Albemarle County, VA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Core rule
- § 4-225(A): no dog off-property without a leash
- Electronic collars
- Do not satisfy the leash requirement
- Exceptions
- Hunting, dog parks, service dogs, farm dogs, etc.
- Minimum shelter hold
- 5 days, § 4-227(B)
- Enforcing agency
- Albemarle County Police Dept. Animal Protection
Summary
Albemarle County bars owners from letting a dog run at large: off its owner's property without a leash, lead, or a responsible handler physically able to restrain it. County Code § 4-225(A) says an electronic collar never counts as a leash, and a loose, unlicensed dog can be seized on sight.
An owner shall not allow his dog to run at large in the County, subject to the following: A.When a dog is deemed to run at large. For the purposes of this section, a dog is deemed to "run at large" while roaming, running, or self-hunting off the property of its owner or custodian and the dog is not firmly secured by a physical leash or lead attached to a collar or harness and under the control of a responsible person capable of physically restraining the dog; an electronic collar or other similar electronic device does not qualify as a leash or lead. ... C.Seizure, impoundment, and disposition. Any dog observed or captured while unlawfully running at large and not in the presence of its owner or custodian shall be seized, impounded, and disposed pursuant to Virginia Code § 3.2-6546(B), (C), and (D).
Full Breakdown
" Subsection (A) defines running at large broadly: a dog is at large whenever it is roaming, running, or self-hunting off its owner's or custodian's property and is not firmly secured by a physical leash or lead attached to a collar or harness and under the control of a responsible person capable of physically restraining it. The section is explicit that an electronic collar or similar device never satisfies the leash requirement, and a public right-of-way, road, sidewalk, or trail counts as "off the property" even where it crosses the owner's land under an easement.
Subsection (B) carves out seven exceptions where a loose dog is not deemed at large, covering licensed hunting during season, organized field trials and obedience training, a securely fenced dog park, a service dog under effective voice or signal control, off-season exercise of hunting dogs under a handler's control, search-and-rescue training, and working farm dogs actively guarding or herding livestock or fowl. 2-6546(B) through (D), meaning it goes to a public animal shelter. A companion section, § 4-226, separately bars a dog from running at large without wearing its license tag, and a dog impounded that way is held under § 4-227's minimum five-day confinement before it can be deemed abandoned.
Violations & Fines
A dog observed running at large is impounded at a public animal shelter for a minimum of five days, extended another five if it carries identification, under § 4-227. Running at large is enforced by Albemarle County Police Department animal control officers, and repeated violations of the county's required-care and control provisions escalate through the misdemeanor classes set out chapter-wide in § 4-104.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my dog considered 'at large' if it's on a long lead in my own yard?
Do invisible fences satisfy Albemarle County's leash law?
What happens to a dog picked up running at large in Albemarle County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albemarle County
Compare Albemarle County to another location·View the Virginia animal ordinances overview
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