For people seriously hurt by a dog in Denver, Colorado law can make the owner liable even if the dog had never bitten anyone before. We work from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St. to prove it. No fee unless we win.
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If a dog seriously hurt you in Denver, state law may make the owner responsible even if the dog had never bitten anyone before. CGH Injury Lawyers keeps a physical office in Denver's RiNo and Cole area, minutes from I-70 and Colfax Ave. We handle the insurance claim, the negotiation, and trial in Denver District Court when an insurer refuses to be fair. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.
Colorado does not follow a pure "one bite" rule, and it is not a pure strict-liability state either. The dog bite statute sets up two separate tracks, and which one applies to your Denver case depends almost entirely on how badly you were hurt.
The core of the statute reads: a person who suffers serious bodily injury or death from being bitten by a dog while lawfully on public or private property may bring a civil action to recover economic damages against the dog owner, regardless of the viciousness or dangerous propensities of the dog or the owner's knowledge of them (C.R.S. 13-21-124(2)).
In plain English, two things have to be true for the strict-liability track: your injury has to meet Colorado's definition of serious bodily injury, and you have to have been lawfully on the property where the bite happened. Meet both and the Denver owner is liable for your economic losses, even if the dog had never shown a hint of aggression before.
The single most important question in a Denver dog bite case is which track applies. One track is far easier to win than the other, and the dividing line is the severity of the injury.
Colorado's dog bite statute borrows its definition of serious bodily injury from the criminal code (C.R.S. 18-1-901(3)(p)). In general terms, it covers injuries that carry a substantial risk of death, serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of a body part, and certain fractures and burns. A facial scar that does not fade, nerve damage that leaves lasting weakness, or a broken bone from an attack are the kinds of injuries that tend to meet it.
Whether a specific injury crosses that line is a legal judgment, not something to assume on your own. We review your medical records against the statutory definition before we tell you which track your Denver case sits on.
A Denver dog bite case lives in Denver: the agency you report the bite to, the hospital that treated you, and the courthouse where your case may be filed. Here is the ground we work on.
Reporting
Within city limits, dog bites are reported to Denver Animal Protection, part of the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. Reporting the bite creates an official record, can feed the local dangerous-dog process, and supports your claim. Report the bite even if the owner asks you not to. Confirm the specific reporting steps that apply where your bite occurred before relying on any deadline.
Trauma Care
After a serious Denver dog attack, the most critically injured patients are typically transported to Denver Health, the region's Level I trauma center. Those medical records document the full scope of your injuries, including scarring and nerve damage, and become the backbone of your damages claim. UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital also treat bite injuries across the metro.
Courthouse
Personal injury cases that arise in Denver County are filed in Denver District Court, the 2nd Judicial District, with civil matters heard at 1437 Bannock St. Denver civil procedure differs from suburban courts, and the judges and opposing counsel either know your firm or they don't. We handle Denver District Court cases directly.
Denver adds its own animal rules on top of state law. They can matter as evidence, but they are not what makes an owner responsible for your injuries.
For more than three decades Denver banned pit bull type dogs outright. That ended on January 1, 2021, when a voter-approved ballot measure replaced the ban with a breed-restricted permit handled through Denver Animal Protection. Denver also runs a separate local process for dogs that injure people or show dangerous behavior, and a dog handled through that process, or a documented bite record, becomes evidence in your claim. It is one more reason to report every Denver bite.
Colorado also makes it a crime to own a dangerous dog under C.R.S. 18-9-204.5, which defines a dangerous dog by its behavior, not its breed. That criminal case is separate from your civil claim. None of these rules changes the core point: under C.R.S. 13-21-124, an owner can be strictly liable for a serious Denver bite even with no permit problem, no prior bite, and no dangerous-dog label of any kind.
Every bite is different, so we do not publish settlement figures. What we can explain is what moves the value of a Denver claim up or down.
For how these factors come together statewide, read our overview of what a Colorado dog bite settlement involves, then talk to a Denver dog bite lawyer about your facts.
A real Denver office, trial-ready attorneys, bilingual help, and no fee unless we win. We do not publish dog bite settlement figures, because every bite injury is different and a number on a page tells you nothing about your case. What we offer is the work, not a headline.
The Statute
For a serious bite, the owner is strictly liable for your economic damages, even with no prior history. We know exactly which track your case belongs on.
Real Denver Office
Our office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201 is where your attorney works. You can walk in, review your medical records and the insurance file, and meet the team handling your case.
First-Time Bites
Colorado rejects the one bite rule for serious injuries. A clean history does not protect the owner.
Who Pays
Most claims are paid by the owner's homeowner or renter liability coverage, not their savings.
Trial-Ready
Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has tried over 25 cases to verdict. When attorneys are genuinely ready to try a case in Denver District Court, insurers respond differently to a demand.
Bilingual
Spanish-speaking staff and attorneys serve Denver's Spanish-speaking community.
No Win, No Fee
You pay nothing out of pocket for legal fees. We advance costs and collect only from a settlement or verdict.
Take care of your health first, report the bite, protect the evidence, then call before you talk to the insurer. Here is the path we walk with you.
Denver Health and UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital treat serious bite injuries. Even a wound that looks minor can carry infection risk and nerve damage. Get examined, and keep every record.
Within Denver city limits, report the bite to Denver Animal Protection. Reporting creates an official record and can feed the local dangerous-dog process, even if the owner asks you not to.
Photograph your injuries, the dog, and where the attack happened. Identify the dog and its owner, and get the names and contact information of any witnesses.
The owner's insurer may call quickly. Do not give a recorded statement or accept any offer before speaking with us. Call (303) 209-9395.
