Animal Ordinances in Portsmouth, VA (2026)
12 verified animal ordinances for Portsmouth, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Portsmouth allows up to six backyard chickens, no roosters, on single-family lots of at least 5,000 square feet under Sec. 40.2-217(I)(3)(e). Housing and fencing must sit in the rear yard, at least 15 feet from side or rear lot lines, and letting any poultry or livestock run loose citywide is a separate misdemeanor under City Code Sec. 4-5.
Portsmouth Backyard Chicken Keeping Rules
Some RestrictionsPortsmouth Zoning Ordinance § 40.2-217(I)(3)(e); Portsmouth City Code § 4-5
Chickens, Backyard. In addition to general requirements, backyard chickens shall be permitted as an accessory use to a principal use provided that the following standards are met:(ii)The keeping of backyard chickens is allowed in accordance with the following standards:a.The use is an accessory use to a detached single-family residence.b.The minimum lot size shall be 5,000 square feet.c.No more...
Dog Leash Laws
It's unlawful for any dog to run at large in Portsmouth under City Code § 4-31, meaning off its owner's property and not under immediate physical or voice control. A first or second offense is a class 4 misdemeanor, and animal control impounds loose dogs under § 4-32 for at least five days.
Portsmouth Bans Dogs Running at Large
Some RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code § 4-31
(a)It shall be unlawful for any dog to run at large in the city. For the purpose of this section, a dog shall be deemed to be running at large while roaming, running or self-hunting off the property of its owner or custodian and not under its owner's or custodian's immediate physical or voice control. Physical control shall include confinement of the animal by a fence, chain, leash or the owner...
Breed Restrictions
Portsmouth cannot single out or ban a dog by breed: City Code § 4-33.1(c) states no dog may be found dangerous or vicious solely because it is a particular breed, and the city council cannot prohibit ownership of any breed. Instead, dogs judged dangerous by a court face individualized registration, confinement, and insurance requirements.
Portsmouth Bars Breed-Specific Dog Bans
Significant RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code § 4-33.1(c)
No canine or canine crossbreed shall be found to be a dangerous dog or vicious dog solely because it is a particular breed, nor shall the city council prohibit the ownership of a particular breed of canine or canine crossbreed. No animal shall be found to be a dangerous dog or vicious dog if the threat, injury or damage was sustained by a person who was: (i) committing, at the time, a crime upo...
Beekeeping
Portsmouth's Use Table lists Apiculture (Beekeeping) as a permitted, by-right use in all 19 of the city's zoning districts, with no citation to added use-specific standards. The Zoning Ordinance defines it simply as managing honey-producing bee colonies, so keeping hives citywide requires no special permit or hearing.
Portsmouth Backyard Beekeeping Zoning Rules
Few RestrictionsPortsmouth Zoning Ordinance § 40.2-215; Table 40.2-216
APICULTURE (BEEKEEPING)—A practice of managing honey producing bee colonies. ... URBAN AGRICULTURE (ACCESSORY USE)—The process of cultivating, processing, production (beyond that which is strictly for home consumption or educational purposes), distribution, and marketing of food and other products as an accessory use. This use shall not include livestock or other animals with the exception of b...
Exotic Pets
Portsmouth outright bans keeping specific dangerous wild animals within city limits under City Code § 4-11, naming elephants, bears, leopards, lions, tigers, panthers, bobcats, wolves, raccoons, skunks, foxes, opossums, and any dangerous or poisonous reptile or serpent. Violations fall under the Chapter 4 catch-all penalty, a class 4 misdemeanor, enforced by animal control.
Portsmouth Bans Owning Dangerous Wild Animals
Heavy RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code § 4-11
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep within this city an elephant, bear, leopard, lion, tiger, panther, bobcat, wolf, raccoon, skunk, fox, opossum or any dangerous or carnivorous wild animal, or dangerous or poisonous reptiles or serpents. A "wild animal" is defined as one that is incapable of being completely domesticated and requires the exercise of art, force or skill to keep it in su...
Pet Limits
Portsmouth caps dogs at five per dwelling unit or premises for any dog older than six months, under City Code § 4-10(b). The same section limits any dog or cat housing structure on residential land to one-half percent of the lot's floor area, set back 15 feet from property lines and confined to the rear yard.
Portsmouth Limits Dogs to Five Per Household
Some RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code § 4-10
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to maintain an accessory structure for the housing of dogs or cats on land zoned for residential use in the city that exceeds, in floor area, one-half percent of the lot area. Neither the building nor any fence-enclosed roaming area shall be located closer than 15 feet from a property line. The accessory structure, pen or enclosed roaming area shall be loc...
