How to Report Animal Cruelty in Virginia: Laws, Penalties, and Who to Call
June 21, 2026
Witnessing animal cruelty is distressing, and knowing what to do next can feel overwhelming. Virginia takes these offenses seriously, and the state gives every resident both the right and the practical tools to speak up for animals who cannot speak for themselves.
This guide walks you through exactly what Virginia law defines as animal cruelty, who can and must report it, how to make a report, what happens after you do, and the penalties offenders face. Whether you suspect a neighbor’s dog is being neglected or you’ve witnessed something more alarming, the steps below will help you take action with confidence.
What Counts as Animal Cruelty in Virginia
Animal cruelty is a broad term that encompasses many different crimes, and Virginia takes each one seriously. The state has extensive animal cruelty laws that apply to domestic pets, wildlife, and farm animals. Understanding what the law actually covers helps you recognize a reportable situation when you see one.
Under Virginia Code § 3.2-6570, prohibited conduct includes overriding, overdriving, overloading, ill-treating, or abandoning any animal; torturing any animal or willfully inflicting inhumane injury or pain; and depriving any animal of necessary food, drink, shelter, or emergency veterinary treatment.
For purposes of § 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. That broad definition means the law’s protections extend well beyond dogs and cats.
Virginia law also addresses several specific categories of cruelty beyond the general statute:
- Physical abuse: Animals that are physically abused, ill-treated, beaten, tortured, or willfully injured.
- Animal fighting: Promoting, preparing for, engaging in, attending, aiding, or abetting the fighting of animals — including dogs and cocks — for amusement, sport, or gain.
- Abandonment and neglect: Abandoning any animal without access to clean food, water, and adequate medical care. Failing to give an animal basic care for four days in a row is considered abandonment.
- Unlawful tethering: In Virginia, it is illegal to tether or chain a dog continuously. If an owner ties their dog up and leaves it there for long periods without adequate shelter, food, or water, they can be charged with animal cruelty.
Virginia exempts genuine scientific or medical experimentation from its animal cruelty laws, as well as legal hunting, fishing, trapping, farming, and wildlife management. If you are unsure whether a situation crosses the legal line, report it anyway and let animal control make that determination.
Pro Tip: When in doubt, report. Animal control officers are trained to assess whether a situation violates the law. You do not need to be certain a crime has occurred before making a call.
Who Can Report Animal Cruelty in Virginia
If you witness or suspect animal cruelty or abuse, as a resident and taxpayer you have the right — and responsibility — to report it. Virginia does not limit reporting to any specific profession or group. Any member of the public can and should contact authorities when they have reasonable concern for an animal’s welfare.
Animal control agencies rely on citizens in the community to report suspected acts of cruelty, neglect, or abuse. Your call may be the only thing that prompts an investigation into a situation an animal cannot escape on its own.
When you report, you can remain anonymous if you wish, but providing as much information as possible — including your phone number — allows investigators to follow up for additional details.
Veterinarians also have a specific role under Virginia law. Any person regulated by the Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine who makes a report of suspected animal cruelty, provides records or information related to such a report, or testifies in any judicial proceeding arising from the report is immune from civil or criminal liability or administrative penalty, unless that person acted in bad faith or with malicious purpose. This immunity provision encourages veterinary professionals to report without fear of retaliation.
If you are interested in how neighboring states handle reporting, you can compare Virginia’s approach with animal cruelty laws in North Carolina or review animal cruelty laws in Tennessee for additional context.
Who Is Required to Report Animal Cruelty in Virginia
Virginia law places a mandatory reporting obligation on certain professionals and officers. Virginia law requires all counties — and permits cities and towns — to employ animal control officers with powers to enforce Virginia laws. Those officers are not simply permitted to act; they are legally required to do so.
Each animal control officer, humane investigator, and State Veterinarian’s representative is required to interfere to prevent the perpetration of any act of cruelty upon any animal in their presence. Failing to act when cruelty is occurring directly in front of them is not an option under the law.
All law-enforcement officers in the Commonwealth and State Veterinarian’s representatives are required to enforce the provisions of the animal care chapter to the same extent that other laws in Virginia are enforced.
Veterinarians occupy a particularly important position. A licensed veterinarian who has acted in good faith and properly exercised professional judgment is not subject to liability for reporting cases of suspected cruelty to animals. This protection effectively makes reporting the expected standard of professional conduct for vets who encounter injured or neglected animals.
Important Note: While any member of the public may report voluntarily, animal control officers, law enforcement officers, humane investigators, and veterinary professionals have specific legal obligations or strong immunity protections that make reporting expected of them under Virginia law.
How to Report Animal Cruelty in Virginia
Reporting is a straightforward process, but the more information you provide, the more