Colorado Dog Bite Law decides who pays when a dog injures someone — and the answer changes a great deal from one state to the next. This guide explains whether Colorado uses strict liability or the one-bite rule, how long you have to file, how leash and dangerous dog rules work, and exactly how a homeowners policy responds. Whether you own a dog in Colorado or you were bitten by one, Colorado Dog Bite Law is what determines the outcome.
Colorado Dog Bite Law is summarized here in plain English. Everything in this guide was verified against Colorado statutes, the state courts, and Insurance Information Institute claim data as of August 2026.
In This Colorado Dog Bite Law Guide:
Colorado Dog Bite Law: Strict Liability or One-Bite Rule?
Colorado applies a mixed standard. Some dog bite claims fall under strict liability and others must be proven through negligence, depending on the circumstances of the attack and where it happened.
The governing statute is Colo. Rev. Stat. 13-21-124. Statutes are amended, so confirm the current text before relying on it in a claim.
Colorado applies strict liability by statute, but only in a narrow lane:
A dog owner is strictly liable for economic damages (medical bills, lost wages) when a dog bite causes serious bodily injury or death to a person lawfully on public or private property, with no need to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous.
The statute does not allow non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, and it does not reach lesser bites or non-bite injuries.
For anything outside that lane — minor bites, knock-downs, scratches, or a claim for pain and suffering — the victim must fall back on common-law negligence or the scienter (one-bite/known-propensity) theory, which the statute expressly preserves.
Important limit: the Colorado rule covers bites. If a dog knocks someone down, scratches them, or causes a fall, that claim normally has to be brought as ordinary negligence instead.
Filing Deadline Under Colorado Dog Bite Law
A dog bite lawsuit in Colorado must be filed within 2 years of the date of the injury (Colo. Rev. Stat. 13-80-102(1)(a)). Miss that deadline and the claim is normally barred no matter how strong it is.
The deadline for notifying an insurance company is much shorter than the deadline for filing suit. Most homeowners policies require prompt notice, so report the incident to the insurer right away even if you have not decided whether to sue.
How Colorado Dog Bite Law Treats Leash Laws and Dangerous Dogs
Colorado has no statewide leash or running-at-large statute; restraint rules are set by county resolutions and municipal ordinances and vary widely (Denver Rev. Mun. Code 8-16 bars dogs running at large; Colorado State Parks and many Front Range jurisdictions use a 6-foot leash maximum, while some cities allow up to 10 feet). Violating a local leash ordinance is commonly used as evidence of negligence in a bite claim rather than as an independent statewide cause of action.
Colo. Rev. Stat. 18-9-204.5 makes unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog a criminal offense, defining a dangerous dog by behavior (inflicting bodily or serious bodily injury or death, menacing conduct, or training for animal fighting) rather than by breed, with penalties escalating from a petty offense to a felony for repeat or fatal incidents.
On conviction the court orders secure confinement, leashing outside the enclosure, a posted warning sign, muzzling for second or subsequent offenses, written disclosure to service providers and any new owner, and permanent microchip identification with a 50 dollar dangerous dog microchip license fee paid to the bureau of animal protection.
Leash rules matter far beyond the ticket. In a mixed-rule state, breaking a leash ordinance is powerful evidence of negligence, and it can defeat an owner’s defense outright.
Colorado Dog Bite Law and Homeowners Insurance
Dog bites are normally paid under the personal liability section of a standard homeowners policy — Coverage E — not under the part that repairs your house. Renters policies carry the same liability coverage.
Two other pieces of the policy come into play. Medical payments coverage (Coverage F) pays a modest amount of the injured person’s medical bills with no finding of fault, which often settles a minor bite quietly. And an umbrella policy sits above your liability limit — the single most useful thing a dog owner in Colorado can buy.
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Coverage is not automatic. Most policies exclude injuries to people who live in your household, deliberate acts, and business-related animals. Some exclude a dog with a prior bite on record. Read the exclusions before you need them, not after.
Unique to Colorado:
Colorado is one of the few states that bars breed-based underwriting — HB 23-1068 (effective January 1, 2024) prohibits insurers from refusing to issue, cancelling, non-renewing, or surcharging homeowner’s or fire insurance based on a dog’s breed or mix, and bars insurers from even asking the breed, though they may act on a specific dog known or declared to be dangerous;
HB 25-1207 extended pet-related protections across residential structures. Colorado also runs a statewide dangerous dog registry through the bureau of animal protection funded by the mandatory 50 dollar microchip license fee, and the strict liability statute is unusual in capping recovery at economic damages only.
Dog Bite Claim Costs in Colorado
Colorado Dog Bite Law decides who is liable. The claim figures below show what that liability actually costs when it lands.
State-level claim counts for Colorado were not available from the Insurance Information Institute at the time of writing. Nationally, dog bite and dog-related injury claims are among the costliest homeowners liability claims, and the average payout has risen every year for over a decade.
| Typical liability limit | $300,000 |
Colorado Dog Bite Law, Breed Restrictions and Insurance Exclusions
Colorado permits local breed-specific ordinances. Some cities and counties restrict or ban particular breeds, and violating a local ban can also be used against you in a civil claim.
Good news for Colorado dog owners: state law bars insurers from refusing, cancelling, or surcharging a homeowners policy purely because of a dog’s breed.
Landlord and Property Owner Liability
A Colorado landlord is not liable under the dog bite statute and is liable in negligence only if the landlord knew of the particular dog’s dangerous propensities before entering into the lease and still allowed the dog on the premises. Wilson v. Marchiondo (Colo. App. 2005) held that breed alone is not enough and that knowledge acquired after the lease is signed does not create liability.
Under Colorado Dog Bite Law the tenant who owns the dog is the first target of a claim, but a landlord with knowledge of a dangerous animal can be pulled in alongside them.
If you rent out property in Colorado, this is worth taking seriously — see our guide to liability coverage and what happens when someone is hurt on your property.
Defenses Available Under Colorado Dog Bite Law
Defenses recognized in Colorado:
- Trespassing
- Provocation
- Comparative fault
- Assumption of risk
- Police or military dog exemption
- Veterinary exemption
- Dog groomer / professional handler / trainer / show judge exemption
These defenses rarely erase a claim by themselves. They more often reduce what an owner pays, which under comparative fault rules can still be a substantial difference.
How to Lower Your Liability Risk
Colorado Dog Bite Law sets the standard you will be judged against. These are the steps that reduce both the chance of a bite and the size of the bill if one happens:
- Raise your liability limit. Going from $100,000 to $300,000 usually costs very little per year.
- Add an umbrella policy. $1 million of extra liability typically runs $150-$300 a year.
- Tell your insurer about the dog. A non-disclosed dog is a reason to deny the claim later.
- Check your local leash ordinance. A violation is evidence against you in a civil case.
- Secure the yard and post a sign. Fencing and gate latches prevent the bite in the first place.
- Document training and vet visits. A record of responsible ownership supports the defense that you had no notice the dog was dangerous.
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Official Sources & Resources
- Insurance Information Institute — dog bite liability: iii.org
- CDC — dog bite prevention: cdc.gov
- American Veterinary Medical Association: avma.org
- Colorado Division of Insurance (Department of Regulatory Agencies): https://doi.colorado.gov
- NAIC: naic.org
This is a plain-English summary of Colorado Dog Bite Law, not legal advice. Statutes change and every bite turns on its own facts — talk to a licensed Colorado attorney about a specific claim. Last verified August 2026. If something here looks out of date, please contact us.