{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/3.2-6500.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/3.2-6500.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/3.2-6500.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/3.2-6500.html"}],"law_id":86401,"edition_id":1,"section_id":86401,"structure_id":14907,"section_number":"3.2-6500","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"1984, c. 492, \u00a7 29-213.36; 1987, c. 488, \u00a7 3.1-796.66; 1988, c. 538; 1991, c. 348; 1993, cc. 174, 959; 1995, c. 610; 1998, c. 817; 2002, cc. 351, 500, 787; 2003, c. 1007; 2008, cc. 9, 127, 852, 860; 2011, cc. 754, 886; 2014, c. 148; 2015, c. 492; 2018, cc. 416, 599, 780; 2019, cc. 258, 532, 848; 2020, cc. 954, 955, 1284; 2022, c. 92.","full_text":"As used in this chapter unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Abandon” means to desert, forsake, or absolutely give up an animal without having secured another owner or custodian for the animal or by failing to provide the elements of basic care as set forth in \u00a7 3.2-6503 for a period of four consecutive days.\n\t\t“Adequate care” or “care” means the responsible practice of good animal husbandry, handling, production, management, confinement, feeding, watering, protection, shelter, transportation, treatment, and, when necessary, euthanasia, appropriate for the age, species, condition, size and type of the animal and the provision of veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering or impairment of health.\n\t\t“Adequate exercise” or “exercise” means the opportunity for the animal to move sufficiently to maintain normal muscle tone and mass for the age, species, size, and condition of the animal.\n\t\t“Adequate feed” means access to and the provision of food that is of sufficient quantity and nutritive value to maintain each animal in good health; is accessible to each animal; is prepared so as to permit ease of consumption for the age, species, condition, size and type of each animal; is provided in a clean and sanitary manner; is placed so as to minimize contamination by excrement and pests; and is provided at suitable intervals for the species, age, and condition of the animal, but at least once daily, except as prescribed by a veterinarian or as dictated by naturally occurring states of hibernation or fasting normal for the species.\n\t\t“Adequate shelter” means provision of and access to shelter that is suitable for the species, age, condition, size, and type of each animal; provides adequate space for each animal; is safe and protects each animal from injury, rain, sleet, snow, hail, direct sunlight, the adverse effects of heat or cold, physical suffering, and impairment of health; is properly lighted; is properly cleaned; enables each animal to be clean and dry, except when detrimental to the species; during hot weather, is properly shaded and does not readily conduct heat; during cold weather, has a windbreak at its entrance and provides a quantity of bedding material consisting of hay, cedar shavings, or the equivalent that is sufficient to protect the animal from cold and promote the retention of body heat; and, for dogs and cats, provides a solid surface, resting platform, pad, floormat, or similar device that is large enough for the animal to lie on in a normal manner and can be maintained in a sanitary manner. Under this chapter, shelters whose wire, grid, or slat floors (i) permit the animals’ feet to pass through the openings, (ii) sag under the animals’ weight, or (iii) otherwise do not protect the animals’ feet or toes from injury are not adequate shelter. The outdoor tethering of an animal shall not constitute the provision of adequate shelter (a) unless the animal is safe from predators and well suited and well equipped to tolerate its environment; (b) during the effective period for a hurricane warning or tropical storm warning issued for the area by the National Weather Service; or (c)(1) during a heat advisory issued by a local or state authority, (2) when the actual or effective outdoor temperature is 85 degrees Fahrenheit or higher or 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, or (3) during the effective period for a severe weather warning issued for the area by the National Weather Service, including a winter storm, tornado, or severe thunderstorm warning, unless an animal control officer, having inspected an animal’s individual circumstances in clause (c)(1), (2), or (3), has determined the animal to be safe from predators and well suited and well equipped to tolerate its environment.\n\t\t“Adequate space” means sufficient space to allow each animal to (i) easily stand, sit, lie, turn about, and make all other normal body movements in a comfortable, normal position for the animal and (ii) interact safely with other animals in the enclosure. When an animal is tethered, “adequate space” means that the tether to which the animal is attached permits the above actions and is appropriate to the age and size of the animal; is attached to the animal by a properly applied collar, halter, or harness that is configured so as to protect the animal from injury and prevent the animal or tether from becoming entangled with other objects or animals, or from extending over an object or edge that could result in the strangulation or injury of the animal; is at least 15 feet in length or four times the length of the animal, as measured from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail, whichever is greater, except when the animal is being walked on a leash or is attached by a tether to a lead line or when an animal control officer, having inspected an animal’s individual circumstances, has determined that in such an individual case, a tether of at least 10 feet or three times the length of the animal, but shorter than 15 feet or four times the length of the animal, makes the animal more safe, more suited, and better equipped to tolerate its environment than a longer tether; does not, by its material, size, or weight or any other characteristic, cause injury or pain to the animal; does not weigh more than one-tenth of the animal’s body weight; and does not have weights or other heavy objects attached to it. The walking of an animal on a leash by its owner shall not constitute the tethering of the animal for the purpose of this definition. When freedom of movement would endanger the animal, temporarily and appropriately restricting movement of the animal according to professionally accepted standards for the species is considered provision of adequate space. The provisions of this definition that relate to tethering shall not apply to agricultural animals.\n\t\t“Adequate water” means provision of and access to clean, fresh, potable water of a drinkable temperature that is provided in a suitable manner, in sufficient volume, and at suitable intervals appropriate for the weather and temperature, to maintain normal hydration for the age, species, condition, size and type of each animal, except as prescribed by a veterinarian or as dictated by naturally occurring states of hibernation or fasting normal for the species; and is provided in clean, durable receptacles that are accessible to each animal and are placed so as to minimize contamination of the water by excrement and pests or an alternative source of hydration consistent with generally accepted husbandry practices.\n\t\t“Adoption” means the transfer of ownership of a dog or a cat, or any other companion animal, from a releasing agency to an individual.\n\t\t“Agricultural animals” means all livestock and poultry.\n\t\t“Ambient temperature” means the temperature surrounding the animal.\n\t\t“Animal” means any nonhuman vertebrate species except fish. For the purposes of \u00a7 3.2-6522, animal means any species susceptible to rabies. For the purposes of \u00a7 3.2-6570, animal means any nonhuman vertebrate species including fish except those fish captured and killed or disposed of in a reasonable and customary manner.\n\t\t“Animal control officer” means a person appointed as an animal control officer or deputy animal control officer as provided in \u00a7 3.2-6555.\n\t\t“Boarding establishment” means a place or establishment other than a public or private animal shelter where companion animals not owned by the proprietor are sheltered, fed, and watered in exchange for a fee. “Boarding establishment” shall not include any private residential dwelling that shelters, feeds, and waters fewer than five companion animals not owned by the proprietor.\n\t\t“Collar” means a well-fitted device, appropriate to the age and size of the animal, attached to the animal’s neck in such a way as to prevent trauma or injury to the animal.\n\t\t“Commercial dog breeder” means any person who, during any 12-month period, maintains 30 or more adult female dogs for the primary purpose of the sale of their offspring provided that a person who breeds an animal regulated under federal law as a research animal shall not be deemed to be a commercial dog breeder.\n\t\t“Companion animal” means any domestic or feral dog, domestic or feral cat, nonhuman primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit not raised for human food or fiber, exotic or native animal, reptile, exotic or native bird, or any feral animal or any animal under the care, custody, or ownership of a person or any animal that is bought, sold, traded, or bartered by any person. No agricultural animal or game species, or animal actively involved in bona fide scientific or medical experimentation shall be considered a companion animal for the purposes of this chapter.\n\t\t“Consumer” means any natural person purchasing an animal from a dealer or pet shop or hiring the services of a boarding establishment. The term “consumer” shall not include a business or corporation engaged in sales or services.\n\t\t“Dealer” means any person who in the regular course of business for compensation or profit buys, sells, transfers, exchanges, or barters companion animals. The following shall not be considered dealers: (i) any person who transports companion animals in the regular course of business as a common carrier or (ii) any person whose primary purpose is to find permanent adoptive homes for companion animals.\n\t\t“Direct and immediate threat” means any clear and imminent danger to an animal’s health, safety or life.\n\t\t“Dump” means to knowingly desert, forsake, or absolutely give up without having secured another owner or custodian any dog, cat, or other companion animal in any public place including the right-of-way of any public highway, road or street or on the property of another.\n\t\t“Emergency veterinary treatment” means veterinary treatment to stabilize a life-threatening condition, alleviate suffering, prevent further disease transmission, or prevent further disease progression.\n\t\t“Enclosure” means a structure used to house or restrict animals from running at large.\n\t\t“Euthanasia” means the humane destruction of an animal accomplished by a method that involves instantaneous unconsciousness and immediate death or by a method that involves anesthesia, produced by an agent that causes painless loss of consciousness, and death during such loss of consciousness.\n\t\t“Exhibitor” means any person who has animals for or on public display, excluding an exhibitor licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.