Pit bulls are not banned in Colorado at the state level, but whether you can legally own one depends entirely on your city or town. Most of Colorado’s largest cities now allow pit bull ownership. Denver allows them only with a special breed-restricted permit. A small number of municipalities, including Louisville, still prohibit the breed outright. A dog that is perfectly legal on one side of a city line can be impounded a few blocks away, so the city code is what controls your situation.
Why the Rules Change City to City
Colorado’s legislature tried to end breed-specific bans in 2004 by amending the state’s dangerous dog statute to say local governments could not regulate dogs “in a manner that is specific to breed.”1Findlaw. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Criminal Code 18-9-204.5 Denver challenged the law and won. A Denver District Court ruled that deciding which breeds are allowed inside city limits is a matter of “purely local concern” protected by the Home Rule authority in Article 20 of the Colorado Constitution.2Justia. Colorado Constitution Article 20 – Home Rule Cities and Towns That ruling preserved every home rule city’s power to regulate by breed. The result is the patchwork Colorado owners deal with today.
Owning a Pit Bull in Denver
Denver banned pit bulls outright for more than 30 years. In November 2020, voters replaced the ban with a breed-restricted permit system run by Denver Animal Protection. You can own a pit bull in Denver now, but you cannot bring one into the city without first getting the permit in hand.
The restricted breeds are the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier.3City and County of Denver. Breed-Restricted Permitting Each household is capped at two.
What You Need to Get the Permit
The provisional application requires proof of a current rabies vaccination, a Denver dog license, a microchip, and a clear photo of the dog.3City and County of Denver. Breed-Restricted Permitting The dog must be spayed or neutered, unless you hold a separate intact permit from Denver Animal Protection at an additional $150.4City and County of Denver. Denver Pit Bull Fact Sheet The breed-restricted permit itself runs $30 per dog per year, on top of the standard annual Denver dog license fee.
The Three-Year Probation
Every permitted pit bull enters a three-year probation. During that period, the dog has to stay clear of violations: off-leash incidents, bites, lapsed permits, and excessive barking complaints all count. A single violation resets the clock back to zero.4City and County of Denver. Denver Pit Bull Fact Sheet If the dog finishes three clean years, you can apply to be exempted from the breed-restricted permit altogether, and the dog is treated like any other licensed pet going forward.
Renewing Each Year
The permit renews annually. Denver gives a 30-day grace period after expiration. Miss that window and the permit is canceled; you have to restart the entire application and pay the initial fee again.3City and County of Denver. Breed-Restricted Permitting Owning a Denver pit bull without a valid permit is a municipal code violation and can lead to fines and impoundment.
Cities That Have Repealed Their Bans
Denver’s shift set off a wave of repeals across the Front Range. Commerce City and Lone Tree both dropped their pit bull bans in 2021. Aurora, which had one of the strictest bans in the state, sent the question to voters in November 2024 as Question 3A. It passed, and pit bulls in Aurora are now subject to the same dangerous-dog ordinances that apply to every other breed.5Ballotpedia. Aurora, Colorado, Question 3A, Repeal Ban on Owning Pit Bull Dogs Measure (November 2024) If you live in one of these cities, no breed-specific permit is required.
Cities That Still Ban the Breed
Not every Colorado city has moved. Louisville’s municipal code still makes it unlawful to own, keep, or transport a pit bull within city limits. A handful of smaller communities keep similar prohibitions on their books. Local ordinances change, and smaller towns don’t always publicize updates, so the only reliable move is to pull up your city’s municipal code directly or call your local animal control office before bringing a pit bull home.
Cities that enforce breed bans typically define “pit bull” to include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and often any mixed-breed dog that displays a majority of physical traits associated with those breeds. Enforcement usually comes down to visual identification by an animal control officer, since most ordinances don’t require a DNA test.
What Happens If You Get Caught
In Denver, violating the breed-restricted permit rules can bring permit revocation, fines of $500 to $1,000 per offense, and an order to remove the dog from the city.3City and County of Denver. Breed-Restricted Permitting If your permit is revoked, you have 24 hours to get the dog out of Denver. Failing to do so can lead to impoundment and permanent forfeiture.
In cities with outright bans, the pattern is similar. The dog is impounded, the owner gets a short window to relocate the animal outside city limits, and municipal court handles the fine. Repeat violations tend to escalate from civil penalties to criminal charges. Boarding fees, emergency placement, and legal costs stack up fast. Renters can also face lease violations or eviction on top of the municipal penalty.
The Dangerous Dog Law Applies Everywhere
Even in cities that allow pit bulls freely, Colorado’s statewide dangerous dog statute still applies. Any dog, regardless of breed, can be classified as dangerous if it inflicts bodily injury or death on a person or domestic animal, or behaves in a way that would make a reasonable person believe it could.1Findlaw. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Criminal Code 18-9-204.5 This is the law Aurora now relies on in place of its old breed ban, and it carries criminal penalties that scale with the severity of any injury. Owning a pit bull legally does not insulate you from this statute if the dog bites someone.
Service and Assistance Animal Exceptions
Federal law overrides local breed bans in two specific situations. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a city that bans a breed cannot refuse a service dog of that breed; the only ground for excluding a particular service animal is that individual dog’s actual behavior or history.6ADA.gov. Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA Under the Fair Housing Act, HUD guidance says housing providers cannot refuse an assistance animal because of breed or size, which covers both trained service dogs and emotional support animals prescribed by a healthcare provider. A landlord in a ban city generally cannot refuse a tenant whose pit bull is a prescribed assistance animal, though the city’s breed rules may still restrict where the dog can go in public.
Insurance and Landlords Can Still Say No
Legality is only half the picture. Many homeowners and renters insurance companies either refuse to write policies for households with pit bulls or exclude the breed from liability coverage entirely. Some will sell you a policy but exclude any claim involving the dog, which defeats most of the point. A few insurers, including State Farm and USAA, evaluate dogs individually rather than by breed, so those are reasonable places to start if your current carrier won’t cover you. Colorado is not among the states that bar insurers from using breed as a basis for denying coverage.
The stakes matter. Dog bite liability claims across the country have averaged roughly $69,000 per claim in recent years, and a serious bite without coverage could be financially devastating. Some owners add umbrella liability policies to fill the gap when their standard homeowners policy excludes the breed. Whatever you carry, confirm the coverage in writing before you assume you’re protected.
Renters hit a second wall. Even in cities where pit bulls are legal, individual landlords and property management companies routinely prohibit the breed in their leases. Breaking that lease term can lead to eviction regardless of what the municipal code allows. The Fair Housing Act assistance animal exception is the main legal workaround, and it requires proper documentation from a healthcare provider and applies only to disability-related needs.