Start with the PACFA license
Colorado regulates boarding under the Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA), run by the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Any business that houses more than three pet animals at a time for compensation needs a Boarding/Training Facility license. Getting one involves a qualifying-education course, a pre-license inspection of the building and its records, and routine and complaint inspections afterwards. Licenses expire every March 1, and a business may not operate or even advertise boarding before its license is issued.
Checking is simple. Ask to see the current license, or open the CDA’s PACFA page at ag.colorado.gov and follow the Active Facility List link; search by business name or city. The same page has a complaint form, and inspection reports are available through open-records requests. Our directory marks a listing “PACFA licensed” only when we could confirm it; if a listing has no tag, that is a prompt to ask, not a verdict.
In-home sitters who keep three or fewer dogs fall outside the licence definition. That is legal, and for a shy or elderly dog a quiet house can be the right call. It just means nobody inspects the home, so ask how many dogs will be there, where yours sleeps, who is present during the day and what the plan is for a vet emergency.
Vaccine norms along the Front Range
Expect to show proof of rabies, DHPP (distemper and parvo) and Bordetella. Many Front Range facilities also ask for canine influenza and leptospirosis, especially since the 2023 respiratory-illness wave, when Colorado vets reported roughly twice the usual number of coughing dogs. The flu vaccine needs a booster two to four weeks after the first dose, so start the series at least three to four weeks before a stay. Spay or neuter is commonly required for group play after a certain age, and most group-play kennels run an interview or evaluation day before the first booking. PACFA rules updated in July 2025 added vaccination record-keeping requirements for boarding facilities, so a kennel that insists on paperwork before drop-off is doing what the state asks.
Suites, runs, cage-free and webcams
Facilities describe themselves in a few recurring phrases. A standard kennel or cabin is an individual enclosure, usually indoors, with scheduled time in play yards. A luxury suite is bigger, often with a raised bed, a window or a TV, and costs about a third more. Cage-free means dogs sleep together in open rooms; it suits social dogs and can be hard on ones that guard space, so ask how groups are split and whether staff stay overnight. Webcams are common at the chains; check which hours they run and whether they cover sleeping areas or only play yards. Whatever the format, ask how many hours a day your dog is out of its enclosure, whether daycare is included or billed separately, and what medication, individual feeding and late pickup cost.
Holidays, deposits and the ski-season squeeze
Front Range kennels fill up around Thanksgiving, the winter holidays, spring break and summer weekends, and resort-town kennels add the whole ski season. Peak surcharges of $5 to $6 per dog per night are normal, often applied to the night before and after a holiday as well. Most places take a deposit of one night or 50 percent at booking, refundable if you cancel five or more days out and forfeited inside 48 hours; holiday stays may require a non-refundable deposit and a minimum number of nights. Book early, read the cancellation policy, and confirm pickup hours, which can shrink to two short windows on Sundays and holidays.