Chesapeake's Animal Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Chesapeake, Virginia, there are 10 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Pet Store Rules

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.

Key details: 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 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.

This is one of the stricter rules in Chesapeake's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Cat Rules

Every cat four months or older in Chesapeake must carry a City license, renewed each calendar year through Chesapeake Animal Services. The tax is $10.00 for an intact cat and $5.00 for a sterilized one, and Sec. 10-42's running-at-large ban covers cats exactly like dogs, so an unlicensed or loose cat can be impounded.

Key details: Governing section: Chesapeake City Code Sec. 10-62. Intact cat license tax: $10.00 per calendar year. Sterilized cat license tax: $5.00 per calendar year. License due date: December 1 to 31 annually. Untagged cat presumption: Presumed unlicensed under Sec. 10-64.

Owning an unlicensed cat past four months old, or one whose license has lapsed past December 31, violates Sec. 10-62 and can draw impoundment under Sec. 10-64's presumption that an untagged cat is unlicensed. Giving false information to obtain a cat license is a class 4 misdemeanor. A cat caught running at large under Sec. 10-42 is impoundable regardless of license status, with redemption fees starting at $15.00 to $25.00 for the first day.

Bird Protection

Chesapeake declares concentrated pigeons a public nuisance and lets a property owner ask the Chief of Police, in writing, to authorize an officer to kill or scatter the birds. The same ordinance protects homing pigeons absolutely: killing, trapping, or poisoning one owned by someone else is a class 3 misdemeanor.

Key details: Governing sections: Chesapeake City Code Secs. 10-8 and 10-9. Homing pigeon penalty: Class 3 misdemeanor for killing or trapping. Nuisance abatement request: Written application to the Chief of Police. Bond requirement: Indemnity bond set by the City Manager. Business-building exception: Officers may cull pigeons roosting on commercial buildings.

Killing, trapping, poisoning, or otherwise injuring a homing pigeon owned by another person is a class 3 misdemeanor under Sec. 10-9. Using an unauthorized pigeon-control method, such as poison or a trap outside the Sec. 10-8 process, exposes the person to the same charge. A property owner who skips the written application and indemnity bond required by Sec. 10-8 has no authorization defense if a designated abatement goes wrong.

Dog Leash Laws

Chesapeake bans letting a dog roam off its owner's property without a fence, chain, or leash controlling it. Animal Services can impound any loose dog, and owners of dogs caught running in a pack face a $50 per-dog civil penalty; running at large alone is a class 4 misdemeanor under Sec. 10-42.

Key details: Governing section: Chesapeake City Code Sec. 10-42. Physical control means: Confinement by fence, chain, or leash. Pack penalty: $50 civil fine per dog, no criminal charge. Solo at-large penalty: Class 4 misdemeanor. Unidentified-animal hold: Minimum 5 days before disposition.

Letting a dog, cat, or other covered animal roam off your property without a fence, chain, or leash controlling it violates Sec. 10-42. A single loose dog not in a pack is a class 4 misdemeanor; a dog caught running with other loose dogs draws a $50 civil penalty per dog instead, with no criminal charge. Hunting dogs lose their exemption if cited for any other Code or state-law violation while afield.

Microchipping

Every dog or cat adopted from Chesapeake Animal Services must be sterilized, vaccinated against rabies, and implanted with a microchip before release, unless the procedure would endanger the animal's health. Adoption fees run $75.00 for a cat and $110.00 for a dog, with a discount to $50.00 for senior, large, or medically compromised dogs.

Key details: Governing section: Chesapeake City Code Sec. 10-44.1. Cat adoption fee: $75.00, chip and rabies shot included. Dog adoption fee: $110.00 ($50.00 for qualifying senior/large dogs). Deadline for own-vet sterilization: 6-month window, confirm within 7 days. Noncompliance penalty: Class 4 misdemeanor.

Failing to return an adopted dog or cat for its scheduled sterilization, rabies vaccination, and microchip implantation, or missing the seven-day window to submit a private veterinarian's written confirmation, is a class 4 misdemeanor under Sec. 10-44.1(b). Disposing of an adopted animal by gift, sale, or transfer before it is sterilized violates the same section regardless of who performed, or was supposed to perform, the procedure.

Mandatory Spay/Neuter

Chesapeake does not require sterilizing every dog or cat, but a court can order it. If a dog or cat is found in general district court to be a habitual-nuisance repeat offender, its owner can be ordered to have it surgically sterilized within 60 days of conviction, and dangerous dogs must already be neutered or spayed before their owner can register them.

