Douglas County has no ordinance using the word "hoarding," but pet-number limits and sanitation rules act as a backstop. Keeping more than four dogs without a kennel, or letting waste accumulate in unsanitary conditions, is a Class 2 petty offense; serious neglect is state animal cruelty.
Rather than a hoarding statute, Douglas County relies on several rules in Resolution R-998-100. Section 1.05(4) bars keeping more than four dogs of four months or older without an approved kennel. Section 1.05(3) prohibits doghouses, pens, yards, or enclosures where urine or feces accumulate and conditions are not clean, sanitary, and free of offensive odors, insects, and rodents. Section 1.05(5) requires adequate food, water, and shelter for every pet animal. Zoning Section 2402 caps household pets at 4 (or 8 on A-1/LRR). Severe cases of neglect or overcrowding are prosecuted under Colorado's animal-cruelty law, C.R.S. §18-9-202, which can rise to a felony.
Unsanitary conditions, exceeding the dog/pet limits, or failing to provide care are Class 2 petty offenses (fine up to $300 each). Serious or repeated neglect is charged as animal cruelty under C.R.S. §18-9-202.
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See how Douglas County's animal hoarding rules stack up against other locations.
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