State guide
Kansas
Kansas commonly uses city or county animal control based on where you live, and local health departments investigate animal bites and rabies exposures. State wildlife rehabilitation and nuisance-wildlife rules are managed separately through Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and KDHE.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
Try a ZIP like 30303, “Travis County” or “Columbus, OH”
- Who handles animal control locally
- Usually city animal control inside municipalities and county animal control or sheriff-linked services in unincorporated areas, with local health departments leading bite and rabies investigations.
- State wildlife agency (nuisance and injured wildlife)
- Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
- Reporting an animal bite
- Animal bites or exposures are investigated by the local health department, and KDHE guidance says a bite in the past ten days must be reported to the local health officer.
- State rabies contact
- Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Response (IDER) / Epidemiology Hotline
Official resources in Kansas
KDHE Rabies
State rabies page with hotline, regulations, and human and animal management guidance.
Sedgwick County Animal Control Services by City
Example county page showing Kansas jurisdiction can depend on city versus county boundaries.
Johnson County Rabies Exposures and Animal Bites
County health page showing coordination between local animal control officers, CSOs, and public health.
Key facts for Kansas
- KDHE says the Epidemiology Hotline is available 24 hours a day for rabies questions and exposure consultation at 877-427-7317.
- KDHE's rabies investigation guideline says prompt investigation is required by the local health department for any report of an animal bite or exposure.
- KDHE's guideline says if an animal has bitten someone in the past ten days, the bite must be reported to the local health officer.
- KDWP's rehabilitation page includes the current Kansas rehabilitator list for injured or orphaned wildlife.
- Sedgwick County's official pages separate Wichita Animal Control from Sedgwick County Animal Control, showing jurisdiction depends on location.
- Johnson County Health says it works with local animal control officers and community service officers to limit human rabies exposures.
Local animal control offices in Kansas
| Office | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita Animal Services Sedgwick | Wichita | 316-350-3360 | City animal control and shelter services for Wichita; FAQ says Wichita residents should call this number for stray animals and animal bites are investigated by Wichita Police personnel. |
| Sedgwick County Animal Control Sedgwick | Wichita | (316) 660-7070 | County animal control for unincorporated areas and participating cities. |
| Kansas City, Kansas Animal Services Wyandotte | Kansas City | Not published* | Handles emergencies during business hours; shelter information page directs general complaints to its official animal-services site. |
| Johnson County Department of Health and Environment - Rabies Exposures and Animal Bites Johnson | Not published* | Not published* | County health page lists city and organizational animal-control contacts used for bite and rabies response across Johnson County. |
| Johnson County Sheriff's Office Patrol Johnson | Not published* | Not published* | Sheriff patrol page states the division includes an Animal Control Officer. |
| City of Lawrence Animal Control Douglas | Lawrence | Not published* | City animal control for loose or captured animals; after-hours injured-animal situations go to the Humane Society. |
| Douglas County animal control code / Lawrence service area Douglas | Lawrence | 785-843-0250 | County code contains animal-control chapter; county emergency communications page provides the 24-hour non-emergency number. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- If there is a possible rabies exposure, call your local health department or KDHE's Epidemiology Hotline right away rather than waiting for symptoms.
- Check whether you are inside a city or in unincorporated county territory before calling animal control; Kansas service boundaries often change by municipality.
- For wild injured animals, contact a KDWP-permitted rehabilitator and avoid taking wildlife home yourself.
Not seeing your office or county?
Not every office publishes its rules online. Try these, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from Kansas's population center, for comparison only):
- Kansas City Animal Services, Missouri · about 111 miles
- Jackson County Animal Control, Missouri · about 119 miles
- Lincoln Animal Control, Nebraska · about 162 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.KDHE Rabies
Website →Phone: (877) 427-7317 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Kansas page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.