Animal Ordinances in Colorado (2026)

Colorado's Right to Farm Act protects existing agricultural operations, including livestock and poultry, from nuisance…

Centennial bars livestock in most residential zones: only rabbits and up to six chickens are allowed outside the…

Denver requires a livestock or fowl permit for any chickens, ducks, goats, or other livestock; a restricted license…

Longmont's animal code allows livestock only 'as applicable zoning ordinances permit'; the land development code…

Adams County defines livestock as cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses, mules and donkeys used in farm or ranch…

Unincorporated Arapahoe County allows agricultural animals by right in the A-E, A-1, RR-A and RR-B zone districts…

Arvada lets chickens and turkeys be kept in every zoning district, but outside the RA and RN-32.5 agricultural…

Aurora, Colorado allows hens and ducks, never roosters, on residential lots under a paid permit from Housing and…

Boulder Revised Code § 6-1-41 bans keeping swine, hogs, or pigs anywhere in the city, and requires at least half an…

Boulder County limits livestock by 'animal units' per acre set in the Land Use Code zoning tables. Agricultural (A)…

Castle Rock allows up to eight chickens or ducks (cumulative) on lots up to two acres, and up to twelve on lots over…

Colorado Springs regulates livestock kept on premises through City Code §§ 6.9.101–6.9.103: hoofed animals must be kept…

Douglas County zones livestock by "animal units." A horse, cow, mule, or llama counts as 1 unit; miniature horses…

In unincorporated El Paso County, any residential or agricultural parcel with a stable or corral for livestock must…

Fort Collins allows hens and female ducks without a farm-animal zoning designation, but caps flock size by lot size…

Fountain, Colorado requires a city-issued chicken permit before any household in city limits keeps chicken hens. Lots…

Greeley caps backyard chickens and other livestock with a per-acre animal-unit formula in Sec. 24-403.c: up to 20…

Large livestock (horses, cattle, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, hogs) are allowed on larger…

Lakewood permits up to six hens or six ducks, or five ducks and a drake, per property with a City permit, bans…

Colorado is a "fence-out" state. Under C.R.S. 35-46, a landowner must build a lawful fence to recover damages when…

Littleton allows up to six chickens or ducks (combined) on residential lots in the ACR, LLR, MLR and SLR districts, but…

Loveland, Colorado allows chickens, ducks, geese and other domesticated fowl on residential lots with no fixed numeric…

Domestic fowl such as chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys may be kept in Manitou Springs, but not left to roam at large…

On urban parcels under half an acre, Mesa County allows up to six chickens or six rabbits (no roosters) per dwelling…

Pueblo caps residential flocks at 10 standard or 10 bantam chickens over 4 months old, requires coops 8 to 50 feet from…

Thornton allows up to six hen-only backyard chickens on detached-home lots in most residential districts, but bans…

Weld County's animal code counts fowl as livestock. In the Agricultural zone a lot of at least ten acres (not in a…

Westminster requires a permit before a single chicken sets foot on a residential lot, and caps flocks at six hens on…

Colorado state law sets dangerous dog penalties and leash requirements on state lands. Local leash ordinances are…

In unincorporated Boulder County, dogs off the owner's property must be under leash, voice, or electronic control…

Unincorporated Adams County makes it unlawful for an owner or custodian to let any animal run, go or be at large on a…

Unincorporated Arapahoe County requires dogs to be under physical or voice control at all times per Animal Services…

Arvada makes it unlawful for the owner or custodian of a dog, or almost any other animal, to let it run, go, or be at…

Aurora requires dogs off their owner's property to be leashed with a cord, cable, or chain no longer than 10 feet, held…

Boulder Revised Code § 6-1-16 requires every dog to stay on its guardian's premises unless it is on a leash held by a…

Dogs in Castle Rock must be under control on a leash, cord or chain no more than 10 feet long, held by a person able to…

Dogs must be leashed on a cord no longer than ten feet whenever off the owner's property in Centennial: running at…

