Feeder automation is one of the major functions of the distribution automation system (DAS) of Taiwan Power Company (Taipower). Feeder automation reduces the customer outage duration when a fault contingency occurs in a distribution feeder. In feeder automation operation, the feeder terminal unit (FTU) measures and monitors the voltage and current sensors of distribution line switchgear in real time. To propose the service restoration strategy for more efficient feeder automation, an inference mechanism using a colored Petri net (CPN) is employed to derive appropriate switching operations by considering the operational constraints of a distribution system. A CPN model for feeder automation that includes automatic line switches and circuit breakers is proposed for fault detection, isolation, and restoration (FDIR). To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, the computer simulation of a Taipower distribution system with 18 feeders is carried out. The results show that the proposed CPN model can be applied efficiently for the FDIR of the distribution system.