Animal Ordinances in Loveland, CO (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Loveland, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Loveland, Colorado allows chickens, ducks, geese and other domesticated fowl on residential lots with no fixed numeric cap, but they still count toward the household's nuisance-based pet limit under Municipal Code § 6.28.010. Horses, dwarf goats, and pot-bellied pigs are permitted too, each under its own conditions in § 6.28.020, and all other livestock is banned.
Loveland Backyard Chicken and Livestock Rules
Some RestrictionsLoveland Municipal Code § 6.28.020
A.No person shall keep, pasture, house, or maintain on any parcel of land in the city any livestock, except:1.Horses, provided that at least one-half acre of pasture land is provided for each horse.2.Chickens, ducks, geese and other domesticated fowl are permitted subject to the numerical limitations in Section 6.28.010. ... C.The keeping of livestock except as provided in this section is decla...
Dog Leash Laws
Loveland bans letting any dog run at large: off its owner's property, a dog must be on a leash or tether under an owner's control, per Municipal Code Section 6.20.010, except in a city-designated off-leash park. Owners who fence a yard must keep that fence in good enough repair to actually contain the dog.
Loveland Dog Leash & At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsLoveland Municipal Code § 6.20.010
A.No owner of any animal, or any person who harbors, keeps or is in charge of an animal shall permit such animal to be at large in the city. Any animal off its owner's or keeper's premises shall be on a leash or tether controlled by its owner or keeper, except where such animal and its owner or keeper are located within a fenced park specifically designated by a public authority for off-leash o...
Breed Restrictions
Loveland, Colorado regulates dangerous dogs by behavior, not breed: Municipal Code § 6.20.030 bans owning or keeping any 'vicious animal,' defined as one that bites, claws, attempts to bite or claw, or approaches a person in an apparent attitude of attack. The city code names no banned breed such as pit bulls; the law turns on documented conduct.
Loveland Vicious Animal Declaration Rule
Significant RestrictionsLoveland Municipal Code § 6.20.030
A.No person shall own or keep any vicious animal. A vicious animal is one that bites, claws or attempts to bite or claw any person; bites another animal; or approaches any person in an apparent attitude of attack, whether or not the attack is consummated or is capable of being consummated. ... D.If a complaint has been filed in municipal court of the city against the owner of an impounded anima...
Beekeeping
Loveland limits backyard apiaries to single-family detached, community-garden and farm/ranch lots under UDC § 18.04.07.04, with hives set back at least five feet from every property line and 200 feet from schools and day cares. Colony counts scale with lot size, from four hives on a quarter-acre up to eight on a full acre, with no cap once hives sit 200 feet from every property line.
Loveland Backyard Beekeeping Rules
Some RestrictionsLoveland Unified Development Code § 18.04.07.04
A. Generally. Apiaries are allowed on lots that are used for single-family detached residential, community garden, or farm or ranch uses. Apiaries shall comply with the standards of this Section. B. Setbacks. 1. All hives shall be located at least five feet from any property line. 2. Apiaries shall be set back at least 200 feet from the property lines of schools and all types of day care facili...
Exotic Pets
Loveland, Colorado bans owning or keeping any animal that is not commonly domesticated, not native to North America, or wild or predatory by nature. Municipal Code § 6.28.040 goes further and names species no one may own, possess, harbor, transport, sell or traffic in at all, including primates, big cats, bears, and wolves or coyotes.
Loveland Exotic and Wild Animal Ban
Heavy RestrictionsLoveland Municipal Code § 6.28.040
A.Except as provided in Subsection B, no person shall own or keep within the city any animal which is not commonly domesticated or which is not common to North America or which, irrespective of geographic origin, is of a wild or predatory nature. ... C.No person shall own, possess, harbor, transport, sell, or in any other manner traffic in the following species of animals:1.Poisonous snakes and...
Wildlife Feeding
Loveland, Colorado makes it unlawful to knowingly provide food, water, salt licks or bones to bears, deer, raccoons, skunks, badgers, porcupines, wild felines, wolves, coyotes and foxes anywhere in the city. Municipal Code § 6.28.045 exempts feeding squirrels and most birds, but not wild ducks or geese, and lets other wild-animal feeding be charged only if it becomes a real nuisance.
Loveland Wildlife Feeding Prohibition
Significant RestrictionsLoveland Municipal Code § 6.28.045
No person shall knowingly provide edible or drinkable material, including, without limitation, bones, salt licks, and water, within the city to any of the following animals:A.Bears of any species;B.Deer of any species;C.Raccoons, skunks, badgers, porcupines, and other similar species, except ferrets and minks;D.Any species of feline other than the ordinary domesticated house cat;E.Any wolf, coy...
Cat Rules
Loveland treats cats like dogs under its animal code: owners must license every cat within 14 days of acquiring it, keep the license tag on the cat's collar, and never let it run at large off the owner's property under Municipal Code Sections 6.08.010 and 6.20.010. Larimer County's Humane Society enforces both rules.
Loveland Cat Licensing & At-Large Rules
Some RestrictionsLoveland Municipal Code §§ 6.08.010, 6.20.010
A.The owner or keeper of any dog, cat, pot-bellied pig or dwarf goat kept within the city shall secure from the city, within 14 days of acquiring possession of said dog, cat, pot-bellied pig or dwarf goat, a license to keep the animal, which shall at all times be kept current by the owner or keeper. [...] A.No owner of any animal, or any person who harbors, keeps or is in charge of an animal sh...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Loveland's Unified Development Code splits veterinary use standards by animal type: a large-animal veterinary clinic must sit in a freestanding building and cannot adjoin a residentially zoned or residentially used lot, while a small-animal veterinary clinic is barred only from the Fourth Street Character Area of the Downtown zone.
Loveland Veterinary Clinic Zoning Standards
Some RestrictionsLoveland Unified Development Code § 18.02.04.06.N, .O
N. Veterinarian (Large Animal). In addition to all other applicable standards in the UDC, the use shall be located in a freestanding building and shall not adjoin a lot used or zoned for residential uses. O. Veterinarian (Small Animal). In addition to all other applicable standards in the UDC, the use is not allowed in the Fourth Street Character Area.
Looking for Larimer County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Loveland city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Larimer County →