\n\t\t“Facility” means a building or portion thereof as designated by the State Veterinarian, other than a private residential dwelling and its surrounding grounds, that is used to contain a primary enclosure or enclosures in which animals are housed or kept.\n\t\t“Farming activity” means, consistent with standard animal husbandry practices, the raising, management, and use of agricultural animals to provide food, fiber, or transportation and the breeding, exhibition, lawful recreational use, marketing, transportation, and slaughter of agricultural animals pursuant to such purposes.\n\t\t“Foster care provider” means a person who provides care or rehabilitation for companion animals through an affiliation with a public or private animal shelter, home-based rescue, releasing agency, or other animal welfare organization.\n\t\t“Foster home” means a private residential dwelling and its surrounding grounds, or any facility other than a public or private animal shelter, at which site through an affiliation with a public or private animal shelter, home-based rescue, releasing agency, or other animal welfare organization care or rehabilitation is provided for companion animals.\n\t\t“Groomer” means any person who, for a fee, cleans, trims, brushes, makes neat, manicures, or treats for external parasites any animal.\n\t\t“Home-based rescue” means an animal welfare organization that takes custody of companion animals for the purpose of facilitating adoption and houses such companion animals in a foster home or a system of foster homes.\n\t\t“Humane” means any action taken in consideration of and with the intent to provide for the animal’s health and well-being.\n\t\t“Humane investigator” means a person who has been appointed by a circuit court as a humane investigator as provided in \u00a7 3.2-6558.\n\t\t“Humane society” means any incorporated, nonprofit organization that is organized for the purposes of preventing cruelty to animals and promoting humane care and treatment or adoptions of animals.\n\t\t“Incorporated” means organized and maintained as a legal entity in the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Inspector” means a State Animal Welfare Inspector employed pursuant to \u00a7 3.2-5901.1 or his representative.\n\t\t“Kennel” means any establishment in which five or more canines, felines, or hybrids of either are kept for the purpose of breeding, hunting, training, renting, buying, boarding, selling, or showing.\n\t\t“Law-enforcement officer” means any person who is a full-time or part-time employee of a police department or sheriff’s office that is part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic or highway laws of the Commonwealth. Part-time employees are compensated officers who are not full-time employees as defined by the employing police department or sheriff’s office.\n\t\t“Livestock” includes all domestic or domesticated: bovine animals; equine animals; ovine animals; porcine animals; cervidae animals; capradae animals; animals of the genus Lama or Vicugna; ratites; fish or shellfish in aquaculture facilities, as defined in \u00a7 3.2-2600; enclosed domesticated rabbits or hares raised for human food or fiber; or any other individual animal specifically raised for food or fiber, except companion animals.\n\t\t“New owner” means an individual who is legally competent to enter into a binding agreement pursuant to subdivision B 2 of \u00a7 3.2-6574, and who adopts or receives a dog or cat from a releasing agency.\n\t\t“Ordinance” means any law, rule, regulation, or ordinance adopted by the governing body of any locality.\n\t\t“Other officer” includes all other persons employed or elected by the people of Virginia, or by any locality, whose duty it is to preserve the peace, to make arrests, or to enforce the law.\n\t\t“Owner” means any person who: (i) has a right of property in an animal; (ii) keeps or harbors an animal; (iii) has an animal in his care; or (iv) acts as a custodian of an animal.\n\t\t“Pet shop” means a retail establishment where companion animals are bought, sold, exchanged, or offered for sale or exchange to the general public.\n\t\t“Poultry” includes all domestic fowl and game birds raised in captivity.\n\t\t“Primary enclosure” means any structure used to immediately restrict an animal or animals to a limited amount of space, such as a room, pen, cage, compartment, or hutch. For tethered animals, the term includes the shelter and the area within reach of the tether.\n\t\t“Private animal shelter” means a facility operated for the purpose of finding permanent adoptive homes for animals that is used to house or contain animals and that is owned or operated by an incorporated, nonprofit, and nongovernmental entity, including a humane society, animal welfare organization, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or any other similar organization.\n\t\t“Properly cleaned” means that carcasses, debris, food waste, and excrement are removed from the primary enclosure with sufficient frequency to minimize the animals’ contact with the above-mentioned contaminants; the primary enclosure is sanitized with sufficient frequency to minimize odors and the hazards of disease; and the primary enclosure is cleaned so as to prevent the animals confined therein from being directly or indirectly sprayed with the stream of water, or directly or indirectly exposed to hazardous chemicals or disinfectants.\n\t\t“Properly lighted” when referring to a facility means sufficient illumination to permit routine inspections, maintenance, cleaning, and housekeeping of the facility, and observation of the animals; to provide regular diurnal lighting cycles of either natural or artificial light, uniformly diffused throughout the facility; and to promote the well-being of the animals.\n\t\t“Properly lighted” when referring to a private residential dwelling and its surrounding grounds means sufficient illumination to permit routine maintenance and cleaning thereof, and observation of the companion animals; and to provide regular diurnal lighting cycles of either natural or artificial light to promote the well-being of the animals.\n\t\t“Public animal shelter” means a facility operated by the Commonwealth, or any locality, for the purpose of impounding or sheltering seized, stray, homeless, abandoned, unwanted, or surrendered animals or a facility operated for the same purpose under a contract with any locality.\n\t\t“Releasing agency” means (i) a public animal shelter or (ii) a private animal shelter, humane society, animal welfare organization, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or other similar entity or home-based rescue that releases companion animals for adoption.\n\t\t“Research facility” means any place, laboratory, or institution licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at which scientific tests, experiments, or investigations involving the use of living animals are carried out, conducted, or attempted.\n\t\t“Sanitize” means to make physically clean and to remove and destroy, to a practical minimum, agents injurious to health.\n\t\t“Sore” means, when referring to an equine, that an irritating or blistering agent has been applied, internally or externally, by a person to any limb or foot of an equine; any burn, cut, or laceration that has been inflicted by a person to any limb or foot of an equine; any tack, nail, screw, or chemical agent that has been injected by a person into or used by a person on any limb or foot of an equine; any other substance or device that has been used by a person on any limb or foot of an equine; or a person has engaged in a practice involving an equine, and as a result of such application, infliction, injection, use, or practice, such equine suffers, or can reasonably be expected to suffer, physical pain or distress, inflammation, or lameness when walking, trotting, or otherwise moving, except that such term does not include such an application, infliction, injection, use, or practice in connection with the therapeutic treatment of an equine by or under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, nothing shall preclude the shoeing, use of pads, and use of action devices as permitted by 9 C.F.R. Part 11.2.\n\t\t“Sterilize” or “sterilization” means a surgical or chemical procedure performed by a licensed veterinarian that renders a dog or cat permanently incapable of reproducing.\n\t\t“Treasurer” includes the treasurer and his assistants of each county or city or other officer designated by law to collect taxes in such county or city.\n\t\t“Treatment” or “adequate treatment” means the responsible handling or transportation of animals in the person’s ownership, custody or charge, appropriate for the age, species, condition, size and type of the animal.\n\t\t“Veterinary treatment” means treatment by or on the order of a duly licensed veterinarian.\n\t\t“Weaned” means that an animal is capable of and physiologically accustomed to ingestion of solid food or food customary for the adult of the species and has ingested such food, without nursing, for a period of at least five days.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":309447,"text":"As used in this chapter unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Abandon” means to desert, forsake, or absolutely give up an animal without having secured another owner or custodian for the animal or by failing to provide the elements of basic care as set forth in \u00a7 3.2-6503 for a period of four consecutive days.\n\t\t“Adequate care” or “care” means the responsible practice of good animal husbandry, handling, production, management, confinement, feeding, watering, protection, shelter, transportation, treatment, and, when necessary, euthanasia, appropriate for the age, species, condition, size and type of the animal and the provision of veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering or impairment of health.\n\t\t“Adequate exercise” or “exercise” means the opportunity for the animal to move sufficiently to maintain normal muscle tone and mass for the age, species, size, and condition of the animal.\n\t\t“Adequate feed” means access to and the provision of food that is of sufficient quantity and nutritive value to maintain each animal in good health; is accessible to each animal; is prepared so as to permit ease of consumption for the age, species, condition, size and type of each animal; is provided in a clean and sanitary manner; is placed so as to minimize contamination by excrement and pests; and is provided at suitable intervals for the species, age, and condition of the animal, but at least once daily, except as prescribed by a veterinarian or as dictated by naturally occurring states of hibernation or fasting normal for the species.