# Colombia’s Police Code and dogs: leash, dog waste, special-handling breeds and fines

https://casatrufa.com/en/blog/colombia-police-code-dogs-leash-rules-and-fines

By Casa Trufa · Published: 2026-10-09

Colombia’s Law 1801 of 2016 requires every dog to be on a leash in public space, its waste to be picked up, and its owner to keep it from attacking people, animals or property. Fines run from type 1 to type 4 and, since Law 2450 of 2025, equal 2, 4, 8 and 16 daily minimum wages.

## In short

- Every dog must be on a leash in public space and on public transport (Article 118).
- Not picking up dog waste is a type 1 fine; allowing the dog to attack is a type 4 fine (Article 124).
- Since March 2025, general fines are worth 2, 4, 8 and 16 daily minimum wages, half what they were before.
- Paying within five business days cuts the fine in half; type 1 and 2 fines can be swapped for an educational activity.
- Special-handling breeds are a closed list in Article 126 and require registration, an insurance policy, a microchip and a muzzle.

## Is it mandatory to keep a dog on a leash in Colombia?

Yes. Article 118 of Colombia’s Law 1801 of 2016 provides that in public space, on roads, in places open to the public and on public transport, all dogs be held on a leash. Article 117 requires the same in the common areas of residential complexes. A muzzle is mandatory only for special-handling dogs.

The law says “traílla”, which is simply the everyday leash. What we did not find in [Article 124](http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_1801_2016_pr002.html), the one that assigns the fines, is an item that expressly penalizes walking a dog off the leash when it is not a special-handling dog. The consequence comes from another direction: if that loose dog attacks someone, the fine is the highest general fine in the Code. This text is for information and does not replace a lawyer’s advice.

## What is the fine for not picking up dog waste?

A type 1 general fine. Article 124, item 3, penalizes failing to pick up animals’ waste, or leaving it behind after picking it up, when this happens in public space or in common areas. In other words: picking it up and leaving the bag on the sidewalk is also an infraction, just like not picking it up.

The rule applies in the street as much as in the hallways, parking areas and green areas of a residential complex. What the complex can and cannot require beyond that is in [dogs in residential complexes](https://casatrufa.com/en/blog/dogs-in-residential-complexes-colombia-law-675).

## How much are type 1, 2, 3 and 4 fines?

Since Law 2450 of 2025, which amended Article 180 of the Code, general fines equal 2, 4, 8 and 16 current legal daily minimum wages. Before, they were 4, 8, 16 and 32, so many tables circulating online still show double what the law says today.

| Type of fine | Value under Article 180 as in force | Before March 2025 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Type 1 | 2 daily minimum wages | 4 |
| Type 2 | 4 daily minimum wages | 8 |
| Type 3 | 8 daily minimum wages | 16 |
| Type 4 | 16 daily minimum wages | 32 |

The value in pesos changes every January with the minimum wage: a daily minimum wage is the monthly one divided by thirty. We give no figures in pesos because we did not find an official 2026 table already adjusted to [Law 2450 of 2025](http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_2450_2025.html); the exact value appears on the citation (comparendo).

The same Article 180 offers three ways out:

- **Early payment**: if you pay within the five business days following the citation, the fine drops by 50%.
- **Commutation**: for type 1 and 2 fines you can ask, within those same five business days, to swap it for a community program or an educational activity on coexistence.
- **Objection**: if you disagree, you have three business days to appear before the competent authority and object to the measure.

## What dog-related behaviors does the Police Code penalize?

Those in Article 124, which gathers the behaviors that put coexistence at risk through the keeping of animals, and one in Article 116 on selling in the street. They range from a type 1 fine for not picking up waste to a type 4 fine for allowing the animal to attack a person.

| Behavior | Provision | Fine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Not picking up waste, or leaving it behind | Art. 124, item 3 | Type 1 |
| Allowing the animal to scatter garbage bags | Art. 124, item 9 | Type 1 |
| Preventing a guide dog from entering with its keeper | Art. 124, item 2 | Type 2 |
| Moving a special-handling dog without a muzzle or leash | Art. 124, item 4, and Art. 134, item 2 | Type 2 |
| Selling domestic animals on public roads in municipalities of more than 100,000 inhabitants | Art. 116, item 2 | Type 3 |
| Tolerating or allowing an animal to attack a person, an animal or third-party property | Art. 124, item 7 | Type 4 |
| Training dogs for fights or to attack | Art. 124, item 8 | Type 4 |

Selling in the street is also a warning sign for anyone looking for a puppy: we explain it in [is selling dogs legal in Colombia?](https://casatrufa.com/en/guides/is-selling-dogs-legal-in-colombia). All these measures apply without prejudice to Law 1774 of 2016, which punishes animal abuse.

## Which are the special-handling breeds?

Those in Article 126 of Law 1801, which Law 2054 of 2020 stopped calling “potentially dangerous”. There are fourteen breeds, with their crosses and hybrids, plus dogs of any breed that have attacked people, have killed other dogs or are trained for attack and defense.

