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[RC] Fence out laws - Sky Ranch

It can still be tricky.  Colorado is a fence-out state.  If I want to keep livestock off my property, I have to have at least a 3-strand wire fence, minimum of 4 feet high, around my property.  Otherwise, my neighbors' livestock can roam freely on my land.  Now, roaming livestock on a highway is different, and there are different conditions -- in a marked "open range" area, livestock are loose and the motorists is supposedly forewarned.  It is their responsibility to watch for livestock on the road.
 
If I own livestock that are normally fenced, and the fenced breaks, letting them roam freely on the highway, I'd be liable if someone hits them -- *unless* they are being driven down the road, in a supervised condition - for instance, a cattle drive.  Around here, ranchers routinely move cattle along the roads to and from the high country grazing.  Livestock - horses and cows, sheep, etc. - have the right of way in those conditions.
 
A loose horse that has gotten away from a rider, or loose from a camp, or from its "usual fenced area," is a whole different thing --- the owner of the animal would be liable if someone hits the loose animal.
 
Personally, whether I was legally liable or not would not be my uppermost concern, but it is something to think about.
 
Carla Richardson
Colorado

Replies
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