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Virginia · Through 9/4/2026 · Newer source version available

Va. Code § 3.2-6540.04: Subsequent attack or bite by dangerous dog; penalty

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Where this section sits in the code
  1. Title 3.2. Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food
  2. Subtitle V. Domestic Animals
  3. Chapter 65. Comprehensive Animal Care
  4. Article 6. Authority of Local Governing Bodies

A. Any owner of an animal found to be a dangerous dog pursuant to § 3.2-6540, when such finding arose out of a separate and distinct incident, is guilty of a:1. Class 2 misdemeanor if such dog attacks and injures or kills a cat or dog that is a companion animal belonging to another person; or2. Class 1 misdemeanor if such dog bites a human being or attacks a human being causing bodily injury.B. The provisions of subsection A shall not apply to any animal that at the time of the act complained of was responding to pain or injury, was protecting itself, its kennel, its offspring, a person, or its owner's property, or was a police dog engaged in the performance of its duties at the time of the attack.C. The court may determine that a person convicted under this section shall be prohibited from owning, possessing, or residing on the same property with a dog.2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 464.

Collected 2026-09-04T15:12:19Z. Source file · JSON

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