\n\t\t“Adequate shelter” means provision of and access to shelter that is suitable for the species, age, condition, size, and type of each animal; provides adequate space for each animal; is safe and protects each animal from injury, rain, sleet, snow, hail, direct sunlight, the adverse effects of heat or cold, physical suffering, and impairment of health; is properly lighted; is properly cleaned; enables each animal to be clean and dry, except when detrimental to the species; during hot weather, is properly shaded and does not readily conduct heat; during cold weather, has a windbreak at its entrance and provides a quantity of bedding material consisting of hay, cedar shavings, or the equivalent that is sufficient to protect the animal from cold and promote the retention of body heat; and, for dogs and cats, provides a solid surface, resting platform, pad, floormat, or similar device that is large enough for the animal to lie on in a normal manner and can be maintained in a sanitary manner. Under this chapter, shelters whose wire, grid, or slat floors (i) permit the animals’ feet to pass through the openings, (ii) sag under the animals’ weight, or (iii) otherwise do not protect the animals’ feet or toes from injury are not adequate shelter. The outdoor tethering of an animal shall not constitute the provision of adequate shelter (a) unless the animal is safe from predators and well suited and well equipped to tolerate its environment; (b) during the effective period for a hurricane warning or tropical storm warning issued for the area by the National Weather Service; or (c)(1) during a heat advisory issued by a local or state authority, (2) when the actual or effective outdoor temperature is 85 degrees Fahrenheit or higher or 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, or (3) during the effective period for a severe weather warning issued for the area by the National Weather Service, including a winter storm, tornado, or severe thunderstorm warning, unless an animal control officer, having inspected an animal’s individual circumstances in clause (c)(1), (2), or (3), has determined the animal to be safe from predators and well suited and well equipped to tolerate its environment.\n\t\t“Adequate space” means sufficient space to allow each animal to (i) easily stand, sit, lie, turn about, and make all other normal body movements in a comfortable, normal position for the animal and (ii) interact safely with other animals in the enclosure. When an animal is tethered, “adequate space” means that the tether to which the animal is attached permits the above actions and is appropriate to the age and size of the animal; is attached to the animal by a properly applied collar, halter, or harness that is configured so as to protect the animal from injury and prevent the animal or tether from becoming entangled with other objects or animals, or from extending over an object or edge that could result in the strangulation or injury of the animal; is at least 15 feet in length or four times the length of the animal, as measured from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail, whichever is greater, except when the animal is being walked on a leash or is attached by a tether to a lead line or when an animal control officer, having inspected an animal’s individual circumstances, has determined that in such an individual case, a tether of at least 10 feet or three times the length of the animal, but shorter than 15 feet or four times the length of the animal, makes the animal more safe, more suited, and better equipped to tolerate its environment than a longer tether; does not, by its material, size, or weight or any other characteristic, cause injury or pain to the animal; does not weigh more than one-tenth of the animal’s body weight; and does not have weights or other heavy objects attached to it. The walking of an animal on a leash by its owner shall not constitute the tethering of the animal for the purpose of this definition. When freedom of movement would endanger the animal, temporarily and appropriately restricting movement of the animal according to professionally accepted standards for the species is considered provision of adequate space. The provisions of this definition that relate to tethering shall not apply to agricultural animals.\n\t\t“Adequate water” means provision of and access to clean, fresh, potable water of a drinkable temperature that is provided in a suitable manner, in sufficient volume, and at suitable intervals appropriate for the weather and temperature, to maintain normal hydration for the age, species, condition, size and type of each animal, except as prescribed by a veterinarian or as dictated by naturally occurring states of hibernation or fasting normal for the species; and is provided in clean, durable receptacles that are accessible to each animal and are placed so as to minimize contamination of the water by excrement and pests or an alternative source of hydration consistent with generally accepted husbandry practices.\n\t\t“Adoption” means the transfer of ownership of a dog or a cat, or any other companion animal, from a releasing agency to an individual.\n\t\t“Agricultural animals” means all livestock and poultry.\n\t\t“Ambient temperature” means the temperature surrounding the animal.\n\t\t“Animal” means any nonhuman vertebrate species except fish. For the purposes of \u00a7 3.2-6522, animal means any species susceptible to rabies. For the purposes of \u00a7 3.2-6570, animal means any nonhuman vertebrate species including fish except those fish captured and killed or disposed of in a reasonable and customary manner.\n\t\t“Animal control officer” means a person appointed as an animal control officer or deputy animal control officer as provided in \u00a7 3.2-6555.\n\t\t“Boarding establishment” means a place or establishment other than a public or private animal shelter where companion animals not owned by the proprietor are sheltered, fed, and watered in exchange for a fee. “Boarding establishment” shall not include any private residential dwelling that shelters, feeds, and waters fewer than five companion animals not owned by the proprietor.\n\t\t“Collar” means a well-fitted device, appropriate to the age and size of the animal, attached to the animal’s neck in such a way as to prevent trauma or injury to the animal.\n\t\t“Commercial dog breeder” means any person who, during any 12-month period, maintains 30 or more adult female dogs for the primary purpose of the sale of their offspring provided that a person who breeds an animal regulated under federal law as a research animal shall not be deemed to be a commercial dog breeder.\n\t\t“Companion animal” means any domestic or feral dog, domestic or feral cat, nonhuman primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit not raised for human food or fiber, exotic or native animal, reptile, exotic or native bird, or any feral animal or any animal under the care, custody, or ownership of a person or any animal that is bought, sold, traded, or bartered by any person. No agricultural animal or game species, or animal actively involved in bona fide scientific or medical experimentation shall be considered a companion animal for the purposes of this chapter.\n\t\t“Consumer” means any natural person purchasing an animal from a dealer or pet shop or hiring the services of a boarding establishment. The term “consumer” shall not include a business or corporation engaged in sales or services.\n\t\t“Dealer” means any person who in the regular course of business for compensation or profit buys, sells, transfers, exchanges, or barters companion animals. The following shall not be considered dealers: (i) any person who transports companion animals in the regular course of business as a common carrier or (ii) any person whose primary purpose is to find permanent adoptive homes for companion animals.\n\t\t“Direct and immediate threat” means any clear and imminent danger to an animal’s health, safety or life.\n\t\t“Dump” means to knowingly desert, forsake, or absolutely give up without having secured another owner or custodian any dog, cat, or other companion animal in any public place including the right-of-way of any public highway, road or street or on the property of another.\n\t\t“Emergency veterinary treatment” means veterinary treatment to stabilize a life-threatening condition, alleviate suffering, prevent further disease transmission, or prevent further disease progression.\n\t\t“Enclosure” means a structure used to house or restrict animals from running at large.\n\t\t“Euthanasia” means the humane destruction of an animal accomplished by a method that involves instantaneous unconsciousness and immediate death or by a method that involves anesthesia, produced by an agent that causes painless loss of consciousness, and death during such loss of consciousness.\n\t\t“Exhibitor” means any person who has animals for or on public display, excluding an exhibitor licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.\n\t\t“Facility” means a building or portion thereof as designated by the State Veterinarian, other than a private residential dwelling and its surrounding grounds, that is used to contain a primary enclosure or enclosures in which animals are housed or kept.\n\t\t“Farming activity” means, consistent with standard animal husbandry practices, the raising, management, and use of agricultural animals to provide food, fiber, or transportation and the breeding, exhibition, lawful recreational use, marketing, transportation, and slaughter of agricultural animals pursuant to such purposes.\n\t\t“Foster care provider” means a person who provides care or rehabilitation for companion animals through an affiliation with a public or private animal shelter, home-based rescue, releasing agency, or other animal welfare organization.\n\t\t“Foster home” means a private residential dwelling and its surrounding grounds, or any facility other than a public or private animal shelter, at which site through an affiliation with a public or private animal shelter, home-based rescue, releasing agency, or other animal welfare organization care or rehabilitation is provided for companion animals.\n\t\t“Groomer” means any person who, for a fee, cleans, trims, brushes, makes neat, manicures, or treats for external parasites any animal.\n\t\t“Home-based rescue” means an animal welfare organization that takes custody of companion animals for the purpose of facilitating adoption and houses such companion animals in a foster home or a system of foster homes.\n\t\t“Humane” means any action taken in consideration of and with the intent to provide for the animal’s health and well-being.\n\t\t“Humane investigator” means a person who has been appointed by a circuit court as a humane investigator as provided in \u00a7 3.2-6558.\n\t\t“Humane society” means any incorporated, nonprofit organization that is organized for the purposes of preventing cruelty to animals and promoting humane care and treatment or adoptions of animals.\n\t\t“Incorporated” means organized and maintained as a legal entity in the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Inspector” means a State Animal Welfare Inspector employed pursuant to \u00a7 3.2-5901.1 or his representative.\n\t\t“Kennel” means any establishment in which five or more canines, felines, or hybrids of either are kept for the purpose of breeding, hunting, training, renting, buying, boarding, selling, or showing.\n\t\t“Law-enforcement officer” means any person who is a full-time or part-time employee of a police department or sheriff’s office that is part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic or highway laws of the Commonwealth. Part-time employees are compensated officers who are not full-time employees as defined by the employing police department or sheriff’s office.\n\t\t“Livestock” includes all domestic or domesticated: bovine animals; equine animals; ovine animals; porcine animals; cervidae animals; capradae animals; animals of the genus Lama or Vicugna; ratites; fish or shellfish in aquaculture facilities, as defined in \u00a7 3.2-2600; enclosed domesticated rabbits or hares raised for human food or fiber; or any other individual animal specifically raised for food or fiber, except companion animals.