Colorado Dog Bite Law

How dog bite liability works in Colorado

Colorado wrote its dog bite statute in 2004, in the same act that barred cities and counties from passing breed-specific dangerous-dog rules^1,17. The statute is narrow. It covers bites only, not knockdowns. It applies only when the bite causes serious bodily injury, a criminal-code term that means broken bones, a substantial risk of death or permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss of a body function²². It pays only economic damages: medical bills, lost wages and similar out-of-pocket losses¹.

That makes Colorado a two-track state. A child whose arm is broken in a bite on a public trail can recover medical costs without proving anything about the dog's history. A guest who needs stitches but no surgery must show the owner knew of the dog's vicious tendencies or failed to use reasonable care, as the state's model jury instruction 13:1 frames it³. Pain, suffering and scarring awards always need the common-law or negligence route, or, when the bite happened on someone's land, a claim under the Premises Liability Act³.

The statute's six exclusions are broad and also bar common-law claims for bites that cause bodily injury^1,3. A posted "Beware of Dog" or "No Trespassing" sign on the owner's property defeats the claim. So does the working-dog exclusion, which the Colorado Supreme Court read in Robinson v. Legro to cover a ranch dog working under its owner's control even on public land². Compared with neighbors, Colorado sits between Arizona's broad strict liability and the pure one-bite rule of Kansas and New Mexico; see the national comparison.

The Colorado dog bite statute

A person who suffers serious bodily injury or death from being bitten by a dog while lawfully on public or private property may sue the dog owner for economic damages, regardless of the dog's viciousness or the owner's knowledge of it¹. "Dog owner" includes anyone who owns, possesses, harbors, keeps or has custody or control of the dog¹. A person is lawfully on property when performing a legal duty, invited expressly or impliedly, or on their own land¹. If the owner knew the dog was vicious, the court may order the dog euthanized at the owner's expense on the victim's motion¹.

• Law: C.R.S. § 13-21-124 (Civil actions against dog owners), enacted 2004
• Injuries covered: Bites only
• Where: Public places, or lawfully on private property
• Who is liable: The owner, or a keeper or harborer
• Damages: Economic (out-of-pocket) damages only

Other ways to prove liability

Outside the statute, Colorado follows the scienter rule: the plaintiff proves the dog had vicious or dangerous tendencies and the owner knew or had notice of them³. The model jury instruction adds, in brackets, an element that the owner failed to use reasonable care, because Colorado cases disagree on whether knowledge alone makes the owner strictly liable³. An ordinary negligence claim, for example for letting a dog run loose against a leash ordinance, is also available, and the statute says it does not displace negligence or other claims^1,3. Bites on someone's land are governed by the Premises Liability Act, which replaces common-law claims against the landowner but can be combined with a § 13-21-124 claim³.

Defenses owners raise

Trespassing

No liability if the victim was unlawfully on the property, or was on the owner's property and it was clearly and conspicuously posted "No Trespassing" or "Beware of Dog"¹.

Provocation

No liability to a person who knowingly provoked the dog¹.

Veterinarians and dog professionals

No liability to a veterinary health-care worker, groomer, humane agency staff member, professional handler, trainer or dog show judge bitten while doing that work¹.

Police dogs

No liability when the dog was being used by a peace officer or military personnel in the performance of their duties¹.

Other defense

Working dogs: no liability when a hunting, herding, farm or ranch, or predator control dog bites while working on its owner's property or under its owner's control. Robinson v. Legro, 2014 CO 40, held that control of the dog, not of the land, is what counts^1,2.

Assumption of risk

For common-law claims, the model jury instructions note that contributory negligence and assumption of the risk have been recognised as defenses to injuries caused by a domestic animal³.

Shared fault

Modified comparative fault (barred at 50%) (C.R.S. § 13-21-111).

A bitten person whose own negligence is less than the defendant's recovers damages reduced by their share of fault; at 50% or more they recover nothing⁶. The statute speaks of negligence actions. We found no Colorado appellate decision on whether it also reduces an award under § 13-21-124, whose provocation and trespass exclusions already bar some claims outright^1,6.

