In short: none of the three Guatemalan texts we reviewed has an article written for dog bites, but all three cover the situation. The Civil Code (Art. 1669) makes the owner, possessor or carer liable for damage the animal causes, even if it escaped through no fault of theirs, unless a third party provoked or took it, or the injured person was at fault. The Animal Welfare Law (Decreto 5-2017) classes letting dogs roam loose on public roads without supervision as a serious infraction fined four monthly minimum wages (Arts. 60 and 66), tripled for repeat offences (Art. 67). And the Código Penal (Art. 494) punishes an owner who leaves fierce animals that can cause harm loose, or in a position to cause harm, with 10 to 60 days’ arrest. Complaints go to the PNC, MAGA’s Animal Welfare Unit or the municipality (Art. 48). This is general information, not legal advice.
This page answers what Guatemalan law says when a dog bites someone: who answers for the damage, which fines and sanctions exist, and where a complaint is filed. It does not cover medical treatment of a bite; see the end of the page for that. Article text is quoted in the original Spanish, with an English gloss outside the quotation marks.
Three regimes, side by side
| Regime | Rule | What it covers | Consequence in the text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil (paying for the damage) | Civil Code, Art. 1669 | Damage caused by an animal | The owner, possessor or carer is liable, even if the animal escaped or got lost through no fault of theirs |
| Administrative (fine) | Decreto 5-2017, Arts. 60(a) and 66(a) | Dogs loose on public roads without supervision | Serious infraction: fine equal to four monthly minimum wages |
| Administrative (fine) | Decreto 5-2017, Arts. 62(b) and 66(c) | Provoking aggressive behaviour through human stimulus | Very serious infraction: fine of twelve monthly minimum wages |
| Administrative (repeat offence) | Decreto 5-2017, Art. 67(b) | A repeat breach of any provision of the law | The sanction is tripled |
| Criminal (misdemeanour) | Código Penal, Art. 494, numeral 2 | Owner of fierce animals that can cause harm who leaves them loose or in a position to cause harm | Ten to sixty days’ arrest |
The three are not mutually exclusive. Art. 68 of the Animal Welfare Law puts it this way: “En cuanto a las responsabilidades civiles y penales se estará a lo dispuesto en la ley correspondiente.” In English: civil and criminal liability follow the corresponding law.
Who pays for the damage: the Civil Code
Art. 1669 of the Civil Code, headed Dueños de animales (animal owners), is the core rule. The first sentence in full: “El dueño o poseedor de un animal, o el que lo tenga a su cuidado, es responsable por los daños o perjuicios que cause, aun en el caso de que se le hubiere escapado o extraviado sin su culpa.” In English: the owner or possessor of an animal, or whoever has it in their care, is liable for the damage or losses it causes, even if it escaped or got lost through no fault of theirs.
Three things follow from the text:
- Not only the owner. The possessor and whoever has the animal in their care are liable too.
- Escape is no defence. The article says liability applies “aun en el caso de que se le hubiere escapado o extraviado sin su culpa” — even if it escaped or got lost without their fault.
- Two exceptions. Liability falls on someone else, not the owner, if a third party provoked or took the animal, or if the injured person was at fault.
The Civil Code sets no amounts: the size of the damages is argued case by case.
The administrative fine: the Animal Welfare Law
The Ley de Protección y Bienestar Animal (Decreto 5-2017) does not mention bites, but it puts duties on owners that bear on them. Art. 13 requires every person responsible, owner or carer to keep animals in conditions of health and safety that “eviten los riesgos para la salud y la seguridad de las personas” (avoid risks to people’s health and safety), and requires the owner to “evitar las causas que originen un comportamiento peligroso” (avoid the causes of dangerous behaviour) in a companion animal.
The fines sit in the law’s sanctions title:
- Serious infraction, Art. 60(a): “Permitir el desplazamiento de perros sueltos en la vía pública sin la supervisión del responsable, propietario o cuidador” — letting dogs move loose on public roads without supervision. Sanction under Art. 66(a): a fine equal to four monthly minimum wages.
- Very serious infraction, Art. 62(b): “Provocación de conductas agresivas por estímulo humano” — provoking aggressive behaviour through human stimulus. Sanction under Art. 66(c): a fine of twelve monthly minimum wages.
- Repeat offences, Art. 67(b): “En el caso de haber reincidencia en la violación a las disposiciones de la presente Ley, la sanción será triplicada a la sanción impuesta.” In English: for a repeat breach, the sanction imposed is tripled.
What a minimum wage means in this law. Art. 63 defines it: “corresponde al monto equivalente al menor salario que contiene el Decreto vigente de salarios mínimos.” In English: the amount equal to the lowest wage in the minimum-wage decree in force. The text does not say whether it includes the bonificación incentivo, and this page does not convert the fine into quetzales. The 2026 amounts by activity and region are on our Guatemala minimum wage page.
Who collects. Art. 64 reads: “La Unidad de Bienestar Animal será la responsable de imponer y cobrar las sanciones” — the Animal Welfare Unit imposes and collects the fines. Art. 4 tasks MAGA, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food, with creating that unit.
