Chesapeake, VA Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Chesapeake City Code Secs. 10-8 and 10-9
- Homing pigeon penalty
- Class 3 misdemeanor for killing or trapping
- Nuisance abatement request
- Written application to the Chief of Police
- Bond requirement
- Indemnity bond set by the City Manager
- Business-building exception
- Officers may cull pigeons roosting on commercial buildings
Summary
Chesapeake declares concentrated pigeons a public nuisance and lets a property owner ask the Chief of Police, in writing, to authorize an officer to kill or scatter the birds. The same ordinance protects homing pigeons absolutely: killing, trapping, or poisoning one owned by someone else is a class 3 misdemeanor.
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person at any time or in any manner to hunt, pursue, take, capture, wound, maim, disfigure or kill any homing pigeon of another person or to make use of any pit or pitfall, scaffold, cage, snare, trap, net, baited hook or similar device or drug, poison, chemical or explosive for the purpose of injuring, capturing or killing any such homing pigeon. However, any officer, employee or agent of the City acting pursuant to section 10-8 may take, capture and kill pigeons in, on and about any building or structure devoted to business, commercial or industrial purposes when any pigeons are using such premises for roosting, resting or congregating thereon. All pigeons taken upon such premises shall be conclusively deemed not to be homing pigeons or the property of any person.(b)Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor.
Full Breakdown
The abatement mechanism sits in Sec. 10-8. A property owner who believes pigeons are concentrated or harboring on their land can apply in writing to the Chief of Police, who may designate a Police Department member to kill, attempt to kill, or frighten the birds off that property. Before any officer is designated, the applicant must agree in writing to indemnify the City against any claim from the authorized killing, and must post a bond with corporate surety, approved as to form by the City Attorney and set in an amount fixed by the City Manager.
No authority under Sec. 10-8 ever extends to homing pigeons; the section says so explicitly. Sec. 10-9 carries the actual protection. It is unlawful for anyone, at any time or in any manner, to hunt, pursue, take, capture, wound, maim, disfigure, or kill a homing pigeon belonging to someone else, and the ordinance also bans the tools: pits, pitfalls, scaffolds, cages, snares, traps, nets, baited hooks, poison, chemicals, or explosives aimed at a homing pigeon. There is one carve-out: a City officer, employee, or agent acting under Sec.
10-8 may take, capture, or kill pigeons found roosting, resting, or congregating on a building or structure used for business, commercial, or industrial purposes. Any pigeon taken on that kind of premises is conclusively presumed not to be a homing pigeon or anyone's property, which removes the officer's liability under Sec. 10-9. A violation of Sec. 10-9 is a class 3 misdemeanor.
Violations & Fines
Killing, trapping, poisoning, or otherwise injuring a homing pigeon owned by another person is a class 3 misdemeanor under Sec. 10-9. Using an unauthorized pigeon-control method, such as poison or a trap outside the Sec. 10-8 process, exposes the person to the same charge. A property owner who skips the written application and indemnity bond required by Sec. 10-8 has no authorization defense if a designated abatement goes wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have pigeons removed from my property in Chesapeake?
Is it legal to trap or kill a homing pigeon in Chesapeake?
Do the pigeon-killing rules apply to birds roosting on my business?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chesapeake
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