A true one-bite state since 1897
Kansas has no statewide dog bite statute — it's a common-law "one-bite" jurisdiction, a rule Kansas adopted in 1897. To recover under the scienter theory, a victim must prove the dog had a dangerous propensity to bite people and that the owner knew it or should have known it before the incident. A prior bite is often the clearest evidence of that knowledge, but it isn't strictly required.
Thirty-two states and DC have rejected the one-bite rule wholly or partially in favor of statutory strict liability. Kansas's legislature hasn't followed, so the rule remains fully in force here. A victim who can't establish scienter can still pursue an ordinary negligence claim — showing the owner failed to use reasonable care to control the dog — without needing to prove prior knowledge. On fault, Kansas bars recovery once your fault reaches 50% under K.S.A. 60-258a, the same sharp threshold that applies to all Kansas personal injury claims.