City Code § 6.7.107 requires every dog or hoofed-animal owner or keeper to restrain the animal by confinement, collar…

Denver dog owners must prevent their dog from running at large; violators can be impounded, with an exception for…

In unincorporated Douglas County a dog must be kept under "control": restrained by a leash or tether no more than 30…

Fort Collins requires every pet animal except birds to be kept under restraint at all times, and it is unlawful for an…

Fountain requires every dog, hoofed animal and barnyard fowl to be confined, leashed or haltered so it never runs at…

Greeley bans letting any animal, including dogs, off the owner's property unless restrained by a six-foot leash…

In unincorporated Jefferson County a dog off its owner's property must be leashed (10-foot max) and under control. A…

Lakewood makes it unlawful for a dog owner, or the owner of most other animals, to let the animal run at large in the…

In unincorporated Larimer County all dogs must be kept under restraint; it is unlawful to let a dog run at large. A…

Littleton bans letting a dog run at large anywhere off its owner's property, and it is no defense that the owner did…

Longmont dogs must stay on the owner's property unless leashed with a chain or leash no more than 25 feet, held or tied…

Loveland bans letting any dog run at large: off its owner's property, a dog must be on a leash or tether under an…

Section 7.04.020 requires every dog owner to keep their dog under physical restraint, meaning a leash, cord or chain in…

Pueblo Municipal Code § 11-4-15(a) makes it a strict-liability offense to let a dog or other animal, except cats, run…

Thornton bans letting any domesticated animal run at large within city limits, and repeat offenses within a 12-month…

In unincorporated Weld County it is unlawful to fail to control a dog. "Control" means a leash or tether no more than…

Westminster requires owners to keep dogs under leash control off their own property, making it a civil infraction for…

Colorado initially preempted breed-specific bans but the Court of Appeals upheld home-rule authority. Currently…

Arvada declares a dog or other animal "dangerous" by conduct, not breed: causing bodily injury, menacing a person…

Denver bans owning or keeping a pit bull without a breed-restricted permit from Denver Animal Protection, capping…

Fort Collins has no breed-specific ban; instead, Municipal Code § 4-96 bars owning any "dangerous animal" unless the…

Loveland, Colorado regulates dangerous dogs by behavior, not breed: Municipal Code § 6.20.030 bans owning or keeping…

Pueblo has no breed ban: dogs are declared 'dangerous' or 'potentially dangerous' based on bite history and behavior…

Thornton does not ban any dog breed by name. Instead it declares an animal 'aggressive' based on its actual conduct…

Westminster does not name or ban any dog breed. Instead, Section 6-7-8 declares an animal 'potentially dangerous' or…

Unincorporated Adams County has no breed-specific ban. Its Animal Control Code regulates dogs by documented behavior…

No. Colorado state law bars any county or town from regulating dangerous dogs by breed, so Douglas County has no…

Larimer County and Fort Collins have no breed-specific dog bans. Colorado state law, C.R.S. 18-9-204.5(5), lets…

Littleton does not ban or single out any dog breed by name. Section 6-2-5 declares an animal dangerous based on what it…

Weld County has no pit-bull or breed ban. Colorado state law, C.R.S. 18-9-204.5(5)(b), lets a county adopt dog-control…

Longmont has no breed-specific dog ban; instead it declares any animal an 'aggressive animal', and can order it…

Aurora has no breed ban: pit bull-type dogs follow the same rules as any other dog under City Code Chapter 14.

