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

By the FigureMyTax Editorial Team · How we calculate

Wisconsin's strict liability reaches owners, keepers and harborers, not landlords as such.

Who the statute reaches

Wis. Stat. 174.02 makes liable the owner, and the owner is defined to include anyone who keeps or harbors a dog.

The landlord rule

A statutory annotation states that a landlord does not become a harborer of a tenant's dog by merely permitting the tenant to keep the dog. A firm summary adds that a lease clause prohibiting dangerous dogs does not make the landlord a keeper.

The exception: a harborer

In Pawlowski v. American Family (2009), an annotation reports, a homeowner's status as a harborer was not extinguished when the dog's legal owner took momentary control of the dog. A person who actually keeps or harbors the dog can be liable.

Other theories

We did not locate a Wisconsin decision on a landlord's separate negligence liability, so treat that as a question for an attorney.

Deadline

Three years, under Wis. Stat. 893.54.

This is general information, not legal advice, and the state comparisons above are illustrative, not an exhaustive survey. Confirm how Wisconsin's rules apply to your specific case with a licensed Wisconsin attorney.