Chesapeake, VA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License fee
- $50 annually for dogs/cats
- Issuing agency
- Chesapeake Animal Services (Police Dept.)
- Pre-issuance inspection
- Required for dog/cat sellers
- Annual inspection
- Required while shop sells dogs/cats
- Exempt from pre-issuance inspection
- Adoption-only premises
- Operating unlicensed
- Class 3 misdemeanor
- Appeal path
- Hearing before city manager or designee
Summary
Chesapeake requires every pet shop selling dogs or cats to hold an annual $50 license from Chesapeake Animal Services under City Code Sec. 10-63.1, pass a pre-license property inspection, and submit to annual compliance inspections while it sells dogs or cats. The city can deny or revoke a license for fraudulent sourcing claims or inhumane treatment, and operating unlicensed is a class 3 misdemeanor.
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a pet shop, as the term is defined in Virginia Code § 3.2-6500, in this city without a valid license issued under this article. Such license shall not be transferable and shall expire at the end of each calendar year, unless otherwise revoked. The revenues derived from the license tax shall be used for the administration and enforcement of this section.(b)Prior to issuing or renewing a license for a pet shop that sells dogs and/or cats, the property shall be inspected by an animal control officer from Chesapeake Animal Services, a unit within the Chesapeake Police Department. This does not include inspections of property where dogs and/or cats are available for adoption or entities allowed to perform adoptions on the premises.
Full Breakdown
A pet shop as defined in Va. 2-6500 needs a valid, nontransferable license before operating in Chesapeake; it expires every calendar year unless revoked. Before Chesapeake Animal Services, a unit of the police department, issues or renews a license for a shop that sells dogs or cats, an animal control officer inspects the property; adoption-only premises skip that pre-issuance inspection. New shops planning to sell dogs or cats must first check with the department of development and permits to confirm the site has no zoning violations.
Shops that sell dogs or cats then get inspected annually to verify compliance with the article, state pet-shop standards, and humane-treatment law; shops that do not sell dogs or cats pay the $50 annual license fee under Sec. 10-62 but skip that annual inspection. Chesapeake Animal Services can deny a new license or deny or revoke a renewal for false statements on the application, violating animal-welfare law, failing the recordkeeping and sourcing-disclosure duties in Va. 2-6512, misleading the public about where an animal came from, or selling a dog in violation of Va.
1. A shop denied or revoked may request a hearing with the city manager or a designee. The current version of this section dates to an ordinance adopted January 22, 2019.
Violations & Fines
Operating a pet shop selling dogs or cats without a valid Sec. 10-62/10-63.1 license is a class 3 misdemeanor. Chesapeake Animal Services can also deny a new license or revoke/refuse to renew an existing one for false statements on the application, failure to comply with Va. Code Section 3.2-6512 recordkeeping and sourcing-disclosure duties, or selling a dog in violation of Va. Code Section 3.2-6511.1. A denied or revoked licensee may request a hearing before the city manager or designee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a pet store in Chesapeake sell dogs and cats?
What can get a Chesapeake pet shop's license revoked?
What happens if a pet shop operates without a license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chesapeake
Compare Chesapeake to another location·View the Virginia animal ordinances overview
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