This is the list: American Staffordshire Terrier, Bullmastiff, Doberman, Dogo Argentino, Dogue de Bordeaux, Fila Brasileiro, Neapolitan Mastiff, Bull Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, Presa Canario, Rottweiler, Staffordshire Terrier and Japanese Tosa. The Government can add others. The Maltese, the Maltipoo, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the Cockapoo, the Border Collie, the Australian Cattle Dog (Blue Heeler) and the Bernese Mountain Dog are not on it.

Anyone who has one of these dogs must:

- **Register it** in the census kept by the mayor’s office and renew the registration every year (Article 128).
- **Hold a policy** for non-contractual civil liability, of at least 50 monthly minimum wages per dog, and identify the dog with a **microchip** ([Decree 380 of 2022](https://www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=183906)).
- **Keep it muzzled and on a leash** in the street, in common areas and on transport (Article 134, item 2).
- **Not leave it in the care of minors** (Article 134, item 6).

The Constitutional Court upheld these rules in [ruling C-059 of 2018](https://www.corteconstitucional.gov.co/relatoria/2018/C-059-18.htm). The details of registration are in [dog microchip and registration in Colombia](https://casatrufa.com/en/blog/dog-microchip-and-registration-in-colombia).

> [!AVISO] Article 132 prohibits importing, and setting up breeding centers for, the Staffordshire Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier and American Pit Bull Terrier, and their crosses. An ad for puppies of those breeds “from a breeder” deserves distrust.

## Can I take my dog on public transport?

In principle yes, with conditions. Article 123 makes each mayor responsible for regulating the transport of pets on public transport in the municipality, and Article 118 requires a leash wherever their presence is allowed. The Constitutional Court, in ruling C-439 of 2011, barred the exclusion of domestic animals that travel in conditions of health, safety, comfort and tranquility.

In practice, each system has its own rules on carriers, hours and size. We go over them, along with intercity buses, cars and planes, in [traveling with your dog in Colombia](https://casatrufa.com/en/blog/traveling-with-your-dog-in-colombia).

## What happens if my dog gets lost and the municipality picks it up?

You have thirty calendar days to claim it. Article 119 requires each municipality to have an animal welfare center, shelter or foster home, and allows the animal to be declared abandoned and put up for adoption if nobody claims it once that period has passed. Article 121 authorizes charging a daily fee for its care.

That same Article 121 obliges mayors’ offices to report where they take found animals and, in departmental capitals and municipalities of more than one hundred thousand inhabitants, to publish the animal’s photo on their website. A dog that is identified, with its details up to date, gets home much sooner.

## Frequently asked questions

**How much is the fine for not picking up after your dog?** It is a type 1 general fine (Article 124, item 3, of Law 1801 of 2016), which since Law 2450 of 2025 equals two current legal daily minimum wages. It is cut in half if paid within five business days, or it can be swapped for an educational activity.

**Is a muzzle mandatory for all dogs?** No. A muzzle is mandatory for the special-handling dogs of Article 126. For all other dogs, the law requires a leash, not a muzzle.

**Are the Border Collie or the Bernese Mountain Dog special-handling breeds?** They are not on the list in Article 126 of Law 1801 of 2016. But any dog, of any breed, becomes a special-handling dog if it has had episodes of aggression toward people, has killed other dogs or was trained for attack and defense.

**Who is responsible if my dog bites someone?** You are. Tolerating or allowing an animal to attack a person, another animal or third-party property is a type 4 fine (Article 124, item 7), without prejudice to the compensation for damages that the affected person may claim.

**Can I swap the fine for a course?** Yes, for type 1 and 2 fines: within the five business days following the citation (comparendo), you can ask for it to be commuted to taking part in a community program or an educational activity on coexistence (Article 180).

## Sources

1. [Ley 1801 de 2016, Código Nacional de Seguridad y Convivencia Ciudadana (Colombia’s National Police Code), Articles 116 to 130](http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_1801_2016_pr002.html). In Spanish. Title XIII, on the relationship with animals. Text updated as of September 30, 2026
2. [Ley 1801 de 2016 (Articles 131 to 134)](http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_1801_2016_pr003.html). In Spanish. Transfer, import, breeding and behaviors involving special-handling dogs
3. [Ley 1801 de 2016 (Article 180, fines)](http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_1801_2016_pr004.html). In Spanish. Wording in force, given by Article 19 of Law 2450 of 2025
4. [Ley 2450 de 2025 (Law 2450 of 2025)](http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_2450_2025.html). In Spanish. Published in Diario Oficial 53.049 of March 5, 2025; its Article 19 set the fines at 2, 4, 8 and 16 daily minimum wages
5. [Decreto 380 de 2022 (Decree 380 of 2022), special-handling dogs](https://www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=183906). In Spanish. Civil liability policy (minimum 50 monthly minimum wages per dog) and microchip
6. [Corte Constitucional (Colombia’s Constitutional Court), ruling C-059 of 2018](https://www.corteconstitucional.gov.co/relatoria/2018/C-059-18.htm). In Spanish. Constitutionality of Articles 126 to 133 of Law 1801 upheld
7. [Corte Constitucional (Colombia’s Constitutional Court), ruling C-439 of 2011](https://www.corteconstitucional.gov.co/relatoria/2011/C-439-11.htm). In Spanish. Domestic animals on public passenger transport