How Much Does a Dog Bite Quarantine Cost? $25 to $66 at Home, $100 to $166 at the Shelter for 10 Days

Nothing below is a national rate. Each figure comes from one agency's own page, and observation periods, eligibility and prices change from county to county, so treat them as examples and ask your own animal control office what applies to you.

Home quarantine versus shelter quarantine

Most agencies offer the same three options: the dog is observed at the owner's home if the officer approves it, at a veterinary clinic at the owner's cost, or at the public shelter. Home approval usually depends on current rabies vaccination, secure containment and no history of running at large. Shelter quarantine is typically required when the dog is unvaccinated or the bite is judged a safety risk, and it is always the most expensive option because boarding is billed by the day on top of an intake fee.

Turlock, California: $25 at home, $35 plus $9 a day at the shelter

Turlock's animal services page lists $25 to quarantine a pet at home, plus $20 for a microchip. Shelter quarantine is required for all face bites and for any animal without a current rabies vaccination, and it costs $35 plus $9 a day for feed and care. Over ten days that is $35 + (10 x $9) = $125 (my arithmetic). The page also lists extras that can be added before release: a license if the dog does not have one, at $100 unaltered or $10 spayed or neutered, and an $18 deposit for a rabies vaccination.

Lathrop, California: $60 either way, plus $10 a day at the shelter

Lathrop describes the 10-day quarantine as state law and lists a $60 fee for home-approved quarantine. At the shelter the fee is also $60, with an additional boarding charge of $10 a day. A full ten days there comes to $60 + $100 = $160 (my arithmetic). Failing to follow the quarantine rules can bring a misdemeanor citation, which is a larger cost than either fee.

Washoe County, Nevada: $66 for the home sign-off, $16 plus $15 a day at the shelter

Washoe County Regional Animal Services charges quarantine fees when an animal has bitten a person and broken the skin. Its fee schedule lists a $66 home quarantine sign-off, which covers field staff time and the release. A shelter quarantine carries a $16 fee for intake and release, and daily care is billed separately at $15 a day for a dog, cat or ferret. Ten days adds up to $16 + $150 = $166 (my arithmetic). The county notes that quarantine fees do not apply to an animal that completes an approved home quarantine and is brought in by the owner for the final sign-off.

Harris County, Texas: $35 plus $12 a day, with impound fees on top

Harris County Pets lists a $35 quarantine impoundment fee and a $12 daily quarantine board, with the note that the impoundment fees are not included. Its first impoundment fee is $30 for a pet with proof of spay or neuter and $40 for all others. Boarding is billed the same for a full or partial day. A dog that is impounded for the quarantine and housed ten days would therefore see $35 + $120 = $155 before any impoundment fee, which pushes the total to $185 or $195 (my arithmetic).

Sturgis, South Dakota: a flat $100 for the hold

Sturgis is the simplest bill here. Animals impounded for a bite go on a 10-day hold, kept isolated and observed for rabies, and the city lists the cost at $100, which is $10 a day. At the end of the hold a vet examines the dog and gives a rabies vaccination if it is not current, and the owner must pay all vet costs before the dog is released.

What moves the bill

• Where the dog stays: home approval runs $25 to $66 in the three agencies that list it, while a shelter stay totals $100 to $166 for ten days before extras.
• Vaccination status: an unvaccinated dog usually cannot stay home, and a shelter may add a vaccine fee or deposit.
• Per-day versus flat pricing: $9 to $15 a day is common, and a hold that runs longer than ten days costs more.
• Licensing and impound fees: Turlock adds a license if the dog has none, and Harris County adds an impoundment fee on top of the quarantine fee.
• Vet exam at release: Sturgis makes the owner cover the vet exam and vaccine before release.

The costs around a bite

The quarantine fee is just one line of the bill. A current rabies vaccine is what keeps the dog eligible for home quarantine, and low-cost rabies clinics are the cheapest way to fix a lapse. A valid license can matter too, as in Turlock, so see what a dog license costs by county. A chip speeds up identification, and what it costs to microchip a pet breaks down the implant and registry fees. If the bite leads to a claim, homeowners and renters coverage for dog bites explains where liability limits sit, and the quarantine fee itself is typically the owner's own expense.

What to ask when the bite notice arrives

• Is home observation allowed for my dog, and what does the approval cost?
• If the shelter is required, what are the intake fee and the daily rate?
• Is the final exam included, or billed on its own?
• Which license, chip or rabies shot has to be current before pickup?
• Who signs the dog off at the end of the observation period?

This guide is about costs only, not veterinary advice or legal advice. Figures were taken from the published pages of the City of Turlock (CA), City of Lathrop (CA), Washoe County (NV), Harris County Pets (TX) and the City of Sturgis (SD), and can change at any time, so confirm current fees with your local office before paying.