How Lakewood Handles Animal Ordinances: A Practical Guide

Lakewood maintains 126 local ordinances across all categories, and 10 of those deal specifically with animal ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Lakewood falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Wildlife Feeding

Lakewood makes it unlawful to knowingly place or provide food for wildlife such as deer, coyotes, foxes, mountain lions, skunks, raccoons, elk and non-domesticated waterfowl anywhere in the city, under Municipal Code § 6.05.050. Squirrels and birds are excluded. Violators face Title 6's penalty schedule, and repeat offenders risk a habitual animal offender charge.

Key details: Governing law: Lakewood Municipal Code § 6.05.050. Banned species: deer, coyotes, foxes, skunks, raccoons, elk, waterfowl. Exempt: squirrels and birds. Maximum penalty: $2,650.00 fine or 365 days jail, or both. Enforcing agency: Police Department Animal Control Section.

A citation for feeding wildlife is prosecuted in Lakewood Municipal Court under the Title 6 fine schedule, Section 6.08.020(A): a fine of up to $2,650.00, up to 365 days in jail, or both, plus possible court-ordered restitution. Unlike rabies or impoundment violations, Section 6.05.050 carries no separate mandatory minimum. A third Title 6 citation within 12 months can also trigger a Section 6.08.025 habitual animal offender charge.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Lakewood actively enforces its wildlife feeding requirements.

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Lakewood zones veterinary and other animal care facilities as a limited or special use, requiring animals to be confined indoors and exterior pens set back at least 20 feet from side and rear lines.

Key details: Zoning status: limited or special use. Animals: confined indoors. Exterior pen setback: 20 ft, side/rear. Wall openings: banned facing adjacent homes.

An animal care use with outdoor overnight kennels, exterior pens closer than 20 feet to a side or rear line, or windows facing an adjacent home violates the standard and can lose its use approval.

Dog Leash Laws

Lakewood makes it unlawful for a dog owner, or the owner of most other animals, to let the animal run at large in the city. Cats are specifically excepted. A dog picked up loose three times in 12 months is deemed a habitual offender and can be cited.

Key details: Governing section: LMC § 6.03.010(A)-(D). Covers: Dogs and other animals, EXCEPT cats. Habitual offender: 3+ at-large incidents in 12 months. Minimum impoundment hold: 5 days. Mandatory impound trigger: 3rd at-large finding in 3 years.

A first at-large citation subjects the owner to court-ordered boarding and impoundment fees plus any medical expenses (§ 6.03.010(C)), and the court can order confinement upgrades inspected by Animal Control (§ 6.03.010(D)). A third at-large incident within three years triggers mandatory impoundment until the court is satisfied with the owner's confinement measures (§ 6.03.030(B)). Failing to notify Animal Control after trapping a loose animal causing property damage is itself a separate violation under § 6.03.080.

Beekeeping

Lakewood's Zoning Ordinance allows one beehive per 6,000 square feet with a City permit, side- or rear-yard placement in residential zones, and mandatory flyway barriers and setbacks.

Key details: Hive density: 1 beehive per 6,000 sq ft lot. Permit: City apiary permit required. Setback: 25 ft from nearest public walk. Flyway barrier: 6 ft tall, screens hive entrance. Placement (R zones): Side or rear yard only.

Keeping bees without a City apiary permit, exceeding one hive per 6,000 square feet, or skipping the required flyway barrier and setbacks can draw code enforcement action.

Bird Protection

Lakewood, Colorado bans willfully shooting, capturing, harassing, injuring, or killing any wild bird, and bans disturbing a wild bird's nest, eggs, or young, anywhere in the city under Municipal Code § 9.36.010.

Key details: Covers: All native wild birds. Also protects: Nests, eggs, young. Exempt: Police, fire, wildlife agencies. Adopted: Ord. O-74-1, 1974.

Willfully harassing, injuring, killing, or capturing a wild bird, or disturbing its nest or eggs, within Lakewood is a municipal offense subject to the general penalty: up to $2,650 fine and/or up to 365 days imprisonment (Lakewood Municipal Code § 1.16.020(A)).