The criminal misdemeanour: the Código Penal
The Código Penal has no dog-bite offence. What it has, among its misdemeanours (faltas), is Art. 494, which punishes with ten to sixty days’ arrest, in numeral 2: “El dueño de animales feroces que puedan ocasionar daño y que los dejaren sueltos o en situación de causar perjuicio.” In English: the owner of fierce animals that can cause harm who leaves them loose or in a position to cause harm.
The article sets two conditions: the animals are fierce and capable of causing harm, and the owner leaves them loose or in a position to cause harm. The Código Penal does not define when an animal is feroz (fierce).
Where a complaint is filed
Art. 48 of the Animal Welfare Law spells it out: “La denuncia debe ser interpuesta ya sea en la Policía Nacional Civil, la Unidad de Bienestar Animal y/o la Municipalidad que corresponda.” In English: the complaint is filed with the National Civil Police, the Animal Welfare Unit and/or the relevant municipality.
For the criminal route (the Art. 494 misdemeanour or any other Código Penal matter), our guide to filing a criminal complaint with the Ministerio Público covers the channels. MAGA’s contact channels are on our MAGA hub.
What this page does not cover
- Medical care and rabies. This page gives no medical guidance. Rabies is covered, with its sources, on our vaccines for Guatemala page; after a bite, the clinical decision belongs to a health service.
- Compensation amounts. The Civil Code sets no figure for a bite.
- Municipal pet regulations. We did not review them for this page.
Sources
- Ley de Protección y Bienestar Animal, Decreto 5-2017 of the Congreso de la República, Arts. 4, 13, 48, 60, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67 and 68. Text published by the Organismo Judicial, ww2.oj.gob.gt, retrieved 2026-09-30. This is the decree as published; we did not review later amendments.
- Código Civil, Decreto-Ley 106, Art. 1669. Organization of American States copy, oas.org, retrieved 2026-09-30.
- Código Penal, Decreto 17-73, Art. 494. Reform-annotated consolidated copy published by Berger Pemueller, bergerpemueller.com, retrieved 2026-09-30; Art. 494 carries no reform note in that copy.
General information current to 2026-09-30, reporting the text of the instruments cited. Not legal advice. For a specific case, consult a Guatemalan lawyer (abogado colegiado). En español: Mordedura de perro en Guatemala: qué dice la ley.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fine for a dog bite in Guatemala?
We searched for the Spanish words for bite (mordedura, morder, mordida) in the Ley de Protección y Bienestar Animal (Decreto 5-2017), the Código Penal and the Civil Code article on animal owners: they do not appear. The closest fine in the Animal Welfare Law is in Art. 60(a), which classes as a serious infraction ‘Permitir el desplazamiento de perros sueltos en la vía pública sin la supervisión del responsable, propietario o cuidador’ — letting dogs move loose on public roads without the supervision of the person responsible, owner or carer. Art. 66 fines serious infractions four monthly minimum wages, and Art. 67 triples the sanction for repeat offences.
Does the dog's owner have to pay for the damage from a bite?
Art. 1669 of the Civil Code reads: ‘El dueño o poseedor de un animal, o el que lo tenga a su cuidado, es responsable por los daños o perjuicios que cause, aun en el caso de que se le hubiere escapado o extraviado sin su culpa.’ — the owner or possessor of an animal, or whoever has it in their care, is liable for the damage it causes, even if it escaped or got lost through no fault of theirs. The same article shifts liability to someone else in two cases: if a third party provoked or took the animal, or if the injured person was at fault.
Is a dog bite a crime in Guatemala?
The Código Penal has no dog-bite offence. It has a misdemeanour (falta) in Art. 494, numeral 2, punished with ten to sixty days’ arrest: ‘El dueño de animales feroces que puedan ocasionar daño y que los dejaren sueltos o en situación de causar perjuicio.’ — the owner of fierce animals that can cause harm who leaves them loose or in a position to cause harm. Art. 68 of the Animal Welfare Law leaves civil and criminal liability to the corresponding law.
Where do I report a dog that bites, or an owner who lets it roam loose?
Art. 48 of the Animal Welfare Law reads: ‘La denuncia debe ser interpuesta ya sea en la Policía Nacional Civil, la Unidad de Bienestar Animal y/o la Municipalidad que corresponda.’ — complaints go to the National Civil Police (PNC), the Animal Welfare Unit, and/or the relevant municipality. Under Art. 64, the Animal Welfare Unit imposes and collects that law’s fines, and Art. 4 tasks the Ministry of Agriculture (MAGA) with creating the unit.
How much is a minimum wage for calculating the fine?
Art. 63 of the law defines it: ‘corresponde al monto equivalente al menor salario que contiene el Decreto vigente de salarios mínimos.’ — the amount equal to the lowest wage in the current minimum-wage decree. The law does not say whether that figure includes the bonificación incentivo. Our minimum-wage page carries the 2026 amounts by activity and region; this page does not convert the fine into quetzales.
Is there a fine for provoking a dog to attack?
Yes, under the Animal Welfare Law. Art. 62(b) classes as a very serious infraction the ‘Provocación de conductas agresivas por estímulo humano’ — provoking aggressive behaviour through human stimulus — and Art. 66 fines very serious infractions twelve monthly minimum wages. On the civil side, Art. 1669 of the Civil Code shifts liability for the damage to the third party who provoked the animal.
