Personal Injury · Dog Bite Liability
Dog Bite Laws in Maine
Whether Maine holds a dog owner automatically liable, follows the one-bite rule, or takes a mixed approach, plus landlord liability and the main defenses.
How liability works in Maine
What the rule is, and what you must show.
Landlords & defenses
Who else can be liable, and what defeats a claim.
Fault by the injured person does not cut the physical-injury damages unless a court finds that fault exceeded the owner or keeper’s. That is a plaintiff-friendly comparative rule built into the statute itself.
The full picture, with the source
Every field, and any recent development.
| Liability model | Strict liability |
| Basis | Statute — 7 M.R.S. §3961 |
| What it covers | For strict liability, the injury must occur when you are not on the owner’s or keeper’s premises. On the premises, subsection 1 applies and you must show the owner or keeper was negligent. Either way, the statute reaches any injury the dog causes, not just a bite. |
| Landlord | Generally no. Section 3961 speaks to the "owner or keeper." A landlord who neither owns nor keeps the dog is reached only through ordinary negligence, which requires knowledge of the danger and the ability to remove it. |
| Main defenses | Injury occurred on the owner’s premises (no strict path) · Comparative fault · No negligence (on-premises injuries) |
What Maine dog-bite victims get wrong
Maine turns on where the injury happened. Section 3961 sets two rules in one place. If a dog injures someone who is not on the owner’s or keeper’s premises, the owner or keeper is strictly liable for the damages, with no need to prove the dog was ever dangerous or that the owner knew. If the injury happens on the premises, the strict rule does not kick in and you are back to the general negligence rule in subsection 1, where you show the owner or keeper was careless. The statute also builds in a plaintiff-friendly twist: the victim’s own fault does not reduce damages for physical injury unless a court decides that fault was greater than the owner’s. And because the text says "injures," not "bites," it reaches more than bite wounds.
Common questions
Is Maine a strict-liability state for dog bites?
Partly. Under 7 M.R.S. §3961 the owner or keeper is strictly liable when the dog injures someone off their premises. If the injury happens on the premises, you must instead prove negligence.
Why does it matter whether I was on the owner’s property in Maine?
Location sets the standard. Off the owner’s or keeper’s premises the rule is strict liability. On the premises, section 3961 subsection 1 controls and you must show the owner or keeper was negligent.
Does Maine’s dog law cover more than bites?
Yes. The statute uses the word "injures," so a knock-down or other injury a dog causes can be covered off-premises, not only a bite wound.
Will my own carelessness reduce my recovery in Maine?
Usually not for physical injury. Section 3961 says the victim’s fault does not reduce physical-injury damages unless a court finds that fault exceeded the owner or keeper’s.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.