Boulder County has no breed-specific dog ban. Colorado state law (C.R.S. 18-9-204.5) regulates dangerous dogs by…

Centennial does not have breed-specific legislation. No dog breeds are banned. Colorado SB 04-079 provides partial…

Colorado Springs has no breed-specific dog ban; Colorado state law C.R.S. 18-9-204.5(5)(a) prohibits municipalities…

Colorado law bars Jefferson County from banning or restricting dogs by breed. Under C.R.S. §18-9-204.5, a dog is…

Manitou Springs regulates dangerous animals by behavior, not breed. Section 7.05.010 bans any animal, regardless of…

Colorado's Bee and Bee Products Act (C.R.S. 35-25-101) authorizes state apiary inspection but imposes no mandatory…

Thornton requires a city beekeeping permit before keeping any hive, limits hive counts by lot size from two to eight…

Unincorporated Arapahoe County allows backyard hives on single-family residential lots under Land Development Code §…

Arvada allows residential beekeeping but caps hive box size and colony count by lot size under Section 38-403, from two…

Aurora, Colorado allows backyard beehives but regulates hive type, setbacks, flyway barriers, and colony counts by lot…

Boulder County Land Use Code 4-516.D permits accessory beekeeping by right in the F, A, RR, ER, SR, LI, GI, and MI…

Castle Rock permits beekeeping in rear yards of single-family homes. Lots under 10,000 sq ft may have up to two hives…

Centennial allows backyard beekeeping on single-family lots with movable-frame hive boxes, capping hive count by lot…

Colorado Springs allows accessory beehives on any residential lot, but the number you may keep, and how far each hive…

Denver limits residential lots to two honeybee hives, set in the rear third of the yard with a 5-foot setback from side…

Fort Collins allows backyard beekeeping but caps colony counts by tract size, requires flyway barriers near property…

Fountain allows residential beekeeping on lots of one acre or larger. Fountain Municipal Code § 17.18.020(D) requires…

In many residential zones of unincorporated Jefferson County you may keep up to 2 beehives on single-family, duplex, or…

Lakewood's Zoning Ordinance allows one beehive per 6,000 square feet with a City permit, side- or rear-yard placement…

Littleton allows residential beekeeping as an accessory use, but hives must sit within a fenced area at least five feet…

Longmont caps backyard beekeeping at four hives per property: keeping more than four "stands" of bees at one place is a…

Loveland limits backyard apiaries to single-family detached, community-garden and farm/ranch lots under UDC §…

Private beekeeping is allowed on any land in Manitou Springs regardless of zoning, but hives must sit in the rear or…

Pueblo exempts honeybees from its wild-animal nuisance ban only up to two beehives per property, with each hive capped…

Weld County's animal code and zoning set no beekeeping-specific standard, so hobby beekeeping is generally treated as a…

Keeping bees in Westminster requires a City permit before the bees even arrive. Hive counts scale from two on a…

County code separately defines residential beekeeping, kept for personal honey and pollination and not for profit, from…

Colorado prohibits private possession of most native and exotic wildlife under Parks and Wildlife regulations. The…

Arapahoe County's Land Development Code flatly prohibits keeping wild or exotic animals, poisonous animals, or any…

Arvada bans owning, having custody of, selling, or trafficking a list of wild and exotic species citywide. City Code…

Aurora, Colorado bans owning venomous animals, big cats, primates, bears, large reptiles and other wild species as…

Boulder Revised Code § 6-1-4 bans owning, keeping, or publicly displaying fifteen categories of wild and exotic…

Centennial bans owning wild animals and canid/felid hybrids anywhere in the city, with only a narrow exception for…

Denver outlaws owning, keeping, or selling venomous reptiles, monitor lizards, large snakes, crocodilians, venomous…

Fort Collins bans keeping or feeding a specific list of wild and exotic animals under Municipal Code § 4-73, including…

Greeley bans keeping any 'wild animal', big cats, bears, venomous reptiles, wolves, raccoons and dozens of other named…

Lakewood bans keeping, selling, or harboring wild and exotic animals, big cats, bears, wolves, and venomous reptiles…

Longmont bans keeping any animal in the city except household pets, zoning-permitted livestock, state/federally…

Loveland, Colorado bans owning or keeping any animal that is not commonly domesticated, not native to North America, or…

Mesa County's Land Development Code bars keeping nondomestic or exotic animals as an accessory use at a home. Any…

Pueblo bans keeping wild animals, venomous snakes, and constricting snakes over 12 feet as pets citywide, plus…

Thornton outright bans keeping wild animals within city limits, naming big cats, primates, bears, foxes, poisonous or…

