Animal Ordinances in Longmont, CO: What Residents Actually Need to Know

If you live in Longmont or are thinking about moving there, animal ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Longmont has 9 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of animal ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Bird Protection

Longmont designates its entire city limits a bird sanctuary and makes it unlawful to trap, hunt, shoot or molest any bird or wild fowl, or to rob nests, with a narrow police-supervised exception for nuisance starling flocks.

Key details: City-wide status: Entire city is a bird sanctuary. Prohibited: Trap, hunt, shoot, or molest birds. Also prohibited: Robbing bird/wild fowl nests. Narrow exception: Nuisance starlings, police-supervised.

Violating §§ 7.04.220/.230 falls under chapter 7.04's general penalty at § 7.04.240: a strict-liability offense punishable by up to a $500 fine, 90 days imprisonment, or both under the Chapter 1.12 general penalty.

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

Cat Rules

Longmont requires every cat over six months old to carry a city license, renewed annually by February 1st, and every cat over four months old to be current on rabies vaccination. Longmont Municipal Code § 7.04.020(A) sets the license duty; § 7.04.040(A) sets the vaccination duty, both enforced by the police department's animal control officers.

Key details: License required at: 6 months old. Rabies vaccine required at: 4 months old. License expires: December 31 annually. Renewal deadline: February 1. Importation grace period: 30 days.

A violation of the licensing or rabies-vaccination duty is a strict-liability offense under § 7.04.240(A), punishable according to chapter 1.12, meaning up to a $500.00 fine and up to 90 days in jail under the Code's default penalty, § 1.12.010, since chapter 7.04 sets no separate fine for these two sections. An impounded, unlicensed cat cannot be redeemed under § 7.04.080 until the owner pays impoundment fees and pays for a current license.

Beekeeping

Longmont caps backyard beekeeping at four hives per property: keeping more than four "stands" of bees at one place is a declared public nuisance under Longmont Municipal Code § 9.04.020, subject to the city's nuisance-abatement notice and correction process rather than a stand-alone citation.

Key details: Hive limit: 4 stands per property. Enforcement track: nuisance notice & abatement. Correction period: at least 14 days. Abatement surcharge: cost + 20% admin fee. Default fine: up to $500, 90 days.

Ignoring the correction order is itself a separate violation: § 9.04.150.D makes it an offense, "punishable according to chapter 1.12," for an owner or occupant to neglect or refuse to abate a declared nuisance within the notice period. On top of any court fine, the city can bill the owner for its own removal cost plus the 20 percent administrative surcharge, and the city attorney may go to court for an injunction ordering the extra hives removed under § 9.04.150.I.

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Longmont treats veterinary clinics and hospitals like kennels for zoning purposes, keeping outdoor runs and cremation activities well clear of residential lots or requiring a conditional use permit.

Key details: Outdoor-activity buffer: 500 feet from residential lot. Indoor-only buffer: 250 feet from residential lot. MU-N/MU-D/MU-R districts: no outdoor runs allowed. Within buffer distance: needs conditional use approval.

Operating outdoor runs or on-site cremation closer than the required buffer without a conditional use permit is a zoning violation enforceable under § 15.09.030.

Breed Restrictions

Longmont has no breed-specific dog ban; instead it declares any animal an 'aggressive animal', and can order it destroyed, based solely on its bite or attack behavior, regardless of breed.

Key details: Breed-specific ban: None: behavior only. Trigger: Bite, attack, or apparent attack. Max penalty: $999 fine / 180 days jail. Destruction hearing: Required, § 7.04.195.

Owning or harboring an aggressive animal violates § 7.04.190 and can draw a fine up to $999.00, up to 180 days imprisonment, or both, under § 7.04.240(A).

Longmont is more permissive than most cities when it comes to breed restrictions. That said, there are still limits.

Exotic Pets

Longmont bans keeping any animal in the city except household pets, zoning-permitted livestock, state/federally licensed birds of prey, licensed wildlife-rehab animals, and permitted backyard chicken hens: exotic and wild animals are off the list.

Key details: Allowed categories: 5 listed exceptions only. Default rule: Everything else prohibited. Affirmative defense: Vet, shelter, zoo, or <25 lb pet. Enforcement: Public nuisance, § 7.04.140.

Keeping a prohibited exotic or wild animal violates § 7.04.130 and is enforceable as a public nuisance under § 7.04.140, with civil abatement, impoundment costs, and attorneys' fees possible.

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

Mandatory Spay/Neuter

Longmont requires proof a licensed miniature pot-bellied pig has been spayed or neutered, unless a veterinarian certifies that doing so would harm the animal's health; dogs and cats face no citywide spay/neuter mandate.

Key details: Applies to: Miniature pot-bellied pigs only. Exemption: Vet letter citing health risk. Ownership cap: 1 unaltered pig per property. General pets: No dog/cat spay-neuter mandate.

Keeping an unlicensed or unaltered pot-bellied pig without proof of spay/neuter status, or a vet exemption letter, violates § 7.04.020 and § 7.04.130(D); enforcement follows the animal-code penalty in § 7.04.240.

Dog Leash Laws

Longmont dogs must stay on the owner's property unless leashed with a chain or leash no more than 25 feet, held or tied to the person with them; off-leash use is limited to designated dog parks and specific golf-course/park exceptions.

Key details: Leash/chain limit: 25 feet. Default rule: Dog stays on owner's property. Off-leash exception: Designated dog parks, voice command. Max penalty: $500 fine, 90 days jail.

Violation of chapter 7.04 is a strict-liability offense under LMC § 7.04.240, punishable per the Chapter 1.12 general penalty: a fine up to $500.00, imprisonment up to 90 days, or both.

Chickens & Livestock

Longmont's animal code allows livestock only 'as applicable zoning ordinances permit'; the land development code requires at least a 1-acre parcel with 1 acre of open pasture before livestock keeping is allowed.

Key details: Minimum parcel: 1 acre. Open pasture required: 1 acre minimum. Barn/structure setback: 20 feet from property line. Stocking limit: 1 animal unit/acre (cattle/horse).

Keeping livestock on an undersized or non-agricultural-zoned lot violates § 15.04.030(D)(1) and § 7.04.130(A)(2), and is enforceable as unlawful animal-keeping under § 7.04.140.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Longmont actively enforces its chickens & livestock requirements.

The Bottom Line

Longmont is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 9 rules covered here, 3 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Longmont, 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 Longmont 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.