\n\t\t“New owner” means an individual who is legally competent to enter into a binding agreement pursuant to subdivision B 2 of \u00a7 3.2-6574, and who adopts or receives a dog or cat from a releasing agency.\n\t\t“Ordinance” means any law, rule, regulation, or ordinance adopted by the governing body of any locality.\n\t\t“Other officer” includes all other persons employed or elected by the people of Virginia, or by any locality, whose duty it is to preserve the peace, to make arrests, or to enforce the law.\n\t\t“Owner” means any person who: (i) has a right of property in an animal; (ii) keeps or harbors an animal; (iii) has an animal in his care; or (iv) acts as a custodian of an animal.\n\t\t“Pet shop” means a retail establishment where companion animals are bought, sold, exchanged, or offered for sale or exchange to the general public.\n\t\t“Poultry” includes all domestic fowl and game birds raised in captivity.\n\t\t“Primary enclosure” means any structure used to immediately restrict an animal or animals to a limited amount of space, such as a room, pen, cage, compartment, or hutch. For tethered animals, the term includes the shelter and the area within reach of the tether.\n\t\t“Private animal shelter” means a facility operated for the purpose of finding permanent adoptive homes for animals that is used to house or contain animals and that is owned or operated by an incorporated, nonprofit, and nongovernmental entity, including a humane society, animal welfare organization, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or any other similar organization.\n\t\t“Properly cleaned” means that carcasses, debris, food waste, and excrement are removed from the primary enclosure with sufficient frequency to minimize the animals’ contact with the above-mentioned contaminants; the primary enclosure is sanitized with sufficient frequency to minimize odors and the hazards of disease; and the primary enclosure is cleaned so as to prevent the animals confined therein from being directly or indirectly sprayed with the stream of water, or directly or indirectly exposed to hazardous chemicals or disinfectants.\n\t\t“Properly lighted” when referring to a facility means sufficient illumination to permit routine inspections, maintenance, cleaning, and housekeeping of the facility, and observation of the animals; to provide regular diurnal lighting cycles of either natural or artificial light, uniformly diffused throughout the facility; and to promote the well-being of the animals.\n\t\t“Properly lighted” when referring to a private residential dwelling and its surrounding grounds means sufficient illumination to permit routine maintenance and cleaning thereof, and observation of the companion animals; and to provide regular diurnal lighting cycles of either natural or artificial light to promote the well-being of the animals.\n\t\t“Public animal shelter” means a facility operated by the Commonwealth, or any locality, for the purpose of impounding or sheltering seized, stray, homeless, abandoned, unwanted, or surrendered animals or a facility operated for the same purpose under a contract with any locality.\n\t\t“Releasing agency” means (i) a public animal shelter or (ii) a private animal shelter, humane society, animal welfare organization, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or other similar entity or home-based rescue that releases companion animals for adoption.\n\t\t“Research facility” means any place, laboratory, or institution licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at which scientific tests, experiments, or investigations involving the use of living animals are carried out, conducted, or attempted.\n\t\t“Sanitize” means to make physically clean and to remove and destroy, to a practical minimum, agents injurious to health.\n\t\t“Sore” means, when referring to an equine, that an irritating or blistering agent has been applied, internally or externally, by a person to any limb or foot of an equine; any burn, cut, or laceration that has been inflicted by a person to any limb or foot of an equine; any tack, nail, screw, or chemical agent that has been injected by a person into or used by a person on any limb or foot of an equine; any other substance or device that has been used by a person on any limb or foot of an equine; or a person has engaged in a practice involving an equine, and as a result of such application, infliction, injection, use, or practice, such equine suffers, or can reasonably be expected to suffer, physical pain or distress, inflammation, or lameness when walking, trotting, or otherwise moving, except that such term does not include such an application, infliction, injection, use, or practice in connection with the therapeutic treatment of an equine by or under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, nothing shall preclude the shoeing, use of pads, and use of action devices as permitted by 9 C.F.R. Part 11.2.\n\t\t“Sterilize” or “sterilization” means a surgical or chemical procedure performed by a licensed veterinarian that renders a dog or cat permanently incapable of reproducing.\n\t\t“Treasurer” includes the treasurer and his assistants of each county or city or other officer designated by law to collect taxes in such county or city.\n\t\t“Treatment” or “adequate treatment” means the responsible handling or transportation of animals in the person’s ownership, custody or charge, appropriate for the age, species, condition, size and type of the animal.\n\t\t“Veterinary treatment” means treatment by or on the order of a duly licensed veterinarian.\n\t\t“Weaned” means that an animal is capable of and physiologically accustomed to ingestion of solid food or food customary for the adult of the species and has ingested such food, without nursing, for a period of at least five days.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14907,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13170,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:50:43","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:50:43","permalink":{"id":198461,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14907,"identifier":"1","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/1","url":"\/3.2\/V\/65\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13170,"edition_id":1,"name":"Comprehensive Animal Care","identifier":"65","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13169,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:23","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:23","permalink":{"id":198459,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13170,"identifier":"65","token":"3.2\/V\/65","url":"\/3.2\/V\/65\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13169,"edition_id":1,"name":"Domestic Animals","identifier":"V","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12793,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:23","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:23","permalink":{"id":198133,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13169,"identifier":"V","token":"3.2\/V","url":"\/3.2\/V\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12793,"edition_id":1,"name":"Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food","identifier":"3.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","permalink":{"id":193939,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12793,"identifier":"3.2","token":"3.2","url":"\/3.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":86401,"structure_id":14907,"section_number":"3.2-6500","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/3.2-6500\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/1\/3.2-6500","metadata":false},{"id":59205,"structure_id":14907,"section_number":"3.2-6501","catch_line":"Regulations and guidelines","url":"\/3.2-6501\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/1\/3.2-6501","metadata":false},{"id":86765,"structure_id":14907,"section_number":"3.2-6501.1","catch_line":"Regulations for the keeping of certain animals","url":"\/3.2-6501.1\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/1\/3.2-6501.1","metadata":false},{"id":56906,"structure_id":14907,"section_number":"3.2-6502","catch_line":"State Veterinarian's power to inspect premises where animals are kept; investigations and search warrants","url":"\/3.2-6502\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/1\/3.2-6502","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":59205,"structure_id":14907,"section_number":"3.2-6501","catch_line":"Regulations and guidelines","url":"\/3.2-6501\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/1\/3.2-6501","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/3.2-6500\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1984. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 492 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1984 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 16 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1987, chapter 488; in 1988, chapter 538; in 1991, chapter 348; in 1993, chapters 174 and 959; in 1995, chapter 610<\/a>; in 1998, chapter 817<\/a>; in 2002, chapters 351<\/a>, 500<\/a>, and 787<\/a>; in 2003, chapter 1007<\/a>; in 2008, chapters 9<\/a>, 127<\/a>, 852<\/a>, and 860<\/a>; in 2011, chapters 754<\/a> and 886<\/a>; in 2014, chapter 148<\/a>; in 2015, chapter 492<\/a>; in 2018, chapters 416<\/a>, 599<\/a>, and 780<\/a>; in 2019, chapters 258<\/a>, 532<\/a>, and 848<\/a>; in 2020, chapters 954<\/a>, 955<\/a>, and 1284<\/a>; in 2022, chapter 92<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":74453,"section_number":"15.2-836.1","catch_line":"Animal protection police officer","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-836.1\/"},{"id":62537,"section_number":"16.1-253","catch_line":"Preliminary protective order","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-253\/"},{"id":61705,"section_number":"16.1-253.1","catch_line":"Preliminary protective orders in cases of family abuse; confidentiality","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-253.1\/"},{"id":60177,"section_number":"16.1-253.4","catch_line":"Emergency protective orders authorized in certain cases; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-253.4\/"},{"id":62456,"section_number":"16.1-279.1","catch_line":"Protective order in cases of family abuse","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-279.1\/"},{"id":72037,"section_number":"18.2-144.2","catch_line":"Prohibition against making a false representation of ownership of an animal to a public or private animal shelter; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-144.2\/"},{"id":57357,"section_number":"18.2-403.4","catch_line":"Unauthorized release of animals; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-403.4\/"},{"id":83461,"section_number":"19.2-152.10","catch_line":"Protective order","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-152.10\/"},{"id":67602,"section_number":"19.2-152.8","catch_line":"Emergency protective orders authorized","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-152.8\/"},{"id":57556,"section_number":"19.2-152.9","catch_line":"Preliminary protective