- Wilmington City Council unanimously approved quadrupling fines on dog owners whose unleashed dog bites someone.
- Starting fines originally began at $250, but will now start at $1,000.
- Subsequent offenses will bring steeper penalties, maxing out at $5,000.
Fines just got a whole lot steeper if your unleashed dog bites someone in Wilmington.
Wilmington City Council unanimously approved quadrupling the fines slapped on dog owners if their unleashed furry friends bite someone.
Fines for the first offense will now start at $1,000 and go up to $2,000, with increasing increments up to $5,000 for subsequent offenses. Owners would also be fined if their dog, unprovoked, bites someone while in a car parked or on public streets, or if the dog is otherwise not on its owner’s property.
It’s unclear what may have happened recently to prompt the significant hike in these fines but recent news reports out of the Philadelphia area have centered on dog attacks.
Council members talked about their own experiences with dog bites, or knowing others who have been victims.
Councilmember Maria Cabrera said she was attacked by an off-leash dog and is lucky to still have her fingers.
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Dog owners “need to be responsible and held accountable,” she said.
The council’s legislation underscored that about 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs every year, with half of them being children ages 5 to 9.
According to Delaware dog bite data from 2016-2022, the number of incidents has remained relatively steady, with the highest number of reported bites statewide in 2019 being 1,608. In 2022, the number was 1,340. Most dog bites over the past few years happened in New Castle County.
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Changes in fines
The original fine structure for the first offense ranged from $250 to $500.
The fine structure will now be:
First offense: $1,000 to $2,000.
Second offense: $2,000 to $3,000.
Each subsequent offense: $3,000 to $5,000.
Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.
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