How the five fault systems compare: provocation, trespass and shared fault.

Colorado dog bite statute of limitations

2 years (C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a))

Tort actions, including negligence, and all strict-liability actions must be filed within two years after the claim accrues, normally the day of the bite⁴. If a government entity or public employee is responsible, for example a city shelter dog or a police dog, written notice must reach the entity within 182 days after the injury is discovered, and the notice requirement is jurisdictional¹⁰.

Children. A child under 18 with no court-appointed guardian or conservator has until the later of the normal two years or two years after turning 18⁵. If a court appoints a legal representative, the ordinary two-year period runs instead⁵.

Work out your own date with the dog bite claim checker, or compare deadlines in every state.

Damages

A § 13-21-124 claim pays economic losses only: medical and future treatment costs, lost earnings and similar expenses¹. Pain, suffering and emotional distress need a negligence, scienter or premises claim³. For actions filed or accruing on or after January 1, 2025, noneconomic damages are capped at $1.5 million under HB24-1472; older actions fall under the earlier, lower cap^7,8. Damages for physical impairment or disfigurement, such as permanent facial scarring, are not capped⁷. Exemplary (punitive) damages require fraud, malice or willful and wanton conduct, cannot be pleaded in the first complaint, and generally may not exceed actual damages⁹.

Landlords and property owners

Claims against a landlord run only under the Premises Liability Act. In Wilson v. Marchiondo, 124 P.3d 837 (Colo. App. 2005), a child visiting tenants was bitten by their Rottweiler; the court held the landlord who had handed over possession owed no duty afterward and would be liable only if he actually knew of the dog's danger before signing the lease¹¹. Allowing the dog and a "Beware of Dog" sign were not enough¹¹. A landlord who keeps control of common areas can face a different analysis under the same act¹¹. See landlord liability.

Insurance

Since January 1, 2024, insurers may not refuse, cancel, non-renew or surcharge a homeowner's or dwelling fire policy because of a dog's breed, and may not ask the breed except to learn whether the dog is known or declared dangerous (C.R.S. § 10-4-110.8(16), added by HB23-1068)¹². HB25-1207 extended the rule from August 6, 2025 to renters' contents policies and commercial policies on multifamily housing¹³. No state law requires liability insurance for a dangerous dog¹⁷.

More on coverage, breed exclusions and renters policies: dog bite insurance.

Robinson v. Legro: ranch dogs on public land

Colorado's leading case on the statute began on a national forest trail in Eagle County. A bicyclist was attacked by two Great Pyrenees guarding sheep that their owners grazed under a Forest Service permit². The owners invoked the working-dog exclusion, which bars liability when a hunting, herding, farm, ranch or predator control dog bites "on the property of or under the control of the dog's owner"¹.

The court of appeals read the phrase to require property the owner controlled. The Colorado Supreme Court disagreed in 2014: the exclusion applies when the bite happens on the owner's property, or when the dog is working under the owner's control anywhere, including public land². The court said the exclusion protects ranchers, hunters and farmers who lawfully work dogs on public lands². It sent the case back to decide whether the dogs were in fact under control². For hikers and cyclists on grazing allotments, the practical effect is that a bite by a working livestock guardian dog often falls outside the statute, leaving negligence or premises claims^2,3.

Bite reports and quarantine

The physician who first treats a person bitten by a dog, and any other person who knows of the bite, must report it to the local health department or county health officer¹⁴. Under the Board of Health's communicable-disease rules, dog and cat bites must be reported within 24 hours, usually through local animal control¹⁶.

The health department serves notice on the owner to confine a dog that bit a person, at the owner's expense, on the owner's premises, at a shelter or another designated place, for the period the state sets¹⁵. That period is 10 days of observation, required whether or not the dog is vaccinated; local policy decides home or shelter confinement, and the owner pays for confinement and any rabies testing¹⁶. See dog bite quarantine.

Dangerous-dog hearings, euthanasia orders and criminal penalties are covered on Colorado dangerous dog law.

Questions about Colorado dog bite law

Is Colorado a one-bite state?