Key details: Nuisance sterilization deadline: 60 days after conviction, Sec. 10-45(b). Proof required: Filed with Animal Services within 7 days. Noncompliance penalty: Class 1 misdemeanor. Dangerous dog prerequisite: Must be neutered/spayed before registration. Dangerous dog registration fee: $150.00 initial, $85.00 annual renewal.

Failing to sterilize a dog or cat within 60 days of a court order issued after a habitual-nuisance conviction under Sec. 10-45(b) is a class 1 misdemeanor on its own, on top of the underlying nuisance penalty. Registering, or trying to keep unregistered, a dangerous dog that has not been neutered or spayed violates Sec. 10-47.1(f) and can lead the court to order the animal disposed of under Virginia Code § 3.2-6562.

Exotic Pets

Keeping a wild, exotic, or poisonous animal as a pet anywhere in Chesapeake requires a permit from the Animal Services Unit under Sec. 10-49. The list covers monkeys, wolves, big cats, large reptiles, and venomous species, and applicants with a prior cruelty or dangerous-animal conviction cannot get one.

Key details: Governing section: Chesapeake City Code Sec. 10-49. Permit deadline: 10 working days after acquisition or move. Initial permit fee: $10.00, plus $5.00 for renewal. Unpermitted keeping penalty: Class 2 misdemeanor. Disqualifying priors: Cruelty, dangerous-animal, or animal-felony convictions.

Keeping a wild, exotic, or poisonous animal in Chesapeake without a Sec. 10-49 permit, whether as a pet or for paid exhibition, is a class 2 misdemeanor. An owner whose animal escapes and runs at large also owes the City its actual cost of recapturing it. Furnishing false information on the permit affidavit voids the permit and exposes every animal listed on it to impoundment pending a court's disposition order.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Chesapeake actively enforces its exotic pets requirements.

Beekeeping

Beekeeping is allowed throughout Chesapeake subject to City Code Chapter 10 setback rules and state-level registration under VA Code section 3.2-4400 et seq. Hives must be registered annually with the Virginia Department of Agriculture (VDACS) State Apiarist.

Key details: Registration: VDACS annual (free). Setback: 10 ft property line typical. Flyway Barrier: 6 ft if close to line. Water Source: Required on-site. State Law: VA 3.2-4400 et seq..

Unregistered hives: state warning and mandatory registration. Setback violations: civil penalty $100-$250. Aggressive colonies may be ordered removed.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Chesapeake gives residents more flexibility on beekeeping.

Chickens & Livestock

Chesapeake's swine-keeping rules govern any small-scale livestock operation the City still allows: swine must comply with the zoning ordinance, and any facility inside an agricultural zoning district needs at least 50 feet from a neighbor's lot, 100 feet from a public street, 800 feet from a public building, and 400 feet from an existing house. Violations are a Class 2 misdemeanor, charged per day.

Key details: Governing section: Chesapeake City Code Sec. 10-18. Neighbor-lot setback: 50 feet in agricultural zoning districts. Dwelling setback: 400 feet from an existing residence. Waste pit schedule: Emptied every six months or when full. Enforcement: City Manager inspects; violation is Class 2 misdemeanor.

Keeping swine outside the required agricultural-district setbacks, expanding a grandfathered operation beyond its historic footprint, or ignoring an Agricultural Advisory Commission remediation recommendation is a Class 2 misdemeanor under Sec. 10-18, with each day of noncompliance charged as a separate offense. Selling chicks or ducklings under eight weeks old in groups smaller than six violates Sec. 10-13 and is a Class 3 misdemeanor.

Breed Restrictions

Chesapeake does not impose breed-specific restrictions. Virginia prohibits localities from adopting breed-specific bans under VA Code section 3.2-6540.1. Dangerous and vicious dog designations are behavior-based under VA Code section 3.2-6540 regardless of breed.

Key details: Breed Bans: Prohibited statewide. State Law: VA 3.2-6540.1 preemption. Classification: Behavior-based only. Insurance: $100,000 for dangerous. HOA/Insurer: May still restrict.

Failure to comply with dangerous dog conditions: Class 1 misdemeanor plus escalating registration fees. Vicious dog can result in court-ordered euthanasia.

The rules around breed restrictions in Chesapeake lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

The Bottom Line

Chesapeake's animal ordinances rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Chesapeake is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Chesapeake's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.