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Colorado Dog Bite Law

What Is Colorado’s Dangerous Dog Law?

Colorado tightly regulates dogs that have injured people or other animals. Understanding the statute helps victims, pet owners, and attorneys align criminal, administrative, and civil remedies.[1]

How Colorado defines a “dangerous dog”

A dog meets the statutory definition if it has inflicted bodily injury, serious bodily injury, or death on a person or domestic animal; demonstrates behavior that would lead a reasonable person to believe it may inflict such harm; or has engaged in or been trained for illegal animal fighting.[1][4] For criminal penalties, “bodily injury” includes severe bruising, muscle tears, or lacerations requiring professional treatment, while “serious bodily injury” mirrors the broader criminal code definition (substantial risk of death, permanent disfigurement, protracted loss of function, fractures, or serious burns).[1][5]

The law also casts a wide net around who qualifies as an owner. Anyone owning, possessing, harboring, keeping, or having financial or property interest in the dog, along with individuals exercising custody or control, can be prosecuted.[7] That breadth matters in landlord-tenant and shared custody scenarios.

Criminal penalties and restitution

Penalties scale with the harm caused. A first offense causing bodily injury is a class 2 misdemeanor; serious bodily injury is a class 1 misdemeanor (and a class 6 felony for repeat offenders); and a fatal attack is a class 5 felony.[8] Injuring or killing another domestic animal is a class 2 misdemeanor, while property damage alone is a class 1 petty offense.[8]

Courts must order restitution to the injured person or the owner of the harmed animal, covering medical bills, replacement costs, or other economic losses. They can also require reimbursement for boarding and care if the animal is impounded during the case.[8]

Control measures after a conviction

Beyond fines and jail time, convicted owners must comply with strict management rules:[9]

  • Confine the dog in a secure enclosure and display conspicuous warning signs when it is on the owner’s property.[9]
  • Keep the dog on a leash, and add a muzzle for repeat offenses, whenever it leaves the enclosure.[9]
  • Permanently identify the dog with an implanted microchip and pay the Division of Animal Industry’s license fee before implantation.[10]
  • Update the bureau immediately if the dog is sold, moves, escapes, or dies, and disclose its dangerous status to service providers (veterinarians, groomers, trainers) or prospective owners before services or transfers occur.[13]

In cases involving serious bodily injury, death, or repeat violations, the court must order the animal seized pending final resolution and, after appeals are exhausted, humanely euthanized by a licensed veterinarian.[9][11]

Quarantine and public health overlays

Dangerous dog proceedings intersect with Colorado’s animal health laws. If the Department of Public Health and Environment suspects a pet is infected with a disease dangerous to the public, it can embargo the animal, quarantine pet facilities, trace exposure, restrict animal movement, and even order euthanasia and disposal to protect public health.[2]

Authorized state or local officials may enter facilities to inspect animals and records tied to these investigations.[12] These powers operate alongside the dangerous dog statute, so owners may have to comply with both sets of directives.

Impact on civil personal injury claims

Victims can leverage the statute in civil court. Colorado imposes strict liability for economic damages—medical expenses, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs—when a dog inflicts serious bodily injury or death on someone lawfully on the property.[3] Pain, suffering, and other non-economic losses require separate negligence claims, but the criminal conviction and dangerous dog designation can supply compelling evidence of owner fault.[14]

Negligence suits remain essential for less severe injuries or to obtain non-economic damages. Plaintiffs can pursue theories such as leash-law violations, prior notice of aggression, or negligent entrustment against landlords and handlers.[14] Working out lien rights is also important: dangerous dog findings may support punitive damages or increase settlement leverage.

Defenses and statutory exemptions

Owners have several affirmative defenses in criminal cases, including provocation, defense of people or property, and situations where the injured domestic animal was trespassing or at large on the owner’s property. These defenses disappear if the dog has been trained for or engaged in fighting.[17]

The statute also exempts certain dogs and scenarios: peace officer canines acting in the line of duty, working dogs performing hunting, herding, farm, ranch, or predator-control tasks under the owner’s control, and attacks on individuals unlawfully on posted property.[16][15]

Key takeaways

  • Colorado’s dangerous dog law ties criminal penalties to behavior, not breed, and layers civil liability on top.[1] Review the strict liability roadmap for economic-damages strategy.
  • Convictions trigger strict confinement, signage, microchipping, and disclosure obligations that last for the dog’s life.[9]
  • Victims should coordinate criminal outcomes with civil claims to maximize recovery and document punitive-worthy conduct.[14] Pair that with our negligence playbook for lesser injuries, then step through the Colorado dog bite hub to organize next actions.

References

  1. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-204.5 (2024) – dangerous dog classifications and penalties.
  2. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-4-709 (2024) – department quarantine authority.
  3. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-21-124 (2024) – civil actions against dog owners (strict liability).
  4. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-204 (2024) – unlawful ownership of dangerous animals (cross references).
  5. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-1-901(3)(p) (2024) – definition of serious bodily injury.
  6. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-204.5(2)(b) (2024) – dangerous dog definition.
  7. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-204.5(2)(e) (2024) – definition of owner.
  8. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-204.5(3) (2024) – criminal penalties and restitution.
  9. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-204.5(4) (2024) – confinement, signage, and euthanasia orders.
  10. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-204.5(3)(e.5) (2024) – microchipping and reporting requirements.
  11. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-204.5(4)(d) (2024) – euthanasia and appeal exhaustion.
  12. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-4-710 (2024) – inspection authority.
  13. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-204.5(3)(e.5)(III)-(VI) (2024) – service provider disclosures and transfer duties.
  14. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-21-124(1)-(2) (2024) – strict liability scope.
  15. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-21-124(3)-(5) (2024) – exemptions and working dog defenses.
  16. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-204.5(6) (2024) – law enforcement and working dog exemptions.
  17. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-204.5(3)(h) (2024) – affirmative defenses in criminal prosecutions.