CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

Denver Revised Municipal Code ch. 8, art. VI

in effect

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 8-131 Cruelty to animals prohibited.

Sec. 8-131. - Cruelty to animals prohibited. (a) It shall be unlawful for any person to beat, inflict violence upon or kill, or to overdrive, overload, drive when overloaded, overwork, torture or mutilate, or to otherwise treat in a cruel, dangerous or inhumane manner, any animal, or to cause any of such acts to be done. (b) It shall specifically be cruel, dangerous, or inhumane for any person to: (1) In a public place, transport an animal in or on any motor vehicle or trailer unless the animal is safely restrained. a. As used in this section, restrained is defined as enclosed within a vehicle or trailer with no openings large enough to permit the animal to exit the vehicle or trailer on its own, or placed within a secured container, cage or other enclosure or restraining device sufficient to prevent the animal from falling from, being thrown from or jumping from the vehicle. b. As used in this section, public place is defined as any place open to and generally used by the public, whether publicly or privately owned, including, but not limited to, streets, highways, alleys, parking lots, schools and commercial establishments. (2) Leave an animal in an unattended vehicle either without adequate ventilation or in any manner which subjects the animal to extreme temperatures that are dangerous or detrimental to the animal's health or welfare. (3) Tether and leave, or permit to be left, unattended any animal on a leash, cord or chain in such a manner as to cause distress to the animal. (c) It shall be an affirmative defense to subsection (a) of this section when: (1) The animal is humanely euthanized under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian; or (2) The person used physical force upon an animal in order to defend himself, a third person or other domestic animal or livestock from what he reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of physical force by that animal, and he used a degree of force which was reasonably necessary for that purpose; however, this defense shall not apply to any physical force used against an animal engaged in law enforcement activities. (Ord. No. 672-18, § 1, 7-16-18; Ord. No. 539-23, § 16, 6-5-23)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 8-132 Neglect of animals prohibited.

Sec. 8-132. - Neglect of animals prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any owner or keeper of any animal to fail to provide such animal with food, potable water, adequate shelter sufficient for the animal or immediate veterinary care if the owner or keeper of any animal knew or should have known that the animal was distressed, seriously ill or injured. (Ord. No. 672-18, § 1, 7-16-18; Ord. No. 539-23, § 17, 6-5-23)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 8-133 Abandonment.

Sec. 8-133. - Abandonment. (a) It shall be unlawful for any person to abandon any animal or to cause an animal to be abandoned. Abandonment is defined as the leaving unattended of any animal, by an owner or keeper, for more than one (1) hour in a place open to the public or at least seventy-two (72) consecutive hours in a private place. (b) The executive director is authorized to impound any animal which appears to be abandoned. Prior to impoundment, the executive director shall provide notice pursuant to subsection (c) or (d) of this section. After impoundment, the executive director shall comply with the notice provisions of section 8-150. (c) Notice prior to impoundment from place open to the public. In a place open to the public, a conspicuous notice conforming with the requirements of section 8-150(a)(2) must be posted for thirty (30) minutes. During the 30-minute posting period, the executive director shall take reasonable steps to locate an owner or keeper in the immediate vicinity of the animal. (d) Notice prior to impoundment from private place. In a private place not otherwise open to public use, a conspicuous notice conforming with the requirements of section 8-150(b) must be posted approximately every twenty-four (24) hours. When seventy-two (72) hours have passed, at least two (2) notices have been posted, and the animal has remained abandoned, the executive director is then authorized to impound the animal. (e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the authorization of the executive director to immediately impound an animal which has been neglected or left unattended in a vehicle as provided in section 8-131(b)(2). (Ord. No. 672-18, § 1, 7-16-18; Ord. No. 539-23, § 18, 6-5-23)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 8-134 Keeping place for fighting animals.

Sec. 8-134. - Keeping place for fighting animals. It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or cause to be kept any place where any animals are suffered to fight upon exhibition, or for sport upon any wager. (Ord. No. 672-18, § 1, 7-16-18)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 8-135 Poisoning.

Sec. 8-135. - Poisoning. It shall be unlawful for any person to poison any domestic animal in any manner whatsoever with the intent or for the purpose of poisoning such animal. This prohibition shall not apply to the destruction of those animals identified by the executive director as requiring eradication for the protection of the public health. Such eradication may include poisoning only when deemed necessary by the executive director. (Ord. No. 672-18, § 1, 7-16-18)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 8-136 Frightening, shooting, killing, trapping, molesting, etc., song and insectivorous birds.

