Colorado legal term
Animal in Colorado Criminal Law
Current through 2026 Colorado legislative session
In Colorado criminal law, “Animal” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Colorado criminal code.
What does “Animal” mean in Colorado criminal law?
"Animal" means any living dumb creature, including a certified police working dog, a police working horse, and a service animal as those terms are defined, respectively, in subsections (2.3), (2.4), and (4.7) of this section. (C.R.S. § 18-9-201)
Statutes defining or using this term
Charges using this term
- Unlawful ownership of dangerous dog
- Animal fighting
- Bribery in sports
- Crime of violation of a protection order
- Defacing a cave
- Immunity for reporting cruelty to animals
- Intentional misrepresentation of a service animal for a person with a disability
- Intentional misrepresentation of entitlement to an assistance animal
- Obstructing a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical service provider, rescue specialist, or volunteer
- Rigging publicly exhibited contests
- Unauthorized release of an animal
- Foreign matter on highway prohibited
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.