Animal Ordinances in Commerce City, CO (2026)
12 verified animal ordinances for Commerce City, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In Commerce City zones where keeping farm animals is not otherwise allowed, a resident needs a backyard chicken permit from the Community Development Department before keeping chickens under Sec. 4-5001. Sec. 4-5002 then sets coop size, enclosure space, and sanitation standards, and bans roosters outright.
Commerce City Backyard Chicken Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code §§ 4-5001(b), 4-5002(a)-(b)
(b)Backyard chicken permit required. In those zoned districts no where the keeping of farm animals and livestock is not otherwise allowed, the keeping of chickens shall be permitted only after a valid backyard chicken permit has been issued to the property owner or occupant. ... ... Sec. 4-5002. - Backyard chicken requirements.(a)Roosters. No roosters may be kept under a backyard chicken permit...
Dog Leash Laws
Commerce City requires every animal to stay on the owner's property unless it is under active physical control, per Sec. 4-2005. Off the property, a dog must be on a leash, cord or chain of no more than ten feet held by a person able to control it, or confined inside a vehicle, and the only carve-out is the city's designated off-leash dog park.
Leash and At-Large Rules in Commerce City
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 4-2005
(a)No owner of any animal shall fail to keep such animal on the premises of the owner unless such animal is under the control of the owner under one (1) of the following conditions:(1)The animal is on a leash, cord or chain no longer than ten (10) feet in length, held by a competent person who is:a.Physically able to control the animal; andb.Maintaining physical control of the animal.(2)Within ...
Breed Restrictions
Commerce City repealed its breed-specific pit bull ban in 2021 and now regulates dogs and other animals by behavior. Once the municipal court designates an animal dangerous under Sec. 4-2011, the owner must confine or muzzle it, register it annually with animal control, post warning signs, and carry at least one hundred thousand dollars of liability insurance.
Commerce City Dangerous Animal Declaration Rules
Significant RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 4-2011(a)
(a)The following conditions shall apply to any dangerous animal permitted to be owned, kept, possessed, harbored, or maintained within the city:(1)When not confined in a house or other structure from which the animal cannot escape by any egress, either (i) the animal shall be confined in an enclosure with a lockable latch, a secure top, and a concrete or other impervious base to a depth of not ...
Beekeeping
Commerce City requires a backyard beekeeping permit from the Community Development Department in zones where bees are not otherwise allowed. Sec. 4-5004 then caps most properties at two hives, limits their height and volume, and bans hives from front yards under Article V of the Animal Code.
Commerce City Backyard Beekeeping Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 4-5004(b), (e)-(f)
(b)Hives.(1)Unless the zoning district of the property allows for greater numbers of hives, properties may contain a maximum of two (2) hives.(2)Hives shall not exceed five (5) feet in height or twenty (20) feet in cubic volume. ... (e)Front yard. Hives may not be kept in the front yard of a property at any time.(f)Set-back. Hives must be set back at least twenty (20) feet from the nearest deve...
Exotic Pets
Commerce City bans owning, possessing, harboring, selling or trafficking in any animal that is not a "domestic animal," with an exception only for livestock, under Sec. 4-2008(c). That sweeps in the wild or exotic species named in Sec. 4-1001, including bears, coyotes, foxes, mountain lions, raccoons, skunks and wolves or wolf hybrids, and even alleged domestication does not change an animal's status.
Wild and Exotic Animal Ban in Commerce City
Heavy RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code §§ 4-1001, 4-2008
Wild or exotic animal: ... Any species of animal, including without limitation bears, coyotes, foxes, mountain lions, opossums, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, raptors, game animals, and wolves and wolf hybrids, which normally exists in a natural unconfined state and is usually not domesticated. Alleged domestication of a wild or exotic animal shall not affect its status under this definition. ......
Pet Limits
Commerce City caps most households at four dogs, cats or a combination of the two over six months old, per Sec. 4-2003 of the Revised Municipal Code. A resident who wants more must get a hobby breeder license under Sec. 4-3003, which raises the cap to six animals at the licensed address, still short of a commercial kennel.
Household Pet Limits in Commerce City
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code §§ 4-2003, 4-3003
Unless a hobby breeder license has been obtained , no person shall own, keep, possess, harbor or maintain within the city on a single residential property or within a single residential unit more than four (4) dogs or cats or combination thereof over the age of six (6) months. ... (b)Such license shall allow a hobby breeder to harbor, at the address identified on the license, not more than six ...
