The state-level rules every owner and walker in Colorado should know. Local leash lengths, licensing and off-leash rules are set by each city — find those on the city pages below.
Colorado is a two-track state — strict liability (economic damages only) for serious injury or death, negligence for the rest — and it expressly exempts professional dog handlers from suing under the statute.
Colorado (C.R.S. § 13-21-124) splits by injury severity. For serious bodily injury or death, the statute imposes strict liability — but for economic damages only (medical bills, lost wages), regardless of the dog's history. For lesser injuries, a victim must proceed under negligence or one-bite (prove the owner knew or should have known, or was negligent; a leash violation is negligence per se). The statute defines dog owner broadly — owning, possessing, harboring, keeping, or having control or custody — so a walker can be a statutory owner for the strict-liability track.
The statute lists exemptions from strict-liability recovery: trespassers, property posted beware of dog or no trespassing, someone knowingly provoking the dog, working farm or hunting dogs, and — notably — professional dog handlers, trainers, vets, and groomers acting in their duties (§ 13-21-124(5)(e)). This is an assumption-of-risk carve-out: if a client's dog bites you on the job, you generally cannot use the strict-liability statute against the owner (as with California's veterinarian's rule).
There is no statewide leash law — rules are local (for example, Denver requires a leash no longer than 6 ft, Municipal Code 8-16), and a violation is negligence per se. Non-economic damages are capped around $350,000 (with exceptions for disfigurement or permanent impairment), and the dangerous-dog criminal law (§ 18-9-204.5) runs from misdemeanor to felony. The personal-injury limit is two years.
This is general information about Colorado law, not legal advice. Confirm current rules with the official state and municipal sources.