Richmond requires rabies vaccination for all cats four months and older and offers voluntary licensing through Richmond Animal Care and Control, with no formal leash law for cats roaming outdoors.
Under Chapter 4 of the Richmond City Code and Virginia Code §3.2-6521, cats four months of age and older must be currently vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian. Richmond does not impose a leash requirement on cats, but at-large cats causing nuisance, damaging property, or repeatedly trespassing may be impounded by RACC. The city encourages spay-neuter and microchipping and operates trap-neuter-return (TNR) coordination for community cat colonies. Owners surrendering cats must do so directly through RACC rather than abandoning them, which is a separate criminal offense.
Failure to vaccinate is a Class 4 misdemeanor with fines up to $250. Abandonment constitutes Class 3 misdemeanor cruelty. Repeat nuisance complaints may trigger impoundment and reclaim fees.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Richmond, VA
Richmond's zoning and property maintenance codes do not restrict residential lawn ornaments, statuary, or religious displays at single-family homes. Politica...
Richmond, VA
Richmond has no specific city ordinance regulating residential inflatable holiday displays. Restrictions come from HOA and condo covenants under Virginia's P...
Richmond, VA
Richmond has no citywide ordinance restricting residential holiday lights at single-family homes. Real restrictions arise from HOA and condo covenants under ...
Richmond, VA
Outdoor kitchens in Richmond require separate trade permits from PDR Building Permits: building permit for structural elements, mechanical permit for gas lin...
Richmond, VA
Richmond has no specific city ordinance regulating residential offset smokers, pellet grills, or wood-fired pizza ovens at single-family homes. Multi-unit re...
Richmond, VA
Richmond enforces the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code (VSFPC), which adopts the 2018 International Fire Code. IFC §308.1.4 prohibits open-flame cooki...
See how Richmond's cat rules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.