{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/3.2-6580.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/3.2-6580.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/3.2-6580.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/3.2-6580.html"}],"law_id":82026,"edition_id":1,"section_id":82026,"structure_id":14628,"section_number":"3.2-6580","catch_line":"Civil penalties","history":"1993, c. 959, \u00a7 3.1-796.126:7; 1998, c. 817; 2002, c. 787; 2008, c. 860.","full_text":"Any animal control officer, humane investigator, releasing agency, the State Veterinarian or State Veterinarian’s representative shall be entitled to bring a civil action for any violation of this article that is subject to a civil penalty. Any civil penalty assessed pursuant to this article shall be paid into the treasury of the city or county where such civil action is brought and used for the purpose of defraying the costs of local animal control, including efforts to promote sterilization of cats and dogs.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":293923,"text":"Any animal control officer, humane investigator, releasing agency, the State Veterinarian or State Veterinarian’s representative shall be entitled to bring a civil action for any violation of this article that is subject to a civil penalty. Any civil penalty assessed pursuant to this article shall be paid into the treasury of the city or county where such civil action is brought and used for the purpose of defraying the costs of local animal control, including efforts to promote sterilization of cats and dogs.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"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":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\/3.2-6580\/","history_text":"

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 3 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 1998, chapter 817<\/a>; in 2002, chapter 787<\/a>; in 2008, chapter 860<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":66794,"section_number":"3.2-6506","catch_line":"Exceptions regarding veterinarians","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6506\/"},{"id":78689,"section_number":"3.2-6543","catch_line":"Governing body of any locality may adopt certain ordinances","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6543\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":198505,"object_type":"law","relational_id":82026,"identifier":"3.2-6580","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6580","url":"\/3.2-6580\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/3.2-6580\/","token":"3.2\/V\/65\/10\/3.2-6580","dublin_core":{"Title":"Civil penalties","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 3.2-6580","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Any animal control officer<\/span>, humane investigator<\/span>, releasing agency<\/span>, the State Veterinarian<\/span> or State Veterinarian<\/span>’s representative shall be entitled to bring a civil action<\/span> for any violation of this article that is subject to a civil penalty<\/span>. Any civil penalty<\/span> assessed pursuant to this article shall be paid into the treasury of the city or county where such civil action<\/span> is brought and used for the purpose of defraying the costs of local animal control, including efforts to promote sterilization<\/span> of cats and dogs.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCIVIL PENALTIES (\u00a7 3.2-6580)\n\nAny animal control officer, humane investigator, releasing agency, the State\nVeterinarian or State Veterinarian’s representative shall be entitled to\nbring a civil action for any violation of this article that is subject to a\ncivil penalty. Any civil penalty assessed pursuant to this article shall be paid\ninto the treasury of the city or county where such civil action is brought and\nused for the purpose of defraying the costs of local animal control, including\nefforts to promote sterilization of cats and dogs.\n\nHISTORY: 1993, c. 959, \u00a7 3.1-796.126:7; 1998, c. 817; 2002, c. 787; 2008, c.\n860.","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}}