Prince William County, VA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Once a general district court finds a dog dangerous under Sec. 4-12, Sec. 4-13(b)(2) requires the owner to 'provide documentation that the animal has been implanted with electronic identification registered to the owner,' with the registration information passed to the county animal control officer, all within 30 days of the finding. Sec. 4-12(f) reinforces this at the investigation stage: if a court's contempt power is used to compel an owner to produce a dog during proceedings, it may also compel proof that the dog has been, or will be within three business days, chipped and registered to the owner.

Sec. 4-12(j) applies the same chip-and-register condition when a court defers proceedings without a final dangerous-dog adjudication. The microchip data feeds the Virginia Dangerous Dog Registry that Sec. 4-17 requires the state Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to maintain, which records the animal's microchip or tattoo number alongside its owner's address and the acts underlying the dangerous finding; owners must update that information within 10 days of any move under Sec. 4-13(f). Registration and renewal require an $85 annual renewal fee under Sec. 4-18, and the county forwards $90 per initial registration and $25 per renewal to the state veterinarian each January 31 under Sec. 4-17(c).