Albemarle County, VA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Albemarle County's microchip mandate is not a general pet-ownership rule; it attaches once a general district court has adjudicated a dog to be a dangerous dog under § 4-213. County Code § 4-214(B)(4) requires the owner to present evidence that "the dog has been permanently identified by means of electronic implantation registered to the owner," and the registration information must be provided to the county's animal control officer. The same implantation requirement can attach earlier in the process: under § 4-213(A), while the dangerous-dog case is still pending, the court may use its contempt powers to compel the owner to produce the dog and to document that it has been or will be implanted within three business days, with the registration information again going to the animal control officer.

If the court defers a formal dangerous-dog adjudication and instead imposes conditions under § 4-213(C), microchipping is one of the specific conditions the court can require, and violating any deferred condition lets the court enter the dangerous-dog finding after all. " Ongoing compliance is checked at renewal: § 4-214(F) requires an annual inspection by an animal control officer before any dangerous-dog certificate is renewed.