Cat Rules
Portsmouth requires every cat four months or older to carry current rabies vaccination under City Code § 4-96, with the rabies tag worn on the collar whenever the cat leaves its owner's property. A cat found without proof of vaccination is impounded for at least five days under § 4-97, and the owner pays daily boarding costs plus any fines before reclaiming it.
Portsmouth Cat Rabies Vaccination Requirement
Some RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code § 4-96
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, harbor or have in his care, custody or control, any dog or cat four months old or older unless such dog or cat has been vaccinated or inoculated against rabies in the manner set forth in subsection (b) of this section within a period of 12 months, if such dog or cat has been vaccinated or inoculated by the one-year vaccine or within a period ...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Portsmouth does not require every pet to be sterilized, but any dog a court has found dangerous cannot get a registration certificate unless the owner has it spayed or neutered. City Code § 4-33.1(e) makes sterilization one of five mandatory conditions, alongside a current dog license, warning signs, permanent ID, and $100,000 in liability insurance.
Portsmouth's Dangerous Dog Spay-Neuter Rule
Some RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code § 4-33.1(e)
(e)All certificates or renewals thereof required to be obtained under this section shall only be issued to persons 18 years of age or older who present satisfactory evidence: (i) of the animal's current rabies vaccination, if applicable, and (ii) that the animal is and will be confined in a proper enclosure or is and will be confined inside the owner's residence or is and will be muzzled and co...
Pet Groomer Rules
Portsmouth's zoning ordinance treats commercial pet grooming as a distinct land use that is off-limits in the city's Neighborhood, General, and Urban Residential districts. Groomers may operate by right in Urban Residential-Mixed, Neighborhood Mixed-Use, General Mixed-Use, Mixed-Use High, Industrial Light, Industrial, and two Downtown sub-districts, and every facility must meet Sec. 40.2-217(G)(2)'s noise, odor, and enclosure standards.
Portsmouth Pet Grooming Facility Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsPortsmouth Zoning Ordinance §§ 40.2-213, 40.2-217(G)(2)
ANIMAL GROOMING—A facility maintained for the grooming of animals that does not board animals on site. ... Animal Care Uses. In addition to general requirements, animal grooming, animal shelters, domestic animal breeding, kennels (indoor and outdoor), and veterinary clinics shall comply with the following standards:(a)Animal care uses shall be sufficiently insulated so no unreasonable odor or n...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Veterinary clinics in Portsmouth need a discretionary Use Permit in the Urban Residential and Urban Residential-Mixed districts and are permitted by right only in Neighborhood Mixed-Use, General Mixed-Use, Mixed-Use High, Light Industrial, Industrial, and two Downtown sub-districts. Every clinic must also meet Sec. 40.2-217(G)(2)'s odor, enclosure, and outdoor-run standards.
Portsmouth Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsPortsmouth Zoning Ordinance §§ 40.2-213, 40.2-217(G)(2)
VETERINARY CLINIC—A facility for the care and treatment of animals, including household pets and larger domesticated animals. Such facilities shall be entirely indoors unless also authorized and approved as an outdoor kennel. ... Animal Care Uses. In addition to general requirements, animal grooming, animal shelters, domestic animal breeding, kennels (indoor and outdoor), and veterinary clinics...
Bird Protection
Portsmouth designates its entire corporate limits a bird sanctuary under City Code § 4-3, protecting every species covered by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act except starlings, English sparrows, and pigeons. Killing or injuring a protected bird, or destroying its nest or eggs, is a class 1 misdemeanor under § 4-4.
Portsmouth Bird Sanctuary Protection Law
Some RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code §§ 4-3, 4-4
(a)The city, within its corporate limits, shall be a bird sanctuary for the protection of all birds protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, adopted by the Congress of the United States. This provision shall not include starlings, English sparrows or pigeons.(b)Signs stating that the city is a bird sanctuary may be erected in the city. Such signs shall be of such type and erected at such pub...
Wildlife Rescue Permits
City Code § 4-33(m) excludes wildlife rehabilitators from Portsmouth's exotic-animal permit system, so long as they are acting under a valid state or federal license to treat injured, sick, or orphaned wild animals. Rehabbers skip the treasurer's office permit, inspection, and $50,000 surety-bond requirements that apply to private exotic-pet owners.
Portsmouth Exempts Licensed Wildlife Rehabbers
Few RestrictionsPortsmouth City Code § 4-33(m)
(b)It shall be unlawful for any person to keep within the city limits any hybrid-canine, hybrid-feline, live monkey (nonhuman primate), ratite, porcine, or any other warm-blooded animal, reptile, or nonpoisonous reptile or serpent six feet or longer in length which can normally be found in the wild state or any other member of the crocodilian, including but not limited to alligators, crocodiles...