Spotsylvania County, VA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Sec. 4-31 sets out how the county handles a dog accused of being dangerous. A law enforcement or animal control officer who believes a dog is dangerous applies to a magistrate for a summons requiring the owner to appear before the general district court, and the officer must skip that step if the injury to a companion animal was not serious, both animals share an owner, the incident happened on the biting dog's own property, or a human injury was only a minor scratch or abrasion.

2's misdemeanor procedure. The court can only find a dog dangerous if it killed or seriously injured a companion animal that is a dog or cat, or directly caused a serious injury to a person such as a laceration, broken bone, or substantial puncture from teeth. Sec. 4-31(K) then lists the defenses that block a dangerous-dog finding altogether: the dog cannot be found dangerous solely because of its breed, if the victim was committing a crime or trespass on the owner's premises, if the victim had provoked or abused the dog, if the dog is an on-duty police dog, if the dog was responding to its own pain or protecting itself, its offspring, a person, or property, or if it was hunting or in an organized dog-handling event.

Once declared dangerous, Sec. 4-32 requires the owner to obtain neutering or spaying documentation, microchip the dog, carry at least $100,000 in liability coverage or a bond, pay the county a $150 fee, complete a state dangerous-dog registration certificate, and post warning signs at every entrance to the home and yard.