{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/3.2-6504.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/3.2-6504.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/3.2-6504.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/3.2-6504.1.html"}],"law_id":64111,"edition_id":1,"section_id":64111,"structure_id":13261,"section_number":"3.2-6504.1","catch_line":"Civil immunity; forcible entry of motor vehicle to remove unattended companion animal","history":"2016, c. 679.","full_text":"No law-enforcement officer as defined in \u00a7 9.1-101, firefighter as defined in \u00a7 65.2-102, emergency medical services personnel as defined in \u00a7 32.1-111.1, or animal control officer who in good faith forcibly enters a motor vehicle in order to remove an unattended companion animal that is at risk of serious bodily injury or death shall be liable for any property damage to the vehicle entered or injury to the animal resulting from such forcible entry and removal of the animal, unless such property damage or injury results from gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":233430,"text":"No law-enforcement officer as defined in \u00a7 9.1-101, firefighter as defined in \u00a7 65.2-102, emergency medical services personnel as defined in \u00a7 32.1-111.1, or animal control officer who in good faith forcibly enters a motor vehicle in order to remove an unattended companion animal that is at risk of serious bodily injury or death shall be liable for any property damage to the vehicle entered or injury to the animal resulting from such forcible entry and removal of the animal, unless such property damage or injury results from gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13261,"edition_id":1,"name":"Animal Welfare","identifier":"2","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13170,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:32","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:32","permalink":{"id":198605,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13261,"identifier":"2","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2","url":"\/3.2\/V\/65\/2\/","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":66904,"structure_id":13261,"section_number":"3.2-6503","catch_line":"Care of companion animals by owner; penalty","url":"\/3.2-6503\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2\/3.2-6503","metadata":false},{"id":62202,"structure_id":13261,"section_number":"3.2-6503.1","catch_line":"Care of agricultural animals by owner; penalty","url":"\/3.2-6503.1\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2\/3.2-6503.1","metadata":false},{"id":57920,"structure_id":13261,"section_number":"3.2-6504","catch_line":"Abandonment of animal; penalty","url":"\/3.2-6504\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2\/3.2-6504","metadata":false},{"id":64111,"structure_id":13261,"section_number":"3.2-6504.1","catch_line":"Civil immunity; forcible entry of motor vehicle to remove unattended companion animal","url":"\/3.2-6504.1\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2\/3.2-6504.1","metadata":false},{"id":73731,"structure_id":13261,"section_number":"3.2-6505","catch_line":"Disposal of animals by means of decompression chamber and use of gas chamber for companion animals prohibited","url":"\/3.2-6505\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2\/3.2-6505","metadata":false},{"id":66794,"structure_id":13261,"section_number":"3.2-6506","catch_line":"Exceptions regarding veterinarians","url":"\/3.2-6506\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2\/3.2-6506","metadata":false},{"id":54260,"structure_id":13261,"section_number":"3.2-6507","catch_line":"Injured or sick animal; action by veterinarian","url":"\/3.2-6507\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2\/3.2-6507","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":57920,"structure_id":13261,"section_number":"3.2-6504","catch_line":"Abandonment of animal; penalty","url":"\/3.2-6504\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2\/3.2-6504","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":73731,"structure_id":13261,"section_number":"3.2-6505","catch_line":"Disposal of animals by means of decompression chamber and use of gas chamber for companion animals prohibited","url":"\/3.2-6505\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2\/3.2-6505","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/3.2-6504.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2016. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 679<\/a> 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.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":74269,"section_number":"32.1-111.1","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-111.1\/"},{"id":74882,"section_number":"65.2-102","catch_line":"Coverage of firefighters and law-enforcement officers in off-duty capacity","order_by":null,"url":"\/65.2-102\/"},{"id":73488,"section_number":"9.1-101","catch_line":"(Effective July 1, 2026) Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/9.1-101\/"}],"permalink":{"id":198619,"object_type":"law","relational_id":64111,"identifier":"3.2-6504.1","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2\/3.2-6504.1","url":"\/3.2-6504.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/3.2-6504.1\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/2\/3.2-6504.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Civil immunity; forcible entry of motor vehicle to remove unattended companion animal","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 3.2-6504.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

No law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span> as defined in \u00a7 9.1-101<\/a>, firefighter as defined in \u00a7 65.2-102<\/a>, emergency medical services personnel as defined in \u00a7 32.1-111.1<\/a>, or animal control officer<\/span> who in good faith forcibly enters a motor vehicle in order<\/span> to remove an unattended companion animal<\/span> that is at risk of serious bodily injury or death shall be liable for any property damage to the vehicle entered or injury to the animal resulting from such forcible entry and removal of the animal, unless such property damage or injury results from gross negligence<\/span> or willful or wanton misconduct.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCIVIL IMMUNITY; FORCIBLE ENTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLE TO REMOVE UNATTENDED COMPANION\nANIMAL (\u00a7 3.2-6504.1)\n\nNo law-enforcement officer as defined in \u00a7 9.1-101, firefighter as defined in\n\u00a7 65.2-102, emergency medical services personnel as defined in \u00a7 32.1-111.1,\nor animal control officer who in good faith forcibly enters a motor vehicle in\norder to remove an unattended companion animal that is at risk of serious bodily\ninjury or death shall be liable for any property damage to the vehicle entered\nor injury to the animal resulting from such forcible entry and removal of the\nanimal, unless such property damage or injury results from gross negligence or\nwillful or wanton misconduct.\n\nHISTORY: 2016, c. 679.","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}}