Animal Ordinances in Richmond, VA (2026)
9 verified animal ordinances for Richmond, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Richmond allows up to six female chickens per residential lot, but only with a Director-issued permit costing $60.00 to apply and $60.00 to renew each year. Roosters are banned outright, and hogs and pigs cannot be kept anywhere in the City except as exhibits at Maymont Park.
Richmond Backyard Chicken Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 4-124
The Director may issue permits to persons for the keeping, placement or maintenance of female chickens on any parcel or real property in residential zoning districts of the City. Roosters shall not be permitted. No person shall keep, place or maintain female chickens in the City unless, in accordance with this section, if applicable, such person has filed an application for a permit, obtained a...
Dog Leash Laws
Richmond bars any dog from running at large off its owner's property without a fence, tether, lead or leash; electronic collars do not count, and a first offense is a Class 4 misdemeanor, rising to Class 3 on repeat.
Richmond Dogs Running at Large Ban
Some RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 4-243
Except as otherwise provided in this section, it shall be unlawful for any dog to run at large. For purposes of this section, a dog shall be deemed to run 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 control. The term "immediate control," for purposes of this section, means physical restraint or co...
Breed Restrictions
Richmond cannot declare a dog dangerous or vicious based on breed alone. City Code § 4-241 requires a court finding after a bite or attack, then imposes a $150.00 registration fee, mandatory spay/neuter, $100,000.00 in liability insurance, a locked enclosure and warning signs; § 4-242 sends a court-adjudicated vicious dog straight to euthanasia.
Richmond Dangerous and Vicious Dog Rules
Significant RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 4-241
No animal shall be found by the court to be a dangerous dog:a.Solely because it is a particular breed... Within 30 days of the finding that an animal is a dangerous dog, the owner shall:a.Provide documentation that the animal has been neutered or spayed;b.Provide documentation that the animal has been implanted with electronic identification registered to the owner; the registration information...
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is allowed in Richmond residential zones with hives set back at least 10 feet from property lines. State Apiarist registration (VA Code 3.2-4400) is required annually.
Animals: Beekeeping
Few RestrictionsVa. Code § 3.2-4400 - Beekeeping definitions
"Apiary" means any place where one or more colonies of bees are kept. "Appliance" means any apparatus, tool, machine, or other device used in the handling and manipulating of bees, honey, wax, hives, and hive parts and shall include containers used in transporting, processing, storing, or merchandising bees and bee products. "Bee" means the honeybee, Apis mellifera and genetic variations thereo...
Exotic Pets
Richmond bans owning, breeding, buying or selling monkeys, wolves, big cats, bears, venomous reptiles and crocodilians as pets. City Code § 4-401 exempts only licensed zoos, circuses, wildlife rehabilitators, vets and Department permit holders, and pre-existing venomous-reptile owners who registered within 180 days.
Richmond Exotic and Wild Animal Ban
Heavy RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 4-401
the term "exotic or wild animal" means any live monkey (non-human primate), raccoon, opossum, skunk, wolf, coyote, squirrel, fox, leopard, panther, tiger, lion, lynx, caracal, bobcat, bear or any other warm-blooded animal which can normally be found in the wild... as well as any venomous or poisonous reptile or amphibian or any member of the crocodilian family, including, but not limited to, al...
Wildlife Feeding
Feeding birds, animals or aquatic life anywhere in Richmond's Downtown Riverfront Canal Area, the leased canal property running roughly from Sixth Street to 18th Street and including Brown's Island, is flatly unlawful under City Code § 8-479. The rule carries no stated exceptions and sits inside a broader canal-area conduct code, enforced as a Class 1 misdemeanor under the Code's default penalty section.
No Feeding Wildlife in Richmond's Canal Area
Significant RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 8-479
It shall be unlawful for any person to feed birds, animals or aquatic life within the Downtown Riverfront Canal Area. (Code 1993, § 8-285; Code 2004, § 26-566; Code 2015, § 8-479; Code 2020, § 8-479) Cross reference— Animals, Ch. 4.
Cat Rules
Richmond cats over six months old cannot be in a public place unsupervised unless they are sterilized. City Code § 4-306 covers streets, sidewalks, parks and even shopping-center grounds, applies regardless of whether the owner holds a breeding permit, and is enforced as a Class 4 misdemeanor.
Richmond Unsupervised Cat Sterilization Rule
Some RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 4-306
No person who owns a cat over the age of six months shall cause, permit, or allow such animal to be in a public place unsupervised, unless the cat is sterilized. The term "public place" shall include, but not be limited to, streets, highways, alleys, sidewalks, parks, carnivals, shopping malls, flea markets, and areas in front of commercial establishments. This requirement applies to all cats t...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Richmond bars owning an unspayed or unneutered dog or cat over six months old unless the owner holds an annual $200 breeding permit. City Code § 4-307 applies whether or not the owner ever plans to breed the animal, and courts can order surgical sterilization within 60 days of a public-nuisance conviction.
Richmond Spay-Neuter Breeding Permit Rule
Significant RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 4-307
No person shall own, harbor or keep an unspayed or unneutered dog or cat in the City that is over the age of six months without obtaining a breeding permit, as provided in this section, regardless of such person's intent to breed or not to breed any such animal. Each breeding permit shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance and may be renewed annually before its expiration date. Eac...
Pet Store Rules
No one may offer a dog or cat for sale, adoption, barter or exchange in a public place in Richmond without a breeding permit, unless the animal is sterilized, sold through a permitted pet store, sold at a permitted dog or cat show, or the seller is a nonprofit rescue or humane society.
Richmond Public Pet Sale Permit Rule
Significant RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 4-309
No person shall present any dog or cat for sale, adoption, barter, or exchange, whether for compensation or otherwise, in any public place without first obtaining a breeding permit pursuant to Section 4-307. This prohibition shall not apply to the following:(1)Government agencies, nonprofit animal rescue organizations exempt from taxation under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3), or humane...