Stafford County, VA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Sec. 00 permit from the county treasurer between January 1 and January 31 of each year. If a permittee is found engaged in fraudulent practices or the inhumane treatment of animals it deals with, the board of supervisors may revoke the permit following a public hearing, and operating without the required permit is a Class 3 misdemeanor. Broader care standards apply on top of the permit: Sec. 5-6 requires every pet shop, dealer, exhibitor, kennel, groomer and boarding establishment to provide adequate feed, water, shelter, space, exercise, care and veterinary treatment for each animal, and Sec.

5-9 separately makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor, with the animals subject to seizure and impoundment, for a dealer, commercial dog breeder or pet shop to fail to adequately house, feed, water, exercise, or care for animals in its possession. Sec. 5-9 also lets the county sell, euthanize or dispose of the animals upon conviction, applying sale proceeds first to the county's impoundment costs and any remainder to the owner if known, or to the state literary fund if not. Sec. 5-10 additionally bars a pet shop or dealer from misrepresenting an animal's physical condition at sale, trade or delivery, treating knowing sale of an animal with an undisclosed infection, communicable disease, parasitic infestation or other defect as a Class 3 misdemeanor.

Stafford County's code does not contain a retail sale ban limiting pet shops to shelter or rescue animals; the county instead regulates through permitting, care standards and misrepresentation liability.