orders","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-152.9\/"},{"id":62811,"section_number":"3.2-300","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-300\/"},{"id":85972,"section_number":"3.2-5901.1","catch_line":"State Animal Welfare Inspector","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-5901.1\/"},{"id":73161,"section_number":"3.2-6508.1","catch_line":"Sale of dogs or cats prohibited in certain places","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6508.1\/"},{"id":84119,"section_number":"3.2-6511.1","catch_line":"Pet shops; procurement of dogs; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6511.1\/"},{"id":81910,"section_number":"3.2-6518","catch_line":"Boarding establishments and groomers; veterinary care requirements; consumer notification; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6518\/"},{"id":55376,"section_number":"3.2-6569","catch_line":"Seizure and impoundment of animals; notice and hearing; disposition of animal; disposition of proceeds upon sale","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6569\/"},{"id":54687,"section_number":"3.2-6571","catch_line":"Animal fighting; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6571\/"},{"id":82320,"section_number":"3.2-6585","catch_line":"Dogs and cats deemed personal property; rights relating thereto","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6585\/"},{"id":70676,"section_number":"32.1-48.06","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-48.06\/"},{"id":78222,"section_number":"33.2-802","catch_line":"Dumping trash; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/33.2-802\/"},{"id":69434,"section_number":"46.2-1232","catch_line":"Localities may regulate removal or immobilization of trespassing vehicles","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-1232\/"},{"id":85347,"section_number":"54.1-3303","catch_line":"Prescriptions to be issued and drugs to be dispensed for medical or therapeutic purposes only","order_by":null,"url":"\/54.1-3303\/"},{"id":87135,"section_number":"54.1-3423","catch_line":"Board to issue registration unless inconsistent with public interest; authorization to conduct research; application and fees","order_by":null,"url":"\/54.1-3423\/"},{"id":62527,"section_number":"54.1-3801","catch_line":"Exceptions","order_by":null,"url":"\/54.1-3801\/"},{"id":85889,"section_number":"58.1-3109","catch_line":"Duties of commissioners as to personal property, income and licenses","order_by":null,"url":"\/58.1-3109\/"},{"id":74977,"section_number":"8.01-121","catch_line":"Final judgment","order_by":null,"url":"\/8.01-121\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":86289,"section_number":"3.2-2600","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-2600\/"},{"id":85972,"section_number":"3.2-5901.1","catch_line":"State Animal Welfare Inspector","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-5901.1\/"},{"id":66904,"section_number":"3.2-6503","catch_line":"Care of companion animals by owner; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6503\/"},{"id":75503,"section_number":"3.2-6522","catch_line":"Rabid animals","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6522\/"},{"id":65545,"section_number":"3.2-6555","catch_line":"Position of animal control officer created","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6555\/"},{"id":68988,"section_number":"3.2-6558","catch_line":"Humane investigators; qualifications; appointment; term","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6558\/"},{"id":72218,"section_number":"3.2-6570","catch_line":"Cruelty to animals; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6570\/"},{"id":70938,"section_number":"3.2-6574","catch_line":"Sterilization of adopted dogs and cats; enforcement; civil penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6574\/"}],"permalink":{"id":198463,"object_type":"law","relational_id":86401,"identifier":"3.2-6500","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/1\/3.2-6500","url":"\/3.2-6500\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/3.2-6500\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/1\/3.2-6500","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 3.2-6500","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Abandon<\/span>” means to desert, forsake, or absolutely give up an animal without having secured another owner or custodian for the animal or by failing to provide the elements of basic care as set forth in \u00a7 3.2-6503<\/a> for a period of four consecutive days.\n\t\t“Adequate care<\/span>” or “care” means the responsible practice of good animal husbandry, handling, production, management, confinement, feeding, watering, protection, shelter, transportation, treatment, and, when necessary, euthanasia<\/span>, appropriate for the age, species, condition, size and type of the animal and the provision of veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering or impairment of health.\n\t\t“Adequate exercise<\/span>” or “exercise” means the opportunity for the animal to move sufficiently to maintain normal muscle tone and mass for the age, species, size, and condition of the animal.\n\t\t“Adequate feed<\/span>” means access to and the provision of food that is of sufficient quantity and nutritive value to maintain each animal in good health; is accessible to each animal; is prepared so as to permit ease of consumption for the age, species, condition, size and type of each animal; is provided in a clean and sanitary manner; is placed so as to minimize contamination by excrement and pests; and is provided at suitable intervals for the species, age, and condition of the animal, but at least once daily, except as prescribed by a veterinarian or as dictated by naturally occurring states of hibernation or fasting normal for the species.\n\t\t“Adequate shelter<\/span>” means provision of and access to shelter that is suitable for the species, age, condition, size, and type of each animal; provides adequate space<\/span> for each animal; is safe and protects each animal from injury, rain, sleet, snow, hail, direct sunlight, the adverse effects of heat or cold, physical suffering, and impairment of health; is properly lighted<\/span>; is properly cleaned<\/span>; enables each animal to be clean and dry, except when detrimental to the species; during hot weather, is properly shaded and does not readily conduct heat; during cold weather, has a windbreak at its entrance and provides a quantity of bedding material<\/span> consisting of hay, cedar shavings, or the equivalent that is sufficient to protect the animal from cold and promote the retention of body heat; and, for dogs and cats, provides a solid surface, resting platform, pad, floormat, or similar device that is large enough for the animal to lie on in a normal manner and can be maintained in a sanitary manner. Under this chapter, shelters whose wire, grid, or slat floors (i) permit the animals’ feet to pass through the openings, (ii) sag under the animals’ weight, or (iii) otherwise do not protect the animals’ feet or toes from injury are not adequate shelter<\/span>. The outdoor tethering of an animal shall not constitute the provision of adequate shelter<\/span> (a) unless the animal is safe from predators and well suited and well equipped to tolerate its environment; (b) during the effective period for a hurricane warning or tropical storm warning issued for the area by the National Weather Service; or (c)(1) during a heat advisory issued by a local or state authority, (2) when the actual or effective outdoor temperature is 85 degrees Fahrenheit or higher or 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, or (3) during the effective period for a severe weather warning issued for the area by the National Weather Service, including a winter storm, tornado, or severe thunderstorm warning, unless an animal control officer<\/span>, having inspected an animal’s individual circumstances in clause (c)(1), (2), or (3), has determined the animal to be safe from predators and well suited and well equipped to tolerate its environment.\n\t\t“Adequate space<\/span>” means sufficient space to allow each animal to (i) easily stand, sit, lie, turn about, and make all other normal body movements in a comfortable, normal position for the animal and (ii) interact safely with other animals in the enclosure. When an animal is tethered, “adequate space<\/span>” means that the tether to which the animal is attached permits the above actions and is appropriate to the age and size of the animal; is attached to the animal by a properly applied collar<\/span>, halter, or harness that is configured so as to protect the animal from injury and prevent the animal or tether from becoming entangled with other objects<\/span> or animals, or from extending over an object<\/span> or edge that could result in the strangulation or injury of the animal; is at least 15 feet in length or four times the length of the animal, as measured from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail, whichever is greater, except when the animal is being walked on a leash or is attached by a tether to a lead line or when an animal control officer<\/span>, having inspected an animal’s individual circumstances, has determined that in such an individual case, a tether of at least 10 feet or three times the length of the animal, but shorter than 15 feet or four times the length of the animal, makes the animal more safe, more suited, and better equipped to tolerate its environment than a longer tether; does not, by its material<\/span>, size, or weight or any other characteristic, cause injury or pain to the animal; does not weigh more than one-tenth of the animal’s body weight; and does not have weights or other heavy objects<\/span> attached to it. The walking of an animal on a leash by its owner shall not constitute the tethering of the animal for the purpose of this definition. When freedom of movement would endanger the animal, temporarily and appropriately restricting movement of the animal according to professionally accepted standards for the species is considered provision of adequate space<\/span>. The provisions of this definition that relate to tethering shall not apply to agricultural animals<\/span>.\n\t\t“Adequate water<\/span>” means provision of and access to clean, fresh, potable water of a drinkable temperature that is provided in a suitable manner, in sufficient volume, and at suitable intervals appropriate for the weather and temperature, to maintain normal hydration for the age, species, condition, size and type of each animal, except as prescribed by a veterinarian or as dictated by naturally occurring states of hibernation or fasting normal for the species; and is provided in clean, durable receptacles that are accessible to each animal and are placed so as to minimize contamination of the water by excrement and pests or an alternative source of hydration consistent with generally accepted husbandry practices.\n\t\t“Adoption<\/span>” means the transfer of ownership of a dog or a cat, or any other companion animal<\/span>, from a releasing agency<\/span> to an individual.\n\t\t“Agricultural animals<\/span>” means all livestock<\/span> and poultry<\/span>.\n\t\t“Ambient temperature<\/span>” means the temperature surrounding the animal.