Colorado Springs, CO Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 6.7.107
- Restraint methods accepted
- Confinement, collar and leash, or bridle
- Loose-animal status
- Declared a nuisance; may be impounded
- Exemptions
- Police animals and feral TNR cats
- Penalty
- Up to $2,500 fine, 189 days jail (§1.1.201)
- Impound location
- City Animal Shelter under § 6.7.105
Summary
City Code § 6.7.107 requires every dog or hoofed-animal owner or keeper to restrain the animal by confinement, collar and leash, or bridle to stop it running at large in any park or public place in Colorado Springs. An unrestrained animal is declared a nuisance and can be impounded, and letting a dog trespass or run loose is a separate offense.
It shall be the duty of any owner or keeper of any dog or hoofed animal to restrain the dog or hoofed animal by means of confinement, collar and leash, or bridle from running at large upon any park or other public place in the City, and to prevent the dog or hoofed animal from becoming a danger to persons or property, or from trespassing upon the property of another. The animal is hereby declared a nuisance and may be taken up and impounded or confined, as provided in article 10 of this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 26-23, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
107, in the Animals article of Chapter 6, applies citywide, not just in parks, to every dog or hoofed animal kept in Colorado Springs. Subsection A requires the owner or keeper to restrain the animal 'by means of confinement, collar and leash, or bridle' to stop it running at large on any park or other public place, and to keep it from becoming a danger to people or property or from trespassing on someone else's land; an animal that violates this duty 'is hereby declared a nuisance and may be taken up and impounded or confined' under Article 10 of the chapter.
Subsection A1 separately makes it unlawful for an owner to let any dog, cat, or hoofed animal trespass on another's property or run at large, and Subsection A2 bars letting the animal fight or attack another domestic animal while trespassing, at large, or even while restrained. Subsection C exempts police and other law-enforcement animals, and Subsection D exempts feral cats being returned to or managed within a nonprofit trap-neuter-release colony. Subsection E lets the Mayor ban or restrict cats, dogs, and other animals from any special event or gathering on city property or rights-of-way, though that authority cannot reach licensed assistance dogs. 104. 105.
Violations & Fines
Failing to restrain a dog or hoofed animal is a municipal misdemeanor under Section 6.7.101, punished per the Chapter 1 general penalty of up to $2,500 and 189 days in jail unless the Presiding Judge has set a lower scheduled fine under Section 11.4.104. An animal caught running at large is impounded at the City Animal Shelter, and the court may weigh mitigating circumstances under Section 6.7.107B before sentencing the owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to leash my dog everywhere in Colorado Springs?
What happens if my dog gets loose and is picked up?
Are police dogs or service animals exempt from the leash rule?
What's the fine for violating the leash law?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Colorado Springs
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