Los Angeles County Animal Care & Control (DACC)

DACC is the largest animal control agency in the country. It handles animal control — including dog bite response and rabies quarantine — for the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and dozens of cities that contract with the County instead of running their own program.

Separately, every animal bite in Los Angeles County is supposed to be reported to the County's Veterinary Public Health program, which tracks rabies exposure countywide. That means there are often two records of your bite: the DACC field report and the public health bite report.

How dog bite reports work here

When a bite is reported — by you, a doctor, an ER, or a neighbor — DACC opens a case, sends an officer to investigate, and identifies the dog and its owner. The report typically includes the owner's information, the dog's description and rabies vaccination status, witness statements, and what the officer observed. California law requires doctors who treat bites to report them, so if you went to an ER or urgent care, a report probably exists even if you never called anyone.

The quarantine process

California requires a dog that bites a person to be quarantined and observed for 10 days, usually counted from the date of the bite. DACC decides whether the dog is confined at the owner's home or at a county animal care center. At the end of the quarantine, the agency documents whether the dog stayed healthy — which is what tells you whether rabies treatment is a concern.

How to request your records

Bite reports and quarantine records are public records you can request — as the bite victim you have a strong basis to get them, though some information may be redacted. Requests go through the County's public records process, and the Veterinary Public Health report can be requested separately. If the dog has bitten before, DACC's records on prior investigations or a potentially-dangerous-dog designation are requestable too. Our tool walks you through exactly what to ask for.

Service areas change as cities update their animal control contracts — we confirm the right agency for your specific bite as part of helping you. This site provides general information about California processes. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.