Is the Landlord Liable for a Tenant's Dog Bite in Arkansas?

By the FigureMyTax Editorial Team · How we calculate

Arkansas landlords can face liability for a tenant's dog — but only when two specific conditions line up: knowledge of the danger, and authority to act on it.

The two-part test

Under Arkansas law, a landlord may be held liable for a tenant's dog bite when the landlord knew of the tenant's dog and its dangerous propensities, and had the authority to require the dog's removal but failed to exercise it. Both pieces generally need to be present — knowledge alone, without the practical authority to act, is a weaker basis for a claim, and authority alone, without actual knowledge of danger, isn't enough either.

Knowing a dog exists isn't knowing it's dangerous

As with the dog's actual owner, a landlord's general awareness that a tenant has a dog — through a pet-friendly lease policy, for example — doesn't by itself establish the knowledge Arkansas law requires. The landlord needs to have known, specifically, that this dog had dangerous propensities, typically through a prior incident or documented aggressive behavior they were made aware of.

Negligence per se doesn't bridge the gap

Just as with claims against the dog's owner, Arkansas courts don't apply negligence per se to a landlord's failure to enforce a leash law or similar ordinance. A violation can be evidence supporting a negligence claim, but it won't automatically establish landlord liability on its own.

Comparative fault still applies

If a victim's own conduct contributed to the incident in any way, Arkansas's modified comparative fault rule applies to a landlord liability claim exactly as it would to a claim against the dog's owner — reaching 50% fault bars the claim entirely, regardless of how clearly the landlord's knowledge and authority were established.

This is general information, not legal advice. Landlord liability for a tenant's dog turns heavily on the specific facts and what the landlord actually knew. Confirm how this applies to your situation with a licensed Arkansas attorney.