A committee of five Denver electors submitted the Prohibit Force-Feeding Birds Act to the Clerk and Recorder, who stamped it received on July 2, 2025, and their petition placed it on the ballot as Initiated Ordinance 311. It adds Article VIII to Chapter 8 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code. The article takes effect July 1, 2027, and has no end date.
City and County of Denver
311
Denver's Ban on Force-Feeding Birds and Foie Gras
Ban or regulationCity ordinance
Denver would prohibit force-feeding poultry to enlarge their livers and commercial sales of the resulting products, including foie gras, beginning July 1, 2027.
City and County of Denver
On the November 3, 2026 ballot
Kim's Recommendation
NO
Vote No on City and County of Denver Initiated Ordinance 311
Whether a diner orders foie gras is a choice for the diner and the restaurant. Initiated Ordinance 311 takes foie gras from force-fed birds off Denver's menus and puts the city between restaurants, their suppliers and their customers, and I do not accept the city making the choice for them.
The enforcement reaches well past one dish. Health inspectors look for the product on routine visits, and the department may subpoena a restaurant's records on the purchase, storage and sale of its poultry products. Repeated violations within 12 months require suspending the business license, so a restaurant can lose its license for up to six months over a single item on its menu. Because the ordinance counts a sale where the buyer takes possession, it also reaches sellers outside Denver who ship to Denver customers. I oppose giving the city that power over what a restaurant may sell and what its suppliers may bring into Denver.
I recommend a no vote on City and County of Denver Initiated Ordinance 311.
Kim Monson
Host, The Kim Monson Show · President, Colorado Union of Taxpayers · Colorado Voter's Guide 2026
Certified ballot question
Shall the voters of the City and County of Denver adopt an ordinance prohibiting the force-feeding of birds and, in connection therewith, prohibiting the sale of products derived from force-feeding birds, including foie gras?
A yes vote means
The force-feeding and commercial sales prohibitions take effect July 1, 2027, with a veterinary health exception and civil penalties.
A no vote means
Denver does not adopt this ordinance’s prohibitions or penalties.
Petition Origin and Effective Date01
What Counts as Force-Feeding02
The ordinance covers any species of poultry, including ducks and geese. Force-feeding means any process that makes a bird eat more than a typical bird of its species eats voluntarily, including a tube or other device inserted into the esophagus. No person may force-feed a bird to enlarge its liver beyond normal size, or hire someone else to do it. Force-feeding that a licensed veterinarian directs to improve a bird's health is exempt.
Sales and Shipments Into Denver03
No person, retail food establishment or agent may sell, offer for sale or distribution, or offer to provide a product that results from force-feeding a bird to enlarge its liver, or import, transport or receive one into Denver for sale, distribution or any other commercial purpose. The ballot question names foie gras as such a product. A sale includes trading and bartering, and the ordinance places every sale where the recipient takes or would take physical possession. Under that rule, a seller outside the city who delivers to a Denver buyer makes the sale in Denver.
Inspections, Subpoenas and License Suspension04
The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment enforces the article. It checks compliance during routine inspections of retail food establishments and may subpoena records on the purchase, storage and sale of poultry products. It must accept complaints from the public and keep an online database of violations and penalties, updated quarterly.
Each violation carries a civil penalty of $1,000 to $5,000. Each day of a continuing violation counts as a separate offense. Repeated violations within 12 months require suspension of the business license for up to six months, subject to review by a hearing officer. When a corporate entity or its agent violates the article, its owners, operators or the individuals legally responsible for its operation face the same penalties. The city may also sue, including for an injunction.
Penalties for violations
| Violation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Each violation | $1,000–$5,000 civil penalty |
| Repeated violations within 12 months | Mandatory business-license suspension for up to six months, subject to hearing-officer review |
Filed ordinance, section 8-163(b). Each day of a continuing violation is a separate offense.
Why Petitioners Want the Ban05
The ordinance opens with findings declared in the name of the people of Denver: that force-feeding causes birds pain, stress and disease; that the facilities contribute to air and water pollution and endanger workers; and that eating foie gras has been linked to health risks. The proponents conclude that removing force-fed products from the market upholds the city's values of humane animal treatment, public health and environmental stewardship.
Sources06
Official documents
Denver sample ballot, November 3, 2026 election
Prohibit Force-Feeding Birds Act, filed July 2, 2025
Further reading
Official documents
- Denver Clerk and Recorder, Initiative petition statement of sufficiency (force-feeding of birds)Denver Clerk and Recorder (citizen-initiated ordinance; petitioners' committee) · Dec 23, 2025The source is a Denver Clerk and Recorder sufficiency determination letter for the force-feeding-of-birds citizen initiative, stating it had sufficient signatures and would go on the November 3, 2026 ballot unless a special election is called.
- Approved petition sample: Affidavit of Petitioners' Committee with ballot title, initiated ordinance text (DRMC ch. 8 new Article VIII) and…Denver Clerk and Recorder (citizen-initiated ordinance; petitioners' committee) · Jul 2, 2025The source is a 2025 Denver petition affidavit for an initiated ordinance, identifying the petitioners' committee and noting the ballot title would be finalized, but the supplied text does not explicitly mention force-feeding birds or foie gras.
- 2026 General Election sample ballotDenver Clerk and Recorder