Westminster bans importing, selling, or keeping any 'prohibited animal', a defined list running from big cats and bears…

Colorado Springs bars anyone from owning a wild, predatory or non-North-American animal inside city limits unless they…

Fountain requires a humane-society permit before anyone can own an animal that is not commonly domesticated, not native…

Keeping an exotic animal in Manitou Springs, defined as any animal not commonly domesticated or of a wild or predatory…

Adams County's Animal Control Code covers only "pet animals" kept for companionship and excludes wildlife, feral cats…

In unincorporated Douglas County, nondomestic or exotic animals are permitted only as a "use by special review"…

Jefferson County's zoning chart addresses large exotics like buffalo, ostriches, and emu, which are only allowed in…

Larimer County Code Sec. 6-83 bars keeping or feeding any wild or exotic animal that requires a state license unless…

In the Agricultural zone of unincorporated Weld County, keeping, raising or boarding exotic animals is allowed only as…

Colorado prohibits feeding big game wildlife including deer, elk, and bears under Parks and Wildlife regulations. The…

Intentionally feeding, or trying to feed, any wildlife in an Adams County park, trail or open space area is unlawful…

Boulder County residents may not intentionally feed big game or bears. Colorado Parks and Wildlife regulation and…

Lakewood makes it unlawful to knowingly place or provide food for wildlife such as deer, coyotes, foxes, mountain…

Manitou Springs bans feeding deer, bears, elk and other wildlife anywhere in the city, including leaving food or waste…

Arvada makes it unlawful to feed, provide food to, or help feed wildlife or any wild animal in, from, or upon a city…

Boulder Revised Code § 6-1-4(c) makes it unlawful to feed any wild animal within city limits, defining feed broadly to…

Centennial makes it a nuisance to intentionally lure deer, coyotes, bears and other wildlife with food, and separately…

Greeley prohibits feeding wild animals or wild birds anywhere in its city-designated natural areas and trails, one of…

Loveland, Colorado makes it unlawful to knowingly provide food, water, salt licks or bones to bears, deer, raccoons…

Feeding wildlife anywhere in Colorado Springs without authorization is a noncriminal civil infraction under City Code §…

Douglas County has no separate wildlife-feeding ordinance, but Colorado state law makes it unlawful to place food in…

Feeding songbirds, squirrels, ducks, geese or any other wildlife inside a City natural area is unlawful without a…

Feeding wild ducks and geese is prohibited in unincorporated Larimer County after a written warning. Feeding bears and…

Weld County has no general wildlife-feeding ordinance, but Colorado state law makes it unlawful to place food in the…

It is unlawful to knowingly put out food for wild animals anywhere in Westminster, a rule aimed at deer, geese, and…

Colorado criminalizes animal hoarding under the cruelty statute when conditions cause suffering. The law applies…

Boulder County has no separate 'hoarding' ordinance, but Ordinance 2022-8 makes it unlawful to fail to provide any…

Denver does not have a standalone hoarding ordinance, but DRMC chapter 8 pet limits combined with Colorado C.R.S…

Neglecting, abandoning or mistreating animals is unlawful in Adams County under its Animal Control Code and Colorado's…

Unincorporated Arapahoe County caps household pets by zone under Land Development Code § 3-3.2.E. Most residential…

Arvada caps ownership at three dogs, four cats, or four dogs and cats combined per household under City Code section…

Residents of the Town of Castle Rock may own a maximum of three dogs per household under Municipal Code Title 6…

Centennial makes it unlawful to let feces pile up on any property to an unsanitary degree, and treats the mess from…

Colorado Springs allows up to four dogs and four cats over four months of age per property under City Code Subsection…

Douglas County has no ordinance using the word "hoarding," but pet-number limits and sanitation rules act as a…

El Paso County's Land Development Code lets mobile home park occupants keep up to 4 dogs or cats per unit, the only…

Fountain caps household pets at a combined total of six dogs and cats over four months old, with no more than four of…

