Portsmouth, VA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

City Code § 4-31(a) makes it unlawful for any dog to run at large within Portsmouth, defining 'at large' as roaming, running, or self-hunting off the owner's or custodian's property while not under that person's immediate physical or voice control. The ordinance specifies that physical control includes confinement by a fence, chain, or leash, or the owner's direct physical presence with the dog, so a dog in a fenced yard or on a leash held by its owner is not in violation. A first or second conviction under this section is a class 4 misdemeanor per § 4-31(b), tied to the citywide fine schedule at § 1-11.

Section 4-32 sets the enforcement mechanism: the animal control officer must catch any dog found off its owner's premises in violation of § 4-31 and deliver it to the Portsmouth Humane Society or other shelter serving the city. Impounded dogs are held five days, with an additional five days if the owner is identified via tag, license, or tattoo, giving up to ten days before the shelter can place the dog for adoption or humanely destroy it. During impoundment, an owner may redeem the dog by paying the daily boarding rate in Appendix A and by presenting the license receipt required under the dog-licensing article.

A narrow exception applies to feral, unidentified dogs judged dangerous by a disinterested person's written certification, which can be euthanized after just three days, at least one a full business day. Portsmouth also separately restricts female dogs in season from running at large or lingering to a neighborhood's annoyance under § 4-34, which triggers custody and a 24-hour redemption window.