Sec. 8-136. - Frightening, shooting, killing, trapping, molesting, etc., song and insectivorous birds. It shall be unlawful for any person to frighten, shoot at, wound, kill, take, capture, ensnare, net, trap, or in any other manner molest or injure any robin, lark, whippoorwill, finch, sparrow, thrush, wren, martin, swallow, snowbird, bobolink, red-winged blackbird, crow, raven, oriole, kingbird, mockingbird, song-sparrow, or other songbird or insectivorous bird; or in any manner molest or injure the nest, eggs, or young of any such birds; or have in possession the nest, eggs, young, or body of any such bird. (Ord. No. 672-18, § 1, 7-16-18)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 8-137 Trapping of animals.

Sec. 8-137. - Trapping of animals. (a) It shall be unlawful to use or set a leg-hold, snare, instant kill-body-gripping trap, or trap which can cause pain, injury or suffering to any animal, except for any mouse or rat snap-type or glue board used for rodent control or any poison. A leg-hold, snare-type or body-gripping trap is any trap which grasps the leg or any portion of such animal and which can injure, harm or cause pain and suffering to the animal. (b) Exceptions. The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not prohibit: (1) The taking of wildlife by use of the devices or methods described in subsection (a) of this section by federal, state, county, or municipal departments of health for the purpose of protecting human health or safety; (2) The executive directors of the departments of parks and recreation and public health and environment or other city agency from requesting the state division of wildlife or department of agriculture to correct a wildlife nuisance or health problem by employing traps which would otherwise be unlawful; however, such traps shall clearly identify with the state agency setting such traps (3) The use of the devices or methods described in subsection (a) of this section for controlling: a. Wild or domestic rodents, except beaver or muskrat; b. Wild or domestic birds as otherwise authorized by law; (4) The use of nonlethal snares, traps specifically designed not to kill, or nets to take wildlife for scientific research projects, for falconry, for relocation, or for medical treatment pursuant to regulations established by the Colorado Wildlife Commission; (5) The use of traps, poisons or nets by the Colorado Division of Wildlife to take or manage fish or other non-mammalian aquatic wildlife. (c) It shall be unlawful to use any box-type humane trap that does not injure or cause any suffering to any animal for the trapping of animals unless: (1) The trap is checked or examined for the presence of a live animal at least every twelve (12) hours and the animal is removed within two (2) hours of being notified that there is an animal in the trap; (2) The trap contains the name and telephone number of the person setting the trap. (d) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the owner or lessee of private property primarily used for commercial livestock or crop production, or the employees of such owner or lessee, shall not be prohibited from using the devices or methods described in subsection (a) of this section on such private property so long as: (1) Such use does not exceed one (1) thirty-day period per year; and (2) The owner or lessee can present on-site evidence to the division of wildlife that ongoing damage to livestock or crops has not been alleviated by the use of nonlethal or lethal control methods which are not prohibited. (e) The provisions of this section shall not apply to the taking of wildlife with firearms, fishing equipment, archery equipment, or other implements in hand as authorized by law. (f) It shall be the duty of every police officer or animal protection officer to confiscate and destroy any trap found set within the city other than a box-type humane trap, and to confiscate any humane box-type trap which does not have the name and telephone number of the person setting the trap. (Ord. No. 672-18, § 1, 7-16-18)

Denver Revised Municipal Code § 8-138 Declawing of cats prohibited.

Sec. 8-138. - Declawing of cats prohibited. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, it shall be unlawful for any person to declaw a cat. (b) Notwithstanding the restrictions set forth in subsection (a) of this section, a person may declaw a cat only if: (1) The person performing the procedure is a licensed veterinarian; (2) Anesthesia is administered to the cat during the procedure; and (3) The procedure is medically necessary. (c) As used in this section: (1) Declaw means to surgically remove or alter the claw or claws of a cat by a surgical procedure such as onychectomy or tendonectomy, in order to prevent their normal functioning. (2) Medically necessary means that a procedure is necessary to treat or relieve physical illness, infection, disease, or injury, or to correct a congenital abnormality that is causing or will cause the cat physical harm or pain. Medical necessity does not include cosmetic or aesthetic reasons or reasons of convenience in keeping or handling the cat. (Ord. No. 672-18, § 1, 7-16-18)

Source: City and County of Denver, Revised Municipal Code and Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/co/denver/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIIREMUCO_CH8AN_ARTVICRANFetched: 10/27/2026