Denver Dog Bite Lawyer

Mixed Statute

Denver is the exception to Colorado's own rule on breed. C.R.S. § 18-9-204.5 bars local governments from regulating dangerous dogs by breed, but Denver's home-rule status has let its ordinance survive that prohibition. Voters repealed the outright pit bull ban in November 2020 — and what replaced it wasn't a clean repeal. Under Denver Revised Municipal Code § 8-67, restricted breeds still require a provisional breed-restricted permit, with microchipping, vaccination, and a two-dog limit, and the restrictions can only be lifted after three years without an incident. None of that changes a civil claim under C.R.S. § 13-21-124, which never turns on breed, but it does mean a Denver owner may be carrying municipal exposure a suburban owner wouldn't.

Denver Animal Protection takes bite reports and runs the ten-day observation period, with the rabies side handled through the Department of Public Health & Environment. Worth knowing that the city's animal-bite penalties were under active review as of January 2026: Denver's municipal animal offenses, including bites and attacks, are currently strict liability offenses carrying up to $999 in fines and 300 days in jail with no proof of intent required, and the Office of the Municipal Public Defender asked city council to consider adding a mental-state element or moving some offenses to the civil side. That's the owner's criminal exposure, separate from your damages claim — but it affects how cooperative an owner is likely to be while a citation is pending.

Report a Denver bite to Denver Animal Protection, which handles the report and the ten-day observation period; the rabies assessment runs through the Department of Public Health & Environment. Two Denver-specific points: restricted-breed dogs still need a provisional permit under DRMC § 8-67 even after the 2020 repeal of the ban, and Denver's municipal animal-bite penalty structure was under city council review as of January 2026, so an owner's citation exposure may differ from what older guidance describes.

Read the full statute breakdown: Colorado Dog Bite Laws → · Typical payouts: Colorado Settlement Amounts →