Hanover County, VA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 4-74 of the Hanover County Code sets two overlapping at-large rules. Subsection (a) makes it unlawful for a dog owner to let a canine or canine crossbreed run at large anywhere in the county during April, May and June of any year, the peak season for wildlife and livestock conflicts. Subsection (b) is a year-round, place-based ban: no canine may run at large at any time in the urban service area defined in the subdivision ordinance, in the areas zoned R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5 and R-6, in any county park, on the grounds of a county school, or anywhere in the Town of Ashland.

Dogs covered by a written hunt club agreement between the county and a participating hunt club get a carve-out: if such a dog is found running at large in a park or on school grounds outside the urban service area, enforcement follows the terms of that agreement instead of the flat ban. Sheriff's Office Animal Control enforces the section countywide. 00 added to the fine for every subsequent violation by the same owner within a rolling twelve-month period, up to the maximum the law allows.

Each incident of a dog running at large counts as a separate violation and draws its own added penalty, even if it is the same dog caught again rather than a different one. Section 4-77 backs the whole animal control article with a default class 4 misdemeanor for violations that are not otherwise specifically punished, so the at-large penalty spelled out in Section 4-74(c) governs running-at-large cases specifically.