Animal Protection

To report any dead domestic cat or dog that is lying in, or adjacent to a roadway within any of our service areas, please call Boulder County Communications at 303 – 441 – 4444 and an Animal Protection Officer will be dispatched to remove it.

Property owners are responsible for disposing of all animal remains located on private property. We recommend that you wear gloves and place the remains in plastic bags and dispose them with household trash. There are also private companies that perform this service for a fee.

Large (deer-sized) animal carcasses on county-maintained roads, that are causing a traffic hazard, can be requested to be removed from the roadway by Boulder County Public Works. Please submit a request at https://osr.pubworks.com/?custid=09W26W17

If you have a large number of animal mortalities due to disease, please contact the Colorado Department of Agriculture for guidance.

All domestic animals impounded by Sheriff’s deputies or Animal Protection Officers are taken to one of two local animal shelters.

Animals that are taken into custody south of Colorado Highway 52 (Mineral Road) are transported to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, located at 2323 55th Street, Boulder, CO. For current business hours visit their website, https://www.boulderhumane.org/ The phone number to HSBV is 303 – 442 – 4030.

Animals taken into custody north of Colorado Highway 52 (Mineral Road) are transported to the Longmont Humane Society, located at 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont, CO. For current hours of operation visit their website, https://www.longmonthumane.org/ The phone number to LHS is 303 – 772 – 1232.

If you wish to report an injured or sick animal, call Boulder County Communications at 303 – 441 – 4444. If the animal is a domestic cat or dog, an Animal Protection Officer or a Sheriff’s deputy will respond to ensure the animal is transported to a local veterinarian or Humane Society.

In cases involving wildlife, officers of the Colorado Division of Wildlife may be notified, and an Animal Protection Officer will respond to ensure the safety of the animal and community.

All dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies. In addition, all dogs must wear a collar with their rabies tag firmly attached. Boulder County ordinances are intended to protect animals as well as citizens.

While state law provides some governance, local ordinances typically regulate the majority of animal-related issues. Below are links to the respective jurisdictions:

• Boulder County Ordinances
• Town of Lyons Municipal Code
• Town of Nederland Municipal Code
• Town of Superior Municipal Code.

If your pet has bitten someone, or if you are the victim of an animal bite, state law health regulations require a report to be filed with Animal Protection.

Dogs, cats, and ferrets involved in a biting incident must be confined to the owner’s or keeper’s premises, a veterinarian’s office, or the Humane Society for a ten-day observation period.

If you or your pet is bitten by a wild animal, please report the incident by calling Boulder County Communications at 303 – 441 – 4444.

Incidents involving wildlife (eg. bears, deer, elk, mountain lions, and the like) and hunting violations are typically referred to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife 303 – 297 – 1192.

Sheriff’s deputies and Animal Protection Officers typically respond to emergency or in-progress calls regarding wildlife (eg. rabid raccoons, snake calls, injured deer, etc), however, any follow-up investigations are referred to the Division of Wildlife.