In most residential zones of unincorporated Jefferson County, the maximum number of cats, dogs, potbelly pigs, and…

Lakewood caps household pets at five total per residence, with no more than three of the same species. Service animals…

Larimer County addresses hoarding through its pet-quantity and care standards. Sec. 6-80 requires proper food, water…

Littleton residential properties may keep no more than five dogs, cats and rabbits combined once the animals pass six…

Manitou Springs caps households at four dogs or cats over four months old, plus one litter of puppies or kittens under…

Pueblo caps households at four dogs, four cats, or eight animals total: beyond that you need a kennel, cattery, or…

Thornton caps most households at four dogs, four cats, or a combination totaling four, dropping to three dogs or three…

In Weld County's Agricultural zone, household pets are limited to four of one species or seven of two-plus species per…

Residential properties in Westminster may keep no more than 10 domestic animals total, and no more than 4 of those can…

Fort Collins sets no fixed numeric cap on dogs or cats; instead, Municipal Code § 4-116 bars keeping more pet animals…

Denver requires every cat over six months to be licensed, but exempts microchipped or tattooed cats from wearing the…

Only a City-appointed Feral Cat Colony Manager may legally feed a feral cat or colony in Pueblo, Colorado: anyone else…

Adams County does not require cat licensing, but every cat must be vaccinated against rabies. Off the owner's property…

Aurora caps household cats at five per property and requires a city license for cats over six months old; unowned…

Boulder County's leash and at-large rules apply only to dogs, not cats. Cats are, however, covered by the mandatory…

Colorado Springs requires every cat over four months old to carry a City license under City Code § 6.8.103, obtained…

Douglas County does not require cats to be leashed or licensed: the license/rabies-tag rule applies to dogs. Cats do…

Fort Collins requires every dog or cat owner to license their pet within 14 days of taking possession, under Municipal…

Greeley cats over six months old must carry a city license tag whenever off the owner's premises, and letting a cat run…

Jefferson County does not license cats or impose a leash law on them, and cats found at large are generally not…

Cats do not have to be licensed or leashed in unincorporated Larimer County, but every cat four months or older must be…

Littleton requires every cat owner to keep the animal currently vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian…

Longmont requires every cat over six months old to carry a city license, renewed annually by February 1st, and every…

Loveland treats cats like dogs under its animal code: owners must license every cat within 14 days of acquiring it…

Weld County has no cat ordinance: the animal code (Chapter 14, Article IV) regulates dogs only, so cats need no county…

Boulder Revised Code § 6-1-15(a) is the reason cats can legally roam the city: it exempts dogs and domestic cats from…

Lakewood does not license cats or require them to be leashed, but it does require every cat over four months old to be…

Arvada's running-at-large law does not apply to cats. City Code Section 14-54(a) bans letting a dog or almost any other…

Colorado Springs is the only place in this code that mandates spay or neuter surgery for a specific pet: City Code §…

Aurora, Colorado requires every dog, cat, or rabbit over six months old to be spayed or neutered unless the owner…

Thornton has no citywide mandatory spay/neuter law for all pets, but conviction for a habitually-at-large animal, an…

Arvada requires every pot-bellied pig to be registered with the animal management office within 14 days of acquisition…

Longmont requires proof a licensed miniature pot-bellied pig has been spayed or neutered, unless a veterinarian…

Pueblo doesn't require pet owners citywide to alter their animals, but under § 11-4-16(c) any animal adopted from the…

Westminster does not require spay or neuter for ordinary dogs and cats, but it does mandate it in two specific cases…

Boulder County does not require pet owners to spay or neuter their animals. Its Animal Control Ordinance No. 2022-8…

Fort Collins has no citywide mandatory spay/neuter law for ordinary pets. The only spay/neuter mandate applies narrowly…

Lakewood does not require microchips for pets generally, but a court that convicts an owner of possessing a dangerous…

Arvada requires every cat to wear an identification tag on its collar or harness, or to carry a surgically implanted…

