There is a newer version
of
this Chapter
2022 Code of Virginia
Title 3.2 - Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food
Chapter 65 - Comprehensive Animal Care
Article 1. General Provisions
- § 3.2-6500. Definitions
- § 3.2-6501. Regulations and guidelines
- § 3.2-6501.1. Regulations for the keeping of certain animals
- § 3.2-6502. State Veterinarian's power to inspect premises where animals are kept; investigations and search warrants
Article 2. Animal Welfare
- § 3.2-6503. Care of companion animals by owner; penalty
- § 3.2-6503.1. Care of agricultural animals by owner; penalty
- § 3.2-6504. Abandonment of animal; penalty
- § 3.2-6504.1. Civil immunity; forcible entry of motor vehicle to remove unattended companion animal
- § 3.2-6505. Disposal of animals by means of decompression chamber and use of gas chamber for companion animals prohibited
- § 3.2-6506. Exceptions regarding veterinarians
- § 3.2-6507. Injured or sick animal; action by veterinarian
Article 2.1. Commercial Dog Breeding Operations
- § 3.2-6507.1. Business license required
- § 3.2-6507.2. Commercial dog breeding; requirements
- § 3.2-6507.3. Right of entry
- § 3.2-6507.4. Concurrent operation of releasing agency prohibited
- § 3.2-6507.5. Penalty
- § 3.2-6507.6. Duty of attorneys for the Commonwealth
Article 3. Transportation and Sale of Animals
- § 3.2-6508. Transporting animals; requirements; penalty
- § 3.2-6508.1. Sale of dogs or cats prohibited in certain places
- § 3.2-6509. Misrepresentation of animal's condition; penalties
- § 3.2-6509.1. Disclosure of animal bite history; penalties
- § 3.2-6510. Sale of unweaned or certain immature animals prohibited, vaccinations required for dogs and cats; penalty
- § 3.2-6511. Failure of dealer or pet shop to provide adequate care; penalty; report
- § 3.2-6511.1. Pet shops; procurement of dogs; penalty
- § 3.2-6511.2. Dealers; importation and sale of dogs and cats; penalty
- § 3.2-6512. Sale without pet dealer's animal history certificate violation of Consumer Protection Act; contents of certificate
- § 3.2-6513. Inclusion of false or misleading statements in certificate violation of Consumer Protection Act
- § 3.2-6513.1. Pet shops; posting of information about dogs
- § 3.2-6513.2. Rental or lease of dog or cat prohibited; civil penalty
- § 3.2-6514. Consumer remedies for receipt of diseased animal upon certification by veterinarian
- § 3.2-6515. Written notice of consumer remedies required to be supplied by pet dealers
- § 3.2-6516. Failure of pet dealer to effect registration after promise; violation of Consumer Protection Act; remedies; veterinary certification; finding of intestinal parasites; illness subsequent to sale
- § 3.2-6517. Remedies cumulative
Article 4. Boarding Establishments and Groomers
- § 3.2-6518. Boarding establishments and groomers; veterinary care requirements; consumer notification; penalty
- § 3.2-6519. Written notice of consumer remedies required to be supplied by boarding establishments; penalty
- § 3.2-6520. Procedure for animals left unclaimed with veterinarian or boarding establishment after public notice; lien; sale
Article 5. Rabies Control and Licensing of Dogs and Cats
- § 3.2-6521. Rabies inoculation of companion animals; availability of certificate; rabies clinics
- § 3.2-6522. Rabid animals
- § 3.2-6523. Inoculation for rabies at public or private animal shelters
- § 3.2-6524. Unlicensed dogs prohibited; ordinances for licensing cats
- § 3.2-6525. Regulations to prevent spread of rabies
- § 3.2-6526. What dog or cat license shall consist of
- § 3.2-6527. How to obtain license
- § 3.2-6528. Amount of license tax
- § 3.2-6529. Veterinarians to provide treasurer with rabies certificate information; civil penalty
- § 3.2-6530. When license tax payable
- § 3.2-6531. Displaying receipts; dogs to wear tags
- § 3.2-6532. Duplicate license tags
- § 3.2-6533. Effect of dog or cat not wearing a license tag as evidence
- § 3.2-6534. Disposition of funds
- § 3.2-6535. Supplemental funds
- § 3.2-6536. Payment of license tax subsequent to summons
Article 6. Authority of Local Governing Bodies
- § 3.2-6537. Ordinances; penalties
- § 3.2-6537.1. Cash bond for a pet shop obtaining certain dogs
- § 3.2-6538. Governing body of any locality may prohibit dogs from running at large; civil penalty
- § 3.2-6539. Ordinance requiring dogs to be kept on leash
- § 3.2-6540. Dangerous dogs; investigation, summons, and hearing
- § 3.2-6540.01. Obligations of officer and owner following dangerous dog finding
- § 3.2-6540.02. Notice of dangerous dog finding; penalty
- § 3.2-6540.03. Violation of law by owner of dangerous dog; penalty
- § 3.2-6540.04. Subsequent attack or bite by dangerous dog; penalty
- § 3.2-6540.1. Vicious dogs; penalties