\n\t\t“Animal” means any nonhuman vertebrate species except fish. For the purposes of \u00a7 3.2-6522<\/a>, animal means any species susceptible to rabies. For the purposes of \u00a7 3.2-6570<\/a>, animal means any nonhuman vertebrate species including fish except those fish captured and killed or disposed of in a reasonable and customary manner.\n\t\t“Animal control officer<\/span>” means a person appointed as an animal control officer<\/span> or deputy animal control officer<\/span> as provided in \u00a7 3.2-6555<\/a>.\n\t\t“Boarding establishment<\/span>” means a place or establishment other than a public or private animal shelter<\/span> where companion animals<\/span> not owned by the proprietor are sheltered, fed, and watered in exchange for a fee. “Boarding establishment<\/span>” shall not include any private residential dwelling that shelters, feeds, and waters fewer than five companion animals<\/span> not owned by the proprietor.\n\t\t“Collar<\/span>” means a well-fitted device, appropriate to the age and size of the animal, attached to the animal’s neck in such a way as to prevent trauma or injury to the animal.\n\t\t“Commercial dog breeder<\/span>” means any person who, during any 12-month period, maintains 30 or more adult female dogs for the primary purpose of the sale of their offspring provided that a person who breeds an animal regulated under federal law<\/span> as a research animal shall not be deemed to be a commercial dog breeder<\/span>.\n\t\t“Companion animal<\/span>” means any domestic or feral dog, domestic or feral cat, nonhuman primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit not raised for human food or fiber, exotic or native animal, reptile, exotic or native bird, or any feral animal or any animal under the care, custody<\/span>, or ownership of a person or any animal that is bought, sold, traded, or bartered by any person. No agricultural animal or game species, or animal actively involved in bona fide scientific or medical experimentation shall be considered a companion animal<\/span> for the purposes of this chapter.\n\t\t“Consumer<\/span>” means any natural person purchasing an animal from a dealer<\/span> or pet shop<\/span> or hiring the services of a boarding establishment<\/span>. The term “consumer<\/span>” shall not include a business or corporation engaged in sales or services.\n\t\t“Dealer<\/span>” means any person who in the regular course of business for compensation or profit buys, sells, transfers, exchanges, or barters companion animals<\/span>. The following shall not be considered dealers<\/span>: (i) any person who transports companion animals<\/span> in the regular course of business as a common carrier or (ii) any person whose primary purpose is to find permanent adoptive homes for companion animals<\/span>.\n\t\t“Direct and immediate threat<\/span>” means any clear and imminent danger to an animal’s health, safety or life.\n\t\t“Dump<\/span>” means to knowingly desert, forsake, or absolutely give up without having secured another owner or custodian any dog, cat, or other companion animal<\/span> in any public place including the right-of-way of any public highway, road or street or on the property of another.\n\t\t“Emergency veterinary treatment<\/span>” means veterinary treatment to stabilize a life-threatening condition, alleviate suffering, prevent further disease transmission, or prevent further disease progression.\n\t\t“Enclosure” means a structure used to house or restrict animals from running at large.\n\t\t“Euthanasia<\/span>” means the humane destruction of an animal accomplished by a method that involves instantaneous unconsciousness and immediate death or by a method that involves anesthesia, produced by an agent that causes painless loss of consciousness, and death during such loss of consciousness.\n\t\t“Exhibitor<\/span>” means any person who has animals for or on public display, excluding an exhibitor<\/span> licensed by the U.S. Department<\/span> of Agriculture.\n\t\t“Facility” means a building or portion thereof as designated by the State Veterinarian<\/span>, other than a private residential dwelling and its surrounding grounds, that is used to contain a primary enclosure<\/span> or enclosures<\/span> in which animals are housed or kept.\n\t\t“Farming activity” means, consistent with standard animal husbandry practices, the raising, management, and use of agricultural animals<\/span> to provide food, fiber, or transportation and the breeding, exhibition, lawful recreational use, marketing, transportation, and slaughter of agricultural animals<\/span> pursuant to such purposes.\n\t\t“Foster care provider<\/span>” means a person who provides care or rehabilitation for companion animals<\/span> through an affiliation with a public or private animal shelter<\/span>, home-based rescue<\/span>, releasing agency<\/span>, or other animal welfare organization.\n\t\t“Foster home<\/span>” means a private residential dwelling and its surrounding grounds, or any facility other than a public or private animal shelter<\/span>, at which site through an affiliation with a public or private animal shelter<\/span>, home-based rescue<\/span>, releasing agency<\/span>, or other animal welfare organization care or rehabilitation is provided for companion animals<\/span>.\n\t\t“Groomer<\/span>” means any person who, for a fee, cleans, trims, brushes, makes neat, manicures, or treats for external parasites any animal.\n\t\t“Home-based rescue<\/span>” means an animal welfare organization that takes custody<\/span> of companion animals<\/span> for the purpose of facilitating adoption<\/span> and houses such companion animals<\/span> in a foster home<\/span> or a system of foster homes<\/span>.\n\t\t“Humane” means any action taken in consideration of and with the intent<\/span> to provide for the animal’s health and well-being.\n\t\t“Humane investigator<\/span>” means a person who has been appointed by a circuit<\/span> court<\/span> as a humane investigator<\/span> as provided in \u00a7 3.2-6558<\/a>.\n\t\t“Humane society<\/span>” means any incorporated<\/span>, nonprofit organization that is organized for the purposes of preventing cruelty to animals and promoting humane care and treatment or adoptions<\/span> of animals.\n\t\t“Incorporated<\/span>” means organized and maintained as a legal entity in the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Inspector<\/span>” means a State Animal Welfare Inspector<\/span> employed pursuant to \u00a7 3.2-5901.1<\/a> or his representative.\n\t\t“Kennel<\/span>” means any establishment in which five or more canines, felines, or hybrids of either are kept for the purpose of breeding, hunting, training, renting, buying, boarding, selling, or showing.\n\t\t“Law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span>” means any person who is a full-time or part-time employee of a police department<\/span> or sheriff’s office that is part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime<\/span> and the enforcement of the penal, traffic or highway laws<\/span> of the Commonwealth. Part-time employees are compensated officers who are not full-time employees as defined by the employing police department<\/span> or sheriff’s office.\n\t\t“Livestock<\/span>” includes all domestic or domesticated: bovine animals; equine animals; ovine animals; porcine animals; cervidae animals; capradae animals; animals of the genus Lama or Vicugna; ratites; fish or shellfish in aquaculture facilities, as defined in \u00a7 3.2-2600<\/a>; enclosed domesticated rabbits or hares raised for human food or fiber; or any other individual animal specifically raised for food or fiber, except companion animals<\/span>.\n\t\t“New owner<\/span>” means an individual who is legally competent to enter into a binding agreement pursuant to subdivision B 2 of \u00a7 3.2-6574<\/a>, and who adopts or receives a dog or cat from a releasing agency<\/span>.\n\t\t“Ordinance<\/span>” means any law<\/span>, rule, regulation, or ordinance<\/span> adopted by the governing body of any locality.\n\t\t“Other officer<\/span>” includes all other persons employed or elected by the people of Virginia, or by any locality, whose duty it is to preserve the peace, to make arrests<\/span>, or to enforce the law<\/span>.\n\t\t“Owner” means any person who: (i) has a right of property in an animal; (ii) keeps or harbors an animal; (iii) has an animal in his care; or (iv) acts as a custodian of an animal.\n\t\t“Pet shop<\/span>” means a retail establishment where companion animals<\/span> are bought, sold, exchanged, or offered for sale or exchange to the general public.\n\t\t“Poultry<\/span>” includes all domestic fowl and game birds raised in captivity.\n\t\t“Primary enclosure<\/span>” means any structure used to immediately restrict an animal or animals to a limited amount of space, such as a room, pen, cage, compartment, or hutch. For tethered animals, the term includes the shelter and the area within reach of the tether.\n\t\t“Private animal shelter<\/span>” means a facility operated for the purpose of finding<\/span> permanent adoptive homes for animals that is used to house or contain animals and that is owned or operated by an incorporated<\/span>, nonprofit, and nongovernmental entity, including a humane society<\/span>, animal welfare organization, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or any other similar organization.\n\t\t“Properly cleaned<\/span>” means that carcasses, debris, food waste, and excrement are removed from the primary enclosure<\/span> with sufficient frequency to minimize the animals’ contact with the above-mentioned contaminants; the primary enclosure<\/span> is sanitized with sufficient frequency to minimize odors and the hazards of disease; and the primary enclosure<\/span> is cleaned so as to prevent the animals confined therein from being directly or indirectly sprayed with the stream of water, or directly or indirectly exposed to hazardous chemicals or disinfectants.\n\t\t“Properly lighted<\/span>” when referring to a facility means sufficient illumination to permit routine inspections, maintenance, cleaning, and housekeeping of the facility, and observation of the animals; to provide regular diurnal lighting cycles of either natural or artificial light, uniformly diffused throughout the facility; and to promote the well-being of the animals.\n\t\t“Properly lighted<\/span>” when referring to a private residential dwelling and its surrounding grounds means sufficient illumination to permit routine maintenance and cleaning thereof, and observation of the companion animals<\/span>; and to provide regular diurnal lighting cycles of either natural or artificial light to promote the well-being of the animals.\n\t\t“Public animal shelter<\/span>” means a facility operated by the Commonwealth, or any locality, for the purpose of impounding or sheltering seized, stray, homeless, abandoned, unwanted, or surrendered animals or a facility operated for the same purpose under a contract<\/span> with any locality.\n\t\t“Releasing agency<\/span>” means (i) a public animal shelter<\/span> or (ii) a private animal shelter<\/span>, humane society<\/span>, animal welfare organization, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or other similar entity or home-based rescue<\/span> that releases companion animals<\/span> for adoption<\/span>.\n\t\t“Research facility<\/span>” means any place, laboratory, or institution licensed by the U.S. Department<\/span> of Agriculture at which scientific tests, experiments, or investigations involving the use of living animals are carried out, conducted, or attempted.