Adams County, CO Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Adams County's primary animal control authority is Ordinance No. 6 - 'For the Control of Unleashed or Unclaimed Animals' - which was substantively revised by Resolution 2022-043 to update definitions of 'control,' 'pet animal,' 'altered dog,' and 'barking dog,' and to allow neighbor-shot video as evidence in barking-dog cases. Colorado Revised Statutes 30-15-401(1)(j) authorizes counties to regulate dogs running at large, vicious dogs, and licensing in unincorporated areas. Under the Adams County code, dogs must be under physical restraint - typically a leash held by a competent person, or confined within a secure fence or enclosure - whenever they are off the owner's premises. A dog 'at large' is one that is not on the owner's property and not under physical or competent voice control. Dogs found at large can be impounded at Riverdale Animal Shelter, and owners must pay impound, board, and license fees to redeem the animal. All dogs 6 months and older living in unincorporated Adams County must be licensed (with proof of current rabies vaccination); licenses are issued through Riverdale Animal Shelter (720.523.PETS). Barking-dog violations are enforced separately: a dog must bark continuously for 20 minutes between 7 a.m.-9 p.m. or 10 minutes between 9:01 p.m.-6:59 a.m., with the first complaint generating a warning and subsequent violations requiring complaints from two different households to issue a summons. Cities within Adams County have their own animal control codes that apply within incorporated limits.