{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/3.2-6578.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/3.2-6578.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/3.2-6578.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/3.2-6578.html"}],"law_id":56176,"edition_id":1,"section_id":56176,"structure_id":14628,"section_number":"3.2-6578","catch_line":"Exemptions","history":"1993, c. 959, \u00a7 3.1-796.126:5; 2008, c. 860.","full_text":"This article shall not apply to:\n\n1\n\nAn owner reclaiming his dog or cat from a releasing agency;2\n\nA releasing agency within a locality that has adopted a more stringent mandatory sterilization ordinance; and3\n\nA local governing body that has disposed of an animal by sale or gift to a federal agency, state-supported institution, agency of the Commonwealth, agency of another state, or licensed federal dealer having its principal place of business located within the Commonwealth.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":205837,"text":"This article shall not apply to:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":"1"},"1":{"id":205838,"text":"An owner reclaiming his dog or cat from a releasing agency;","type":"section","prefixes":["1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"1","prefix_anchor":"1","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":"2"},"2":{"id":205839,"text":"A releasing agency within a locality that has adopted a more stringent mandatory sterilization ordinance; and","type":"section","prefixes":["2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"2","prefix_anchor":"2","level":1,"prior_prefix":"1","next_prefix":"3"},"3":{"id":205840,"text":"A local governing body that has disposed of an animal by sale or gift to a federal agency, state-supported institution, agency of the Commonwealth, agency of another state, or licensed federal dealer having its principal place of business located within the Commonwealth.","type":"section","prefixes":["3"],"prefix":"3","entire_prefix":"3","prefix_anchor":"3","level":1,"prior_prefix":"2"}},"ancestry":[{"id":14628,"edition_id":1,"name":"Mandatory Sterilization of Dogs and Cats Adopted From Releasing Agencies","identifier":"10","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13170,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:48:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:48:59","permalink":{"id":198479,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14628,"identifier":"10","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10","url":"\/3.2\/V\/65\/10\/","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":70938,"structure_id":14628,"section_number":"3.2-6574","catch_line":"Sterilization of adopted dogs and cats; enforcement; civil penalty","url":"\/3.2-6574\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6574","metadata":false},{"id":60449,"structure_id":14628,"section_number":"3.2-6575","catch_line":"Sterilization agreement","url":"\/3.2-6575\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6575","metadata":false},{"id":76151,"structure_id":14628,"section_number":"3.2-6576","catch_line":"Sterilization confirmation; civil penalty","url":"\/3.2-6576\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6576","metadata":false},{"id":72484,"structure_id":14628,"section_number":"3.2-6577","catch_line":"Notification concerning lost, stolen or dead dogs or cats; civil penalty","url":"\/3.2-6577\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6577","metadata":false},{"id":56176,"structure_id":14628,"section_number":"3.2-6578","catch_line":"Exemptions","url":"\/3.2-6578\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6578","metadata":false},{"id":84986,"structure_id":14628,"section_number":"3.2-6579","catch_line":"Releasing agency; fees and deposits","url":"\/3.2-6579\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6579","metadata":false},{"id":82026,"structure_id":14628,"section_number":"3.2-6580","catch_line":"Civil penalties","url":"\/3.2-6580\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6580","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":72484,"structure_id":14628,"section_number":"3.2-6577","catch_line":"Notification concerning lost, stolen or dead dogs or cats; civil penalty","url":"\/3.2-6577\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6577","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":84986,"structure_id":14628,"section_number":"3.2-6579","catch_line":"Releasing agency; fees and deposits","url":"\/3.2-6579\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6579","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/3.2-6578\/","history_text":"<p>This law was first created in 1993. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 959 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 1993 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. 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. That modification is as follows: in 2008, chapter <a href=\"https:\/\/legacylis.virginia.gov\/cgi-bin\/legp604.exe?081+ful+CHAP0860\">860<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":198497,"object_type":"law","relational_id":56176,"identifier":"3.2-6578","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6578","url":"\/3.2-6578\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/3.2-6578\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6578","dublin_core":{"Title":"Exemptions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 3.2-6578","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>This article shall not apply to:<\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section id=\"1\"><p><span class=\"prefix-number\">1.<\/span> An <span class=\"dictionary\">owner<\/span> reclaiming his dog or cat from a <span class=\"dictionary\">releasing agency<\/span>; <a id=\"paragraph-205838\" class=\"section-permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/vacode.org\/3.2-6578\/#1\"><i class=\"fa fa-link\"><\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section id=\"2\"><p><span class=\"prefix-number\">2.<\/span> A <span class=\"dictionary\">releasing agency<\/span> within a locality that has adopted a more stringent mandatory <span class=\"dictionary\">sterilization<\/span> <span class=\"dictionary\">ordinance<\/span>; and <a id=\"paragraph-205839\" class=\"section-permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/vacode.org\/3.2-6578\/#2\"><i class=\"fa fa-link\"><\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section id=\"3\"><p><span class=\"prefix-number\">3.<\/span> A local governing body that has disposed of an <span class=\"dictionary\">animal<\/span> by sale or gift to a federal agency, state-supported institution, agency of the Commonwealth, agency of another state, or licensed federal <span class=\"dictionary\">dealer<\/span> having its principal place of business located within the Commonwealth. <a id=\"paragraph-205840\" class=\"section-permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/vacode.org\/3.2-6578\/#3\"><i class=\"fa fa-link\"><\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nEXEMPTIONS (\u00a7 3.2-6578)\n\nThis article shall not apply to:\n\n1. An owner reclaiming his dog or cat from a releasing agency;\n\n2. A releasing agency within a locality that has adopted a more stringent\nmandatory sterilization ordinance; and\n\n3. A local governing body that has disposed of an animal by sale or gift to a\nfederal agency, state-supported institution, agency of the Commonwealth, agency\nof another state, or licensed federal dealer having its principal place of\nbusiness located within the Commonwealth.\n\nHISTORY: 1993, c. 959, \u00a7 3.1-796.126:5; 2008, c. 860.","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}}