A single dog bite — even a minor one — can get your dog legally labeled ‘dangerous,’ forcing you to muzzle it, buy liability insurance, or even give it up.

Here’s something a lot of dog owners don’t find out until it’s too late: one bite can be enough. Depending on where you live, your municipality can officially classify your dog as ‘dangerous’ after a single incident — even if the bite was minor and even if you didn’t think it was a big deal at the time.

What happens after that classification is serious. According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, you might be required to muzzle your dog in public, or even put a ‘vicious dog’ sign on your front door. New York State law lays out a longer list of possible orders a judge can make — things like behavioral evaluations (paid for by the owner), keeping the dog on a leash whenever it’s in public, or requiring the owner to carry up to $100,000 in liability insurance. Maine has similar rules, also including a minimum $100,000 insurance requirement.

Where it gets complicated is that laws vary a lot by state — and even by city. The Insurance Information Institute notes that 29 states hold dog owners automatically liable for injuries their pets cause (with some exceptions, such as if the dog was provoked), while 17 states plus Washington D.C. handle it differently, treating attacks more like a criminal matter with fines or misdemeanor charges. So the exact rules for your situation depend entirely on your location.

There are some defenses. The Animal Legal Defense Fund points out that provocation matters — if the person who got bitten was provoking your dog, that can affect how the law treats you. But provocation rules also vary by state, you’ll need to actually raise that argument, and the process differs by jurisdiction.

The single most important thing to take away: if your dog bites someone — anyone, for any reason — find out your local laws immediately. Don’t assume it’ll blow over. The clock may already be ticking on decisions that could affect your dog’s life and your finances.