Roof Rat Laws › Colorado › Aurora
Summary. Good news if you live in Aurora: we checked the city code, and Aurora is no stricter than Colorado. Unlike neighboring Denver (which limits pet rats to an ‘albino strain’), Aurora uses a permissive approach: the Aurora Municipal Code lists ‘hamsters, guinea pigs and similar rodents’ as allowed household pets (AMC 14-1), and its wild/exotic animal ban (AMC 14-8) names squirrels and porcupines but not rats. There is no albino-only limit, no rodent number cap, and no permit for pet rats. A domesticated roof rat is treated the same as the ordinary fancy rat. The two counties that contain Aurora, Adams and Arapahoe, are the same: both defer to Colorado’s ‘pet animal’ definition and add no rat restriction. So in Aurora the Colorado state rules are all that apply (see Colorado). We list Aurora here so anyone who wonders can see it has been checked and confirmed pet-rat friendly.
legal note
This is a research aid, not legal advice; rules change and are interpreted by local officials. Verify with the official source before acting.Status by activity
Keeping / owning Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-20
The Aurora Municipal Code defines a ‘Household pet’ to include ‘dogs, domestic cats, domestic caged birds, canaries, parrots, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs and similar rodents, fish, and reptiles’ kept in the home and not for food or commercial purposes (AMC 14-1). A domesticated roof rat is a ‘similar rodent,’ so it is an allowed household pet. Aurora’s wild/exotic/dangerous animal ban (AMC 14-8) lists squirrels and porcupines but does not list rats, mice, or other pet-trade rodents, and Aurora does not use Denver’s ‘all nonhuman mammals except…’ white-list. This is the same as Colorado, which exempts domesticated rats of the genus Rattus statewide.
Sources: City of Aurora, Colorado, City of Aurora, Colorado, Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Breeding Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-20
Aurora has no local rodent-breeding restriction and no numeric cap on rats (it caps dogs, cats, ferrets, and rabbits, but not rodents). Hobby breeding of a domesticated household pet follows Colorado’s permissive state rule; Aurora adds nothing. See the Colorado page for the state-level position.
Sources: City of Aurora, Colorado, Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Selling or giving away Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-20
Aurora imposes no local restriction on giving away or selling a pet rat. The city code regulates dangerous animals and nuisances, not the transfer of household-pet rodents. Colorado’s state rules apply (see Colorado).
Sources: City of Aurora, Colorado
Transport & import Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-20
Aurora adds no local transport restriction for a pet rat. Colorado’s state-level import rule (a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for a pet rat entering the state) still applies; see the Colorado page. Within Aurora there is no additional barrier.
Sources: City of Aurora, Colorado
Official sources
- Aurora Municipal Code 14-1 (Definitions: ‘Household pet’ includes hamsters, guinea pigs and similar rodents), City of Aurora, Colorado
- Aurora Municipal Code 14-8 (Keeping wild, exotic or dangerous animals; lists squirrels/porcupines, not rats), City of Aurora, Colorado
- Colorado Parks & Wildlife Domestic Animal List, 2 CCR 406-11 Section 1103 (‘Domesticated races of rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus)’), Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Search terms: Rattus rattus, roof rat, household pet, similar rodents, pet animal.
Last reviewed 2026-06-20, which is when a person last read this page against its sources. Spotted an error, or know the law has changed? Email blonderoofrat@gmail.com. And if you write to the agency yourself and get an answer in writing, please forward it. Written agency replies are how 31 of these pages stopped being research and became confirmed.