Compared to other cities, Lakewood takes a harder line on bird protection. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Pet Limits

Lakewood caps household pets at five total per residence, with no more than three of the same species. Service animals don't count toward the limit, and up to three female dwarf goats can be kept per residence with a permit.

Key details: Governing section: LMC § 6.05.015(A)-(B). Max total pets: 5 per residence. Max same species: 3. Service animals: Excluded from the count. Dwarf goats: Up to 3 female, permit required, counted in the 5-pet cap.

Keeping more than five total household pets, or more than three of the same species, at one residence is unlawful under § 6.05.015(A). Keeping unpermitted dwarf goats, or more than three female dwarf goats, or exceeding the combined five-pet cap once goats are counted, is unlawful under § 6.05.015(B). Animal Control Officers can pursue a Title 6 violation through Municipal Court proceedings against the owner under § 6.03.040.

Exotic Pets

Lakewood bans keeping, selling, or harboring wild and exotic animals, big cats, bears, wolves, and venomous reptiles, anywhere in the city, with a narrow exception for licensed wildlife rehabilitators.

Key details: Banned: big cats, bears, wolves. Banned: venomous reptiles, primates. Exception: licensed wildlife rehabilitators. Max fine: $2,650. Jurisdiction: City of Lakewood, Jefferson County, CO.

Violating Section 6.05.010 is punishable under Section 6.07.010's Title 6 general penalty in Section 1.16.020(A): a fine up to $2,650, up to 365 days in jail, or both.

This is one of the stricter rules in Lakewood's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Cat Rules

Lakewood does not license cats or require them to be leashed, but it does require every cat over four months old to be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian and to carry a current, non-transferable rabies tag.

Key details: Governing section: LMC § 6.04.010(A). Vaccination deadline: By 4 months old, or 30 days after acquisition. Cat licensing: Not required (dogs only, § 6.04.015). At-large/leash law: Cats excepted, § 6.03.010(A). Rabies tag: Non-transferable, § 6.04.010(C).

Harboring a cat over four months old without current rabies vaccination is unlawful under § 6.04.010(A). Displaying a mismatched or transferred rabies tag is a separate unlawful act under § 6.04.010(C). Destroying, releasing, or letting a biting or rabies-exposed cat wander off before its Animal Control-ordered confinement period ends is independently unlawful under § 6.04.020(B) and (D), and refusing to produce a biting cat on an officer's demand can result in immediate arrest with each day of noncompliance a separate violation under § 6.04.030.

Lakewood is more permissive than most cities when it comes to cat rules. That said, there are still limits.

Microchipping

Lakewood does not require microchips for pets generally, but a court that convicts an owner of possessing a dangerous animal must order that the animal be microchipped, at the owner's expense, and registered with Police Department Animal Control before it can be possessed again.

Key details: Governing section: LMC § 6.05.030(A)(2). Applies to: Court-declared "dangerous" animals only. Who pays: Owner, at owner's expense. Registered with: Police Department Animal Control Section. Similar rule for aggressive animals: LMC § 6.05.034(A)(1).

Failing to comply with any § 6.05.030(A) condition, including the microchip mandate, is unlawful and subjects the owner to prosecution for unlawful possession of a dangerous animal under § 6.05.030(C). For a second or subsequent violation involving the same animal that results in serious bodily injury or death, or the first violation causing serious injury or death, the court may order the animal humanely destroyed by lethal injection once appeal rights are exhausted, under § 6.05.031.

Compared to other cities, Lakewood takes a harder line on microchipping. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Chickens & Livestock

Lakewood permits up to six hens or six ducks, or five ducks and a drake, per property with a City permit, bans roosters, and caps enclosures at 32 square feet and 10 feet tall.

Key details: Permit: required from the City. Limit: 6 hens or 6 ducks. Roosters: prohibited. Enclosure max: 32 sq ft, 10 ft tall. Yard fence: min. 4 ft, no front yard.

Keeping more than six hens or ducks, keeping a rooster, or housing birds in an enclosure over 32 square feet or 10 feet tall violates the standard and the Director can revoke the permit.

The Bottom Line

Lakewood is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 10 rules covered here, 4 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Lakewood, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

Keep in mind that Lakewood can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.