Cat Rules
Commerce City treats cats as regulated animals under Chapter 4 of the Revised Municipal Code: every cat six months or older must carry current rabies and distemper vaccinations with a tag on its collar, an unspayed female in heat must be confined away from other animals, and animal control agents enforce both rules as strict-liability civil infractions.
Cat Vaccination and Confinement Rules
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code §§ 4-1001, 4-2006, 4-3000
Cat: All domesticated or feral members of the genus Felis, male or female. ... No person shall own, keep, possess, harbor or maintain ... any unspayed female dog, cat or other animal that is in the state of estrus (heat) unless such animal is confined in a building or enclosure in such a manner that the animal cannot come into contact with other animals, except for planned breeding. ( ... a)Rab...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Commerce City's Animal Code lets a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig live on a single residential parcel only if it meets four conditions: no more than one pig per parcel, the pig is domesticated, it weighs no more than seventy pounds, and it is spayed or neutered by six months of age under Sec. 4-2008(e)(5).
Commerce City Potbellied Pig Spay/Neuter Rule
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 4-2008(e)(5)
(e)In addition to the requirements of this chapter, Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs may be kept within the city only as follows: ... (5)On any single parcel of property under the following conditions:a.Not more than one (1) such animal shall be kept on any single parcel of property;b.Such animal shall be domesticated;c.Such animal shall not exceed seventy (70) pounds in weight; andd.Such animal sha...
Microchipping
Commerce City has no blanket microchip law for pets. Sec. 4-2011(b)(1) of the Animal Code instead lets the municipal court order microchip implantation, at the owner's expense, as one of several added conditions it can impose once an animal has been designated a dangerous animal.
Commerce City Court-Ordered Pet Microchipping
Light RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 4-2011(b)(1)
(b)In addition to any other applicable penalties and authority, the municipal court shall have the authority to require any of the following additional conditions with respect to any dangerous animal permitted to be owned, kept, possessed, harbored, or maintained within the city:(1)The implantation by a licensed veterinarian or licensed shelter of a microchip containing the owner's identificati...
Pet Store Rules
Since December 31, 2023, Commerce City has barred pet stores and other establishments from selling, delivering, bartering, or otherwise transferring dogs or cats under Sec. 4-6001. Stores may still host adoptions for shelters and rescues, and existing stores could sell down remaining stock only through that date.
Commerce City Retail Dog and Cat Sale Ban
Heavy RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 4-6001(a), (c)
(a)Except as provided in sections 4-6002, 4-6003, and 4-6004, no person or establishment shall display, sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter, auction, give away, or otherwise transfer or dispose of dogs or cats in the city on or after December 31, 2023. ... (c)It is unlawful for a pet store to offer any of the following for sale, barter, or auction:(1)A sick or injured animal;(2)An animal that...
Pet Groomer Rules
Anyone grooming animals for a fee in Commerce City meets the Revised Municipal Code's definition of a "commercial kennel" and must hold an annual city license under Sec. 4-3004. The license issues only after the operator proves the grooming location is zoned for a commercial kennel use or holds a variance, and the city can suspend or revoke it for code, zoning or health violations.
Pet Groomer Licensing in Commerce City
Significant RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code §§ 4-1001, 4-3004
Commercial kennel: An individual or establishment who keeps, maintains, or owns animals for the purpose of breeding, training, boarding, grooming, selling, or similar purposes for a fee or other compensation, or where animals are offered for sale, adoption, or exchange. ... The operator of any commercial kennel within the city shall obtain an annual license from the city upon payment of a fee s...
Bird Protection
Commerce City makes it unlawful to molest or injure the nest, eggs or young of any birds or fowl within city limits. Sec. 4-2000(c) of the Revised Municipal Code folds this protection into the general mistreatment-of-animals article, and animal control agents enforce it as a strict-liability offense alongside the section's broader bans on trapping and injuring wildlife.
Nest and Egg Protection in Commerce City
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 4-2000
(c)It is unlawful for any person to knowingly, recklessly or negligently capture, ensnare, net, trap or in any other manner molest or injure any animal, other than insects, mice, rats, bats or other wild rodents, or in any manner molest or injure the nest, eggs or young of any birds or fowl. ... (h)The commission on private property of the acts described in subsections (a) through (g) of this s...
Looking for Adams County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Commerce City city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Adams County →