- § 3.2-6541. Authority to prohibit training of attack dogs
- § 3.2-6541.1. Authority to prohibit ownership of particular breed
- § 3.2-6542. Establishment of Dangerous Dog Registry
- § 3.2-6542.1. Renewal of dangerous dog registration
- § 3.2-6542.2. Dangerous dog fees; local fund
- § 3.2-6543. Governing body of any locality may adopt certain ordinances
- § 3.2-6543.1. Authority to enact parallel dangerous dog ordinance
- § 3.2-6544. Regulation of keeping of animals and fowl
- § 3.2-6545. Regulation of sale of animals procured from animal shelters
- § 3.2-6546. County or city public animal shelters; confinement and disposition of animals; affiliation with foster care providers; penalties; injunctive relief
- § 3.2-6547. Acceptance of animals for research or experimentation; prohibition
- § 3.2-6548. Private animal shelters; confinement and disposition of animals; affiliation with foster care providers; penalties; injunctive relief
- § 3.2-6549. Releasing agencies other than public or private animal shelters; confinement and disposition of companion animals; recordkeeping; affiliation with foster care providers; penalties
- § 3.2-6550. Requirements for foster homes; penalty
- § 3.2-6551. Notification by individuals finding companion animals; penalty
- § 3.2-6552. Dogs killing, injuring, or chasing livestock or poultry
- § 3.2-6553. Compensation for livestock and poultry killed by dogs
- § 3.2-6554. Disposal of dead companion animals
Article 7. Animal Control Officers and Humane Investigators
- § 3.2-6555. Position of animal control officer created
- § 3.2-6556. Training of animal control officers
- § 3.2-6557. Animal control officers and humane investigators; limitations; records; penalties
- § 3.2-6558. Humane investigators; qualifications; appointment; term
- § 3.2-6559. Powers and duties of humane investigators
- § 3.2-6560. Expenses of humane investigators
- § 3.2-6561. Revocation of appointment of humane investigators
- § 3.2-6562. Capturing, confining, and euthanizing companion animals by animal control officers; approval of drugs used
- § 3.2-6562.1. Rabies exposure; local authority and responsibility plan
- § 3.2-6562.2. Rabies exposure reports
- § 3.2-6563. When animals to be euthanized; procedure
Article 8. Search, Seizure, Impounding, and Enforcement
- § 3.2-6564. Complaint of suspected violation; investigation
- § 3.2-6565. Impoundment; expenses; lien; disposition of animal
- § 3.2-6566. Preventing cruelty to animals; interference; penalty
- § 3.2-6567. Enforcement authority
- § 3.2-6568. Power of search for violations of statutes against cruelty to animals
- § 3.2-6569. Seizure and impoundment of animals; notice and hearing; disposition of animal; disposition of proceeds upon sale
Article 9. Cruelty to Animals
- § 3.2-6570. Cruelty to animals; penalty
- § 3.2-6570.1. Sale of animals after cruelty or neglect conviction; penalty
- § 3.2-6571. Animal fighting; penalty
- § 3.2-6572. Reserved
- § 3.2-6573. Shooting birds for amusement, and renting premises for such purposes; penalty
Article 10. Mandatory Sterilization of Dogs and Cats Adopted from Releasing Agencies
- § 3.2-6574. Sterilization of adopted dogs and cats; enforcement; civil penalty
- § 3.2-6575. Sterilization agreement
- § 3.2-6576. Sterilization confirmation; civil penalty
- § 3.2-6577. Notification concerning lost, stolen or dead dogs or cats; civil penalty
- § 3.2-6578. Exemptions
- § 3.2-6579. Releasing agency; fees and deposits
- § 3.2-6580. Civil penalties
Article 11. Hybrid Canines
- § 3.2-6581. Definitions
- § 3.2-6582. Hybrid canine ordinance; penalty
- § 3.2-6583. Hybrid canines killing, injuring or chasing livestock
- § 3.2-6584. Compensation for livestock and poultry killed by hybrid canines
Article 12. Miscellaneous Provisions
- § 3.2-6585. Dogs and cats deemed personal property; rights relating thereto
- § 3.2-6585.1. Duty to identify; scanning for microchip
- § 3.2-6586. Dog injuring or killing other companion animals
- § 3.2-6587. Unlawful acts; penalties
- § 3.2-6588. Intentional interference with a guide or leader dog; penalty
- § 3.2-6589. Selling garments containing dog or cat fur prohibited; penalty
- § 3.2-6590. Jurisdiction of general district courts; right of appeal
Article 13. Animal Research
- § 3.2-6591. Definitions
- § 3.2-6592. Manufacturers and contract testing facilities required to use alternative test methods when available
- § 3.2-6592.1. Breeding cats and dogs for experimental purposes
- § 3.2-6593. Enforcement; civil action; penalty
- § 3.2-6593.1. Animal testing facilities; adoption of dogs and cats
Article 14. Dangerous Captive Animal Exhibits
Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. Virginia may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.