\n\t\t“Sanitize<\/span>” means to make physically clean and to remove and destroy, to a practical minimum, agents injurious to health.\n\t\t“Sore” means, when referring to an equine, that an irritating or blistering agent has been applied, internally or externally, by a person to any limb or foot of an equine; any burn, cut, or laceration that has been inflicted by a person to any limb or foot of an equine; any tack, nail, screw, or chemical agent that has been injected by a person into or used by a person on any limb or foot of an equine; any other substance or device that has been used by a person on any limb or foot of an equine; or a person has engaged in a practice involving an equine, and as a result of such application, infliction, injection, use, or practice, such equine suffers, or can reasonably be expected to suffer, physical pain or distress, inflammation, or lameness when walking, trotting, or otherwise moving, except that such term does not include such an application, infliction, injection, use, or practice in connection with the therapeutic treatment of an equine by or under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, nothing shall preclude the shoeing, use of pads, and use of action devices as permitted by 9 C.F.R. Part 11.2.\n\t\t“Sterilize<\/span>” or “sterilization<\/span>” means a surgical or chemical procedure performed by a licensed veterinarian that renders a dog or cat permanently incapable of reproducing.\n\t\t“Treasurer<\/span>” includes the treasurer<\/span> and his assistants of each county or city or other officer<\/span> designated by law<\/span> to collect taxes in such county or city.\n\t\t“Treatment” or “adequate treatment<\/span>” means the responsible handling or transportation of animals in the person’s ownership, custody<\/span> or charge, appropriate for the age, species, condition, size and type of the animal.\n\t\t“Veterinary treatment” means treatment by or on the order<\/span> of a duly licensed veterinarian.\n\t\t“Weaned<\/span>” means that an animal is capable of and physiologically accustomed to ingestion of solid food or food customary for the adult of the species and has ingested such food, without nursing, for a period of at least five days.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 3.2-6500)\n\nAs used in this chapter unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Abandon” means to desert, forsake, or absolutely give up an\nanimal without having secured another owner or custodian for the animal or by\nfailing to provide the elements of basic care as set forth in \u00a7 3.2-6503 for a\nperiod of four consecutive days.\n\t\t“Adequate care” or “care” means the responsible\npractice of good animal husbandry, handling, production, management,\nconfinement, feeding, watering, protection, shelter, transportation, treatment,\nand, when necessary, euthanasia, appropriate for the age, species, condition,\nsize and type of the animal and the provision of veterinary care when needed to\nprevent suffering or impairment of health.\n\t\t“Adequate exercise” or “exercise” means the\nopportunity for the animal to move sufficiently to maintain normal muscle tone\nand mass for the age, species, size, and condition of the animal.\n\t\t“Adequate feed” means access to and the provision of food that is\nof sufficient quantity and nutritive value to maintain each animal in good\nhealth; is accessible to each animal; is prepared so as to permit ease of\nconsumption for the age, species, condition, size and type of each animal; is\nprovided in a clean and sanitary manner; is placed so as to minimize\ncontamination by excrement and pests; and is provided at suitable intervals for\nthe species, age, and condition of the animal, but at least once daily, except\nas prescribed by a veterinarian or as dictated by naturally occurring states of\nhibernation or fasting normal for the species.\n\t\t“Adequate shelter” means provision of and access to shelter that\nis suitable for the species, age, condition, size, and type of each animal;\nprovides adequate space for each animal; is safe and protects each animal from\ninjury, rain, sleet, snow, hail, direct sunlight, the adverse effects of heat or\ncold, physical suffering, and impairment of health; is properly lighted; is\nproperly cleaned; enables each animal to be clean and dry, except when\ndetrimental to the species; during hot weather, is properly shaded and does not\nreadily conduct heat; during cold weather, has a windbreak at its entrance and\nprovides a quantity of bedding material consisting of hay, cedar shavings, or\nthe equivalent that is sufficient to protect the animal from cold and promote\nthe retention of body heat; and, for dogs and cats, provides a solid surface,\nresting platform, pad, floormat, or similar device that is large enough for the\nanimal to lie on in a normal manner and can be maintained in a sanitary manner.\nUnder this chapter, shelters whose wire, grid, or slat floors (i) permit the\nanimals’ feet to pass through the openings, (ii) sag under the\nanimals’ weight, or (iii) otherwise do not protect the animals’ feet\nor toes from injury are not adequate shelter. The outdoor tethering of an animal\nshall not constitute the provision of adequate shelter (a) unless the animal is\nsafe from predators and well suited and well equipped to tolerate its\nenvironment; (b) during the effective period for a hurricane warning or tropical\nstorm warning issued for the area by the National Weather Service; or (c)(1)\nduring a heat advisory issued by a local or state authority, (2) when the actual\nor effective outdoor temperature is 85 degrees Fahrenheit or higher or 32\ndegrees Fahrenheit or lower, or (3) during the effective period for a severe\nweather warning issued for the area by the National Weather Service, including a\nwinter storm, tornado, or severe thunderstorm warning, unless an animal control\nofficer, having inspected an animal’s individual circumstances in clause\n(c)(1), (2), or (3), has determined the animal to be safe from predators and\nwell suited and well equipped to tolerate its environment.\n\t\t“Adequate space” means sufficient space to allow each animal to\n(i) easily stand, sit, lie, turn about, and make all other normal body movements\nin a comfortable, normal position for the animal and (ii) interact safely with\nother animals in the enclosure. When an animal is tethered, “adequate\nspace” means that the tether to which the animal is attached permits the\nabove actions and is appropriate to the age and size of the animal; is attached\nto the animal by a properly applied collar, halter, or harness that is\nconfigured so as to protect the animal from injury and prevent the animal or\ntether from becoming entangled with other objects or animals, or from extending\nover an object or edge that could result in the strangulation or injury of the\nanimal; is at least 15 feet in length or four times the length of the animal, as\nmeasured from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail, whichever is greater,\nexcept when the animal is being walked on a leash or is attached by a tether to\na lead line or when an animal control officer, having inspected an\nanimal’s individual circumstances, has determined that in such an\nindividual case, a tether of at least 10 feet or three times the length of the\nanimal, but shorter than 15 feet or four times the length of the animal, makes\nthe animal more safe, more suited, and better equipped to tolerate its\nenvironment than a longer tether; does not, by its material, size, or weight or\nany other characteristic, cause injury or pain to the animal; does not weigh\nmore than one-tenth of the animal’s body weight; and does not have weights\nor other heavy objects attached to it. The walking of an animal on a leash by\nits owner shall not constitute the tethering of the animal for the purpose of\nthis definition. When freedom of movement would endanger the animal, temporarily\nand appropriately restricting movement of the animal according to professionally\naccepted standards for the species is considered provision of adequate space.\nThe provisions of this definition that relate to tethering shall not apply to\nagricultural animals.\n\t\t“Adequate water” means provision of and access to clean, fresh,\npotable water of a drinkable temperature that is provided in a suitable manner,\nin sufficient volume, and at suitable intervals appropriate for the weather and\ntemperature, to maintain normal hydration for the age, species, condition, size\nand type of each animal, except as prescribed by a veterinarian or as dictated\nby naturally occurring states of hibernation or fasting normal for the species;\nand is provided in clean, durable receptacles that are accessible to each animal\nand are placed so as to minimize contamination of the water by excrement and\npests or an alternative source of hydration consistent with generally accepted\nhusbandry practices.\n\t\t“Adoption” means the transfer of ownership of a dog or a cat, or\nany other companion animal, from a releasing agency to an individual.\n\t\t“Agricultural animals” means all livestock and poultry.\n\t\t“Ambient temperature” means the temperature surrounding the\nanimal.\n\t\t“Animal” means any nonhuman vertebrate species except fish. For\nthe purposes of \u00a7 3.2-6522, animal means any species susceptible to rabies. For\nthe purposes of \u00a7 3.2-6570, animal means any nonhuman vertebrate species\nincluding fish except those fish captured and killed or disposed of in a\nreasonable and customary manner.\n\t\t“Animal control officer” means a person appointed as an animal\ncontrol officer or deputy animal control officer as provided in \u00a7 3.2-6555.\n\t\t“Boarding establishment” means a place or establishment other than\na public or private animal shelter where companion animals not owned by the\nproprietor are sheltered, fed, and watered in exchange for a fee.\n“Boarding establishment” shall not include any private residential\ndwelling that shelters, feeds, and waters fewer than five companion animals not\nowned by the proprietor.\n\t\t“Collar” means a well-fitted device, appropriate to the age and\nsize of the animal, attached to the animal’s neck in such a way as to\nprevent trauma or injury to the animal.\n\t\t“Commercial dog breeder” means any person who, during any 12-month\nperiod, maintains 30 or more adult female dogs for the primary purpose of the\nsale of their offspring provided that a person who breeds an animal regulated\nunder federal law as a research animal shall not be deemed to be a commercial\ndog breeder.\n\t\t“Companion animal” means any domestic or feral dog, domestic or\nferal cat, nonhuman primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit not raised for human\nfood or fiber, exotic or native animal, reptile, exotic or native bird, or any\nferal animal or any animal under the care, custody, or ownership of a person or\nany animal that is bought, sold, traded, or bartered by any person. No\nagricultural animal or game species, or animal actively involved in bona fide\nscientific or medical experimentation shall be considered a companion animal for\nthe purposes of this chapter.\n\t\t“Consumer” means any natural person purchasing an animal from a\ndealer or pet shop or hiring the services of a boarding establishment. The term\n“consumer” shall not include a business or corporation engaged in\nsales or services.