We confirm which liability track fits, locate the owner's homeowner or renter coverage, gather the animal control record and any history of the dog, and document the full injury.
Most cases settle. When insurers refuse a fair offer, we file in Denver District Court and try your case.
A dog bite is rarely just a medical bill. Colorado law recognizes two broad categories of damages, and which ones you can reach depends on the liability track your case sits on.
Here is a distinction many people miss. The strict-liability track in C.R.S. 13-21-124(2) recovers economic damages only. To recover non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, a victim pursues a negligence theory, which the statute expressly leaves available (C.R.S. 13-21-124(6)(a)). In a serious injury case, both paths are often pursued together. We structure the claim so that no category of harm you suffered is left on the table.
The statute lists specific situations where an owner is not liable (C.R.S. 13-21-124(5)). Insurers reach for these defenses early. Knowing what each one actually requires is how we keep a valid claim alive.
The statute protects people lawfully on the property. Colorado defines that broadly to include anyone performing a legal duty, such as a mail carrier, and anyone there by the owner's express or implied invitation (C.R.S. 13-21-124(4)). An open gate or the absence of posted signs can support lawful presence. The statute also bars liability where the property is clearly posted with "no trespassing" or "beware of dog" signs, which is why the facts of where and how you entered matter so much.
An owner is not liable when the person knowingly provokes the dog (C.R.S. 13-21-124(5)(d)). Knowingly is the key word. Petting a dog, walking past it, or being startled is not provocation. We use witness statements and your own account to keep ordinary, reasonable behavior from being recast as provocation.
The statute carves out dogs used by peace officers or military personnel on duty, and dogs working as hunting, herding, farm, ranch, or predator-control animals on the owner's property (C.R.S. 13-21-124(5)). It also exempts bites against veterinary workers, groomers, handlers, and similar professionals acting in their duties. These exemptions are narrow and rarely fit an ordinary household pet biting a visitor in a Denver neighborhood.
One honest thing we will tell you up front: we do not take dog bite cases we cannot honestly stand behind. If your situation falls squarely within a statutory exemption, we will say so in the free review rather than sign you up and let the case stall. When the law is on your side, we fight hard. When it is not, you deserve to hear that early, for free.
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The most common reason people hesitate to pursue a dog bite claim is that the owner is a friend, a neighbor, or a relative. Understanding how the money actually moves usually puts that fear to rest.
For a serious bite, usually yes. Colorado's two-track statute and the owner's insurance coverage are technical, and insurers negotiate these claims for a living. We work on contingency, so there is no upfront cost and no fee unless we win. The free case review also tells you honestly whether your Denver claim is strong before you commit to anything.
There is no honest flat answer, because value depends on the severity of your injury, which damages the statute lets you reach, and the owner's available insurance. A serious injury that opens the strict-liability track and also supports a negligence claim for pain and suffering reaches more of your losses than a minor bite. We walk through these value drivers with you in the free review rather than quote a number that means nothing without your facts.
No. Colorado rejects the "one bite rule" for serious injuries. Under the strict-liability track in C.R.S. 13-21-124(2), the dog's history is irrelevant if your injury qualifies as serious bodily injury. The Denver owner is liable for your economic damages even if the dog had never bitten anyone before. For less serious injuries, the dog's history matters because you would proceed under a negligence theory.
Often, yes, but not through the strict-liability track alone. C.R.S. 13-21-124(2) limits the strict-liability claim to economic damages. To recover non-economic damages like pain and suffering, you pursue a negligence theory, which the statute expressly preserves (C.R.S. 13-21-124(6)(a)). In a serious injury case both paths are commonly pursued together. We structure the claim to reach every category of harm.
In most cases the owner's homeowner or renter liability insurance pays, not the owner personally. Most Colorado policies include this coverage, though some insurers exclude certain breeds or cap the limits. We confirm the policy terms early so we know what coverage is available before negotiating.
Personal injury cases that arise in Denver County are filed in Denver District Court, the 2nd Judicial District, with civil matters heard at 1437 Bannock St. Most dog bite claims settle before a lawsuit is ever filed, but where a case would be filed affects the local rules, the jury pool, and which adjusters and defense firms you face. We handle Denver District Court cases directly.
The deadline for most personal injury claims in Colorado, including dog bites, is generally two years from the date of injury (C.R.S. 13-80-102). If the victim is a child, Colorado law allows the claim to be filed within the standard window or up to two years after the child turns 18, whichever is later (C.R.S. 13-81-103). Even with that extra time, evidence should be preserved early, so it is best to consult an attorney soon after the bite.
Colorado's dog bite statute uses the definition of serious bodily injury from C.R.S. 18-1-901(3)(p). It generally covers injuries that carry a substantial risk of death, serious permanent disfigurement, protracted loss or impairment of a body part, and certain fractures and burns. Facial scarring, nerve damage, and broken bones from an attack are common examples. Whether a particular injury crosses that line is a legal judgment we make after reviewing your medical records.
Not automatically. The statute bars liability only where the person knowingly provoked the dog (C.R.S. 13-21-124(5)(d)). Petting a dog, walking past it, or reacting to being startled is not provocation. We use witness statements and your account to keep ordinary, reasonable conduct from being mischaracterized.
Get medical care, photograph your injuries and the scene, identify the dog and its owner, and report the bite to Denver Animal Protection even if the owner asks you not to. Keep every medical record and receipt. Then speak with an attorney before giving any recorded statement to an insurer. You can reach our Denver office at (303) 209-9395.
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Prefer to read first? See how Colorado's dog bite law works.
CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205
