county, call the Hill County Sheriff’s Office. Ask for the report number, and ask whether the dog’s rabies vaccination was confirmed.
Beaver Creek Park. The Hill County park south of Havre requires dogs to be leashed at all times unless inside a fence or confined area (Beaver Creek Park rules). A bite at the park is outside any incorporated town, so it is a negligence case, but an owner who ignored the leash rule has a hard time claiming reasonable care.
Why are ranch and farm dog cases different?
Working dogs, guard dogs and loose dogs are part of life on Hi-Line farms. Many rural bite victims are not strangers: they are delivery drivers, custom harvest crews, meter readers, veterinarians, neighbors and visiting children. Outside town limits, a claim rests on ordinary negligence (§ 27-1-701, MCA). Evidence that often matters includes:
- earlier bites, lunging at visitors or attacks on livestock or pets;
- neighbors’ complaints and warnings to the owner;
- a dog left loose near a road, a mailbox or a farmyard where visitors must walk; and
- a dog left with a child or someone who could not control it.
The same negligence rules apply to injuries that are not bites, such as a large dog knocking down an older adult on an icy walk.
What happens after a dog bite in Havre?
Medical care. Get treatment right away. Bites often become infected, and deep punctures can damage nerves and tendons. Most people are seen at Northern Montana Hospital in Havre. Serious facial injuries in children may need a plastic surgeon, which can mean follow-up care in Great Falls or Billings.
Insurance. In most cases, the dog owner’s homeowner’s, renter’s or farm and ranch policy pays. On the Hi-Line, a farm policy may be the coverage that responds to a bite at a ranch house. We identify every policy, including any umbrella coverage.
Courts. A Hill County dog bite claim can be filed in the Twelfth Judicial District Court at the Hill County Courthouse, 315 4th Street, Havre (§ 3-5-101, MCA). Most bite claims resolve with the insurer before a lawsuit is needed.
On a reservation. For a bite on Rocky Boy’s or Fort Belknap, the first question is which court can hear the claim: tribal, state or federal. The answer depends on who was involved and where. The firm is not admitted in tribal courts, but we can seek admission when a case belongs there.
Montana law that applies
Our Montana dog bite lawyer page covers the law in detail. The essentials:
- Within an incorporated city or town, the owner of a dog that bites without provocation is liable “regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner’s knowledge of the viciousness” (§ 27-1-715). There is no “one free bite.” Since 2025 the statute also covers bites to service animals.
- Provocation is the defense written into the statute. A child who hugs a dog is not acting like an adult who deliberately harms it.
- Negligence claims are reduced by the injured person’s share of fault and barred only if it exceeds the defendants’ combined fault (§ 27-1-702, MCA).
- Most injury claims must be filed within 3 years (§ 27-2-204, MCA). For a child, the time of minority generally is not counted (§ 27-2-401, MCA).
Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Havre case?
We are based in Great Falls, and we handle cases statewide. We come to Havre and to rural Hill County to see where the bite happened, meet the family and talk with witnesses. Many people hesitate to make a claim against a neighbor or relative; we handle those claims with care for the relationship, knowing that in most cases the insurer, not the family, pays. We have no office in Havre.
The Boland Aarab Way
- We know Hi-Line juries. The Montana Supreme Court reinstated a Phillips County jury’s $168,500 verdict for our client on our appeal (Voegel v. Salsbery, 2023 MT 137).
- We try cases. The firm has tried more than a dozen jury trials, in Cascade, Phillips, Meagher and Yellowstone Counties, and our attorneys have spent more than 4,000 hours in the courtroom.
- We protect results on appeal. The Boland Aarab appellate record reaches back to 1977 (appellate results).
- We belong to the trial bar. Both attorneys belong to AAJ and MTLA, and Caitlin Boland Aarab serves as an AAJ Governor and on the MTLA Board.
Related Havre pages: premises liability · catastrophic injuries · Havre and Hill County injury lawyers.
Frequently Asked Questions
A neighbor’s dog bit my child in Havre. Does it matter that the dog was always friendly? No. Inside Havre city limits, the owner is liable for an unprovoked bite regardless of the dog’s history (§ 27-1-715, MCA).
I was bitten at a farm outside Havre. Can I still recover? Yes, if the owner was negligent, for example by letting a dog known to be aggressive run loose where visitors walk. The strict-liability statute does not apply outside incorporated towns.
Is Box Elder or Rudyard covered by the dog bite statute? Both are unincorporated communities, so the statute likely does not apply there. A claim would rest on negligence. We confirm the exact location first.
I deliver packages on the Hi-Line and was bitten on a customer’s porch. Am I covered? A delivery driver is usually lawfully on the property. Inside a town, strict liability can apply; in the country, negligence rules apply. If you were working, workers’ compensation may also be involved.
Should I report a bite to Havre animal control even if I don’t plan to sue? Yes. The report documents the bite and the dog’s history, protects other people, and helps confirm rabies vaccination.
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.