\n\t\t“Dealer” means any person who in the regular course of business\nfor compensation or profit buys, sells, transfers, exchanges, or barters\ncompanion animals. The following shall not be considered dealers: (i) any person\nwho transports companion animals in the regular course of business as a common\ncarrier or (ii) any person whose primary purpose is to find permanent adoptive\nhomes for companion animals.\n\t\t“Direct and immediate threat” means any clear and imminent danger\nto an animal’s health, safety or life.\n\t\t“Dump” means to knowingly desert, forsake, or absolutely give up\nwithout having secured another owner or custodian any dog, cat, or other\ncompanion animal in any public place including the right-of-way of any public\nhighway, road or street or on the property of another.\n\t\t“Emergency veterinary treatment” means veterinary treatment to\nstabilize a life-threatening condition, alleviate suffering, prevent further\ndisease transmission, or prevent further disease progression.\n\t\t“Enclosure” means a structure used to house or restrict animals\nfrom running at large.\n\t\t“Euthanasia” means the humane destruction of an animal\naccomplished by a method that involves instantaneous unconsciousness and\nimmediate death or by a method that involves anesthesia, produced by an agent\nthat causes painless loss of consciousness, and death during such loss of\nconsciousness.\n\t\t“Exhibitor” means any person who has animals for or on public\ndisplay, excluding an exhibitor licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.\n\t\t“Facility” means a building or portion thereof as designated by\nthe State Veterinarian, other than a private residential dwelling and its\nsurrounding grounds, that is used to contain a primary enclosure or enclosures\nin which animals are housed or kept.\n\t\t“Farming activity” means, consistent with standard animal\nhusbandry practices, the raising, management, and use of agricultural animals to\nprovide food, fiber, or transportation and the breeding, exhibition, lawful\nrecreational use, marketing, transportation, and slaughter of agricultural\nanimals pursuant to such purposes.\n\t\t“Foster care provider” means a person who provides care or\nrehabilitation for companion animals through an affiliation with a public or\nprivate animal shelter, home-based rescue, releasing agency, or other animal\nwelfare organization.\n\t\t“Foster home” means a private residential dwelling and its\nsurrounding grounds, or any facility other than a public or private animal\nshelter, at which site through an affiliation with a public or private animal\nshelter, home-based rescue, releasing agency, or other animal welfare\norganization care or rehabilitation is provided for companion animals.\n\t\t“Groomer” means any person who, for a fee, cleans, trims, brushes,\nmakes neat, manicures, or treats for external parasites any animal.\n\t\t“Home-based rescue” means an animal welfare organization that\ntakes custody of companion animals for the purpose of facilitating adoption and\nhouses such companion animals in a foster home or a system of foster homes.\n\t\t“Humane” means any action taken in consideration of and with the\nintent to provide for the animal’s health and well-being.\n\t\t“Humane investigator” means a person who has been appointed by a\ncircuit court as a humane investigator as provided in \u00a7 3.2-6558.\n\t\t“Humane society” means any incorporated, nonprofit organization\nthat is organized for the purposes of preventing cruelty to animals and\npromoting humane care and treatment or adoptions of animals.\n\t\t“Incorporated” means organized and maintained as a legal entity in\nthe Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Inspector” means a State Animal Welfare Inspector employed\npursuant to \u00a7 3.2-5901.1 or his representative.\n\t\t“Kennel” means any establishment in which five or more canines,\nfelines, or hybrids of either are kept for the purpose of breeding, hunting,\ntraining, renting, buying, boarding, selling, or showing.\n\t\t“Law-enforcement officer” means any person who is a full-time or\npart-time employee of a police department or sheriff’s office that is part\nof or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and\nwho is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement\nof the penal, traffic or highway laws of the Commonwealth. Part-time employees\nare compensated officers who are not full-time employees as defined by the\nemploying police department or sheriff’s office.\n\t\t“Livestock” includes all domestic or domesticated: bovine animals;\nequine animals; ovine animals; porcine animals; cervidae animals; capradae\nanimals; animals of the genus Lama or Vicugna; ratites; fish or shellfish in\naquaculture facilities, as defined in \u00a7 3.2-2600; enclosed domesticated rabbits\nor hares raised for human food or fiber; or any other individual animal\nspecifically raised for food or fiber, except companion animals.\n\t\t“New owner” means an individual who is legally competent to enter\ninto a binding agreement pursuant to subdivision B 2 of \u00a7 3.2-6574, and who\nadopts or receives a dog or cat from a releasing agency.\n\t\t“Ordinance” means any law, rule, regulation, or ordinance adopted\nby the governing body of any locality.\n\t\t“Other officer” includes all other persons employed or elected by\nthe people of Virginia, or by any locality, whose duty it is to preserve the\npeace, to make arrests, or to enforce the law.\n\t\t“Owner” means any person who: (i) has a right of property in an\nanimal; (ii) keeps or harbors an animal; (iii) has an animal in his care; or\n(iv) acts as a custodian of an animal.\n\t\t“Pet shop” means a retail establishment where companion animals\nare bought, sold, exchanged, or offered for sale or exchange to the general\npublic.\n\t\t“Poultry” includes all domestic fowl and game birds raised in\ncaptivity.\n\t\t“Primary enclosure” means any structure used to immediately\nrestrict an animal or animals to a limited amount of space, such as a room, pen,\ncage, compartment, or hutch. For tethered animals, the term includes the shelter\nand the area within reach of the tether.\n\t\t“Private animal shelter” means a facility operated for the purpose\nof finding permanent adoptive homes for animals that is used to house or contain\nanimals and that is owned or operated by an incorporated, nonprofit, and\nnongovernmental entity, including a humane society, animal welfare organization,\nsociety for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or any other similar\norganization.\n\t\t“Properly cleaned” means that carcasses, debris, food waste, and\nexcrement are removed from the primary enclosure with sufficient frequency to\nminimize the animals’ contact with the above-mentioned contaminants; the\nprimary enclosure is sanitized with sufficient frequency to minimize odors and\nthe hazards of disease; and the primary enclosure is cleaned so as to prevent\nthe animals confined therein from being directly or indirectly sprayed with the\nstream of water, or directly or indirectly exposed to hazardous chemicals or\ndisinfectants.\n\t\t“Properly lighted” when referring to a facility means sufficient\nillumination to permit routine inspections, maintenance, cleaning, and\nhousekeeping of the facility, and observation of the animals; to provide regular\ndiurnal lighting cycles of either natural or artificial light, uniformly\ndiffused throughout the facility; and to promote the well-being of the animals.\n\t\t“Properly lighted” when referring to a private residential\ndwelling and its surrounding grounds means sufficient illumination to permit\nroutine maintenance and cleaning thereof, and observation of the companion\nanimals; and to provide regular diurnal lighting cycles of either natural or\nartificial light to promote the well-being of the animals.\n\t\t“Public animal shelter” means a facility operated by the\nCommonwealth, or any locality, for the purpose of impounding or sheltering\nseized, stray, homeless, abandoned, unwanted, or surrendered animals or a\nfacility operated for the same purpose under a contract with any locality.\n\t\t“Releasing agency” means (i) a public animal shelter or (ii) a\nprivate animal shelter, humane society, animal welfare organization, society for\nthe prevention of cruelty to animals, or other similar entity or home-based\nrescue that releases companion animals for adoption.\n\t\t“Research facility” means any place, laboratory, or institution\nlicensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at which scientific tests,\nexperiments, or investigations involving the use of living animals are carried\nout, conducted, or attempted.\n\t\t“Sanitize” means to make physically clean and to remove and\ndestroy, to a practical minimum, agents injurious to health.\n\t\t“Sore” means, when referring to an equine, that an irritating or\nblistering agent has been applied, internally or externally, by a person to any\nlimb or foot of an equine; any burn, cut, or laceration that has been inflicted\nby a person to any limb or foot of an equine; any tack, nail, screw, or chemical\nagent that has been injected by a person into or used by a person on any limb or\nfoot of an equine; any other substance or device that has been used by a person\non any limb or foot of an equine; or a person has engaged in a practice\ninvolving an equine, and as a result of such application, infliction, injection,\nuse, or practice, such equine suffers, or can reasonably be expected to suffer,\nphysical pain or distress, inflammation, or lameness when walking, trotting, or\notherwise moving, except that such term does not include such an application,\ninfliction, injection, use, or practice in connection with the therapeutic\ntreatment of an equine by or under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.\nNotwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, nothing shall\npreclude the shoeing, use of pads, and use of action devices as permitted by 9\nC.F.R. Part 11.2.\n\t\t“Sterilize” or “sterilization” means a surgical or\nchemical procedure performed by a licensed veterinarian that renders a dog or\ncat permanently incapable of reproducing.\n\t\t“Treasurer” includes the treasurer and his assistants of each\ncounty or city or other officer designated by law to collect taxes in such\ncounty or city.\n\t\t“Treatment” or “adequate treatment” means the\nresponsible handling or transportation of animals in the person’s\nownership, custody or charge, appropriate for the age, species, condition, size\nand type of the animal.\n\t\t“Veterinary treatment” means treatment by or on the order of a\nduly licensed veterinarian.\n\t\t“Weaned” means that an animal is capable of and physiologically\naccustomed to ingestion of solid food or food customary for the adult of the\nspecies and has ingested such food, without nursing, for a period of at least\nfive days.\n\nHISTORY: 1984, c. 492, \u00a7 29-213.36; 1987, c. 488, \u00a7 3.1-796.66; 1988, c. 538;\n1991, c. 348; 1993, cc. 174, 959; 1995, c. 610; 1998, c. 817; 2002, cc. 351,\n500, 787; 2003, c. 1007; 2008, cc. 9, 127, 852, 860; 2011, cc. 754, 886; 2014,\nc. 148; 2015, c. 492; 2018, cc. 416, 599, 780; 2019, cc. 258, 532, 848; 2020,\ncc. 954, 955, 1284; 2022, c. 92.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}