Partly. For a bite that causes serious bodily injury or death, the owner pays economic damages without proof of any earlier aggression¹. For lesser bites, and for pain and suffering in any case, the victim must prove the owner knew of the dog's dangerous tendencies or was negligent³. See the one-bite rule.

Does a "Beware of Dog" sign protect a Colorado owner?

Yes, on the owner's own property, if the sign is clear and conspicuous¹. The exclusion bars claims for bites causing bodily injury, serious bodily injury or death¹. It does not help when the bite happens off the owner's property¹.

What counts as serious bodily injury from a dog bite?

The statute borrows the criminal-code definition: an injury involving a substantial risk of death, of serious permanent disfigurement, or of protracted loss or impairment of a body part or organ, or breaks and fractures^1,22. Deep facial wounds that leave permanent scars can qualify; stitched punctures that heal usually do not. Whether an injury qualifies is a question for the jury³.

My child was bitten in Colorado. How long do we have to sue?

Two years is the general rule⁴. A child without a court-appointed guardian or conservator can sue until two years after turning 18 if that is later⁵. Waiting raises proof problems, so the dates are worth confirming early; see child dog bites.

Can I be bitten by a police dog and sue in Colorado?

The dog bite statute excludes dogs used by peace officers or military personnel in their duties¹. Any other claim against a city or county requires written notice within 182 days under the Governmental Immunity Act¹⁰. See police dog bites.

Can my insurer drop me because of my dog's breed in Colorado?

No. Since 2024 homeowner's and dwelling fire insurers may not refuse, cancel, non-renew or raise rates based on breed, and since August 2025 the rule covers renters' policies too^12,13. An insurer may still act on a particular dog that is known or declared dangerous¹².

Official contacts

Sources

1. C.R.S. § 13-21-124, Civil actions against dog owners, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy of the official text). Checked 17 October 2026.
2. Robinson v. Legro, 2014 CO 40, 325 P.3d 1053, Colorado Supreme Court (CourtListener). Checked 17 October 2026.
3. Colorado Model Civil Jury Instructions, Chapter 13: Animals, Colorado Judicial Branch. Checked 17 October 2026.
4. C.R.S. § 13-80-102, General limitation of actions, two years, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
5. C.R.S. §§ 13-81-101 and 13-81-103, Persons under disability, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
6. C.R.S. § 13-21-111, Negligence cases: comparative negligence, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
7. C.R.S. § 13-21-102.5, Limitations on damages for noneconomic loss or injury, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
8. HB24-1472, Raise Damage Limit Tort Actions (signed June 3, 2024), Colorado General Assembly. Checked 17 October 2026.
9. C.R.S. § 13-21-102, Exemplary damages, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
10. C.R.S. § 24-10-109, Colorado Governmental Immunity Act: notice required, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
11. Wilson v. Marchiondo, 124 P.3d 837 (Colo. App. 2005), Colorado Court of Appeals (CourtListener). Checked 17 October 2026.
12. HB23-1068, Pet Animal Ownership In Housing (signed June 7, 2023), Colorado General Assembly. Checked 17 October 2026.
13. HB25-1207, Pet Ownership Residential Housing Structures (signed May 22, 2025), Colorado General Assembly. Checked 17 October 2026.
14. C.R.S. § 25-4-603, Report of bites by animals, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
15. C.R.S. § 25-4-604, Confinement of animals that have bitten a person, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
16. Rabies Management of Domestic Animals Involved in a Human Bite, Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment. Checked 17 October 2026.
17. C.R.S. § 18-9-204.5, Unlawful ownership of dangerous dog, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
18. C.R.S. § 18-1.3-501, Misdemeanors classified: penalties, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
19. C.R.S. § 18-1.3-401, Felonies classified: presumptive ranges, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
20. Dangerous Dog Registration, Colorado Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Protection. Checked 17 October 2026.
21. Breed-Restricted Permits, City and County of Denver, Denver Animal Protection. Checked 17 October 2026.
22. C.R.S. § 18-1-901(3)(p), Definition of serious bodily injury, Colorado Revised Statutes (public.law copy). Checked 17 October 2026.
23. Rabies, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Checked 17 October 2026.