{"data":{"id":"us-md/md.-code-local-government-13-105","jurisdiction":"us-md","citation":"Md. Code, Local Government § 13–105","heading":"","body":"(a) Regardless of whether the dog bears the proper license tag required\nunder this subtitle, a person may kill a dog that the person sees in the act of:\n(1) pursuing, attacking, wounding, or killing poultry or livestock; or\n(2) attacking a human being.\n(b) A person who kills a dog under the circumstances described in\nsubsection (a) of this section is immune from any civil liability or criminal penalty for\nthe killing.\n(c) (1) (i) The governing body of a county, by local law or ordinance,\nmay provide for the compensation of a person whose poultry or livestock is destroyed\nor injured by a dog.\n(ii) A local law or ordinance enacted under this section may\nrequire the sheriff of the county, a county official, or other person to:\n1. appraise the damages sustained by the owner of the\npoultry or livestock that was destroyed or injured; and\n2. report the findings to the governing body of the\ncounty.\n(2) (i) If the owner of the dog cannot be determined, the governing\nbody may compensate the owner of the poultry or livestock that was destroyed or\ninjured, in accordance with the appraisal, from:\n1. the dog license fund established under subsection (d)\nof this section; or\n2. the county general fund.\n(ii) A sworn report of the appraiser is prima facie evidence of\nthe fairness of damages in each instance.\n(iii) If the governing body determines the amount of the\nappraisal to be unfair, the governing body may award compensation in an amount\nthat the governing body determines to be fair.\n(3) (i) If the owner of the dog is known, the governing body shall\ndirect the owner to euthanize the dog immediately.\n(ii) If the owner refuses or neglects to euthanize the dog after\nbeing directed to do so by the governing body:\n1. the owner is liable for damages to the same extent\nthat the owner would be liable in a case of negligence or malicious destruction of\nproperty; and\n2. the governing body may direct special officers to\neuthanize the dog.\n(4) If the governing body does not adopt a local law or ordinance\nunder this subsection, the county is not required to compensate a person for poultry\nor livestock destroyed or injured by a dog.\n(d) (1) (i) The tax collector shall credit dog license fees to:\n1. a separate fund; or\n2. the county general fund.\n(ii) The dog license fees may be used:\n1. to pay damages for the injury and killing of poultry\nor other livestock in the county, in accordance with procedures set forth in a local law\nor ordinance adopted under subsection (c) of this section; and\n2. as otherwise provided in this subtitle.\n(2) (i) If the governing body enacts a local law or ordinance under\nsubsection (c) of this section, claims shall be paid in the order in which the claims are\nfiled and proved.\n(ii) A person whose claim is not paid in a particular year due\nto lack of money available to satisfy the claim shall be paid out of the first money that\nsubsequently becomes available.\n(iii) A claim that is filed and proved, but remains unpaid, shall\nhave preference over any subsequent claim.\n(3) The governing body may spend any funds in excess of $1,000\nremaining in a dog license fund after the payment of claims for any public purpose\ndetermined by the governing body to be appropriate.","path":["Article - Local Government"],"source_url":"https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=glg\u0026section=13-105","current_through":"2026-01-01","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T19:59:58Z","sha256":"c0fdcc39578a2dae2e2a40b559b97001ae99d6c01f7134c9c6f45b45aab964a7","source_id":"us-md","stale":false,"prev":"us-md/md.-code-local-government-13-104","next":"us-md/md.-code-local-government-13-106"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}