Aurora, Colorado has no citywide microchip mandate for ordinary pets. Microchipping becomes mandatory only after a…

Denver does not require microchips for ordinary pets, but a potentially dangerous animal permit and a pit bull…

Fort Collins does not require microchipping for ordinary pets. Microchipping is mandatory only for animals under a…

Aurora pet shops cannot sell dogs or cats at all: only offer them for adoption from a licensed shelter or rescue, per…

Denver pet shops cannot sell, deliver, barter, or otherwise dispose of a dog, cat, or rabbit. Retail sales are banned…

Fort Collins bars retail stores from selling, adopting out, or giving away cats and dogs on their premises, an…

Fountain bans pet stores from selling, displaying for sale, or giving away dogs or cats within city limits under…

Littleton prohibits any pet store from selling, offering for sale, auctioning, bartering, donating or otherwise…

No retail store in Westminster may sell, deliver, or offer for adoption any dog or cat. Stores can still host lawful…

Greeley bars retail stores from selling, displaying or transferring dogs and cats; stores may only offer adoption space…

Arvada doesn't ban pet stores from selling dogs or cats, but every pet shop, kennel, animal hospital, or shelter must…

Manitou Springs doesn't ban pet stores from selling dogs or cats, but Section 7.02.070 bars selling or displaying live…

A commercial pet-grooming business in Aurora, Colorado is zoned as a "Kennel" use, limiting it to specific commercial…

Pet Services, the UDC's category for grooming, retail sales, and small-animal training, must be located entirely within…

Denver requires anyone operating a pet grooming shop to hold a license from the director of excise and licenses, with…

Unincorporated Arapahoe County treats an animal hospital or veterinary clinic as a Special Exception use in its…

A veterinary clinic or hospital on unincorporated Douglas County land outside the A-1, LRR, and RR zone districts needs…

Aurora, Colorado's UDO bars veterinary clinics and hospitals from every residential zone district and requires…

Boulder's Table 6-1 use schedule bars animal hospitals and veterinary clinics from every residential district and from…

Colorado Springs zoning splits veterinary care into Small Animal and Large Animal Veterinary Services, and City Code §…

Denver's zoning code classifies veterinary practices into two separate use types: clinics serving only household or…

Fort Collins requires every small animal veterinary clinic or hospital to operate inside a fully enclosed, soundproof…

Greeley zones veterinary clinics as 'Animal care' uses: small offices under 5,000 square feet are permitted in most…

Lakewood zones veterinary and other animal care facilities as a limited or special use, requiring animals to be…

Littleton's Unified Land Use Code sets separate operating standards for veterinary clinics with and without animal…

Longmont treats veterinary clinics and hospitals like kennels for zoning purposes, keeping outdoor runs and cremation…

Loveland's Unified Development Code splits veterinary use standards by animal type: a large-animal veterinary clinic…

Mesa County classifies veterinary clinics and animal care, grooming, boarding and training under the Office and…

A veterinary clinic or animal hospital cannot open on rural Weld County land just because the property is zoned…

Greeley declares the whole city a bird sanctuary and bans frightening, shooting, trapping, poisoning or otherwise…

Aurora's animal cruelty chapter makes it unlawful to frighten, shoot, trap or otherwise harm any wild bird or…

Boulder Revised Code § 6-1-35 makes it unlawful to shoot at, wound, kill, capture, ensnare, net, trap, or injure any…

The entire City of Fort Collins is a designated wild bird sanctuary, and it is unlawful to shoot, capture, trap, or…

Lakewood, Colorado bans willfully shooting, capturing, harassing, injuring, or killing any wild bird, and bans…

Longmont designates its entire city limits a bird sanctuary and makes it unlawful to trap, hunt, shoot or molest any…

Fort Collins doesn't issue a dedicated wildlife-rescue permit; it treats a wildlife rescue and education center as a…

Aurora, Colorado exempts state-licensed wildlife rehabilitators from its ban on keeping wild animals, but issues no…

Arvada's ban on owning wild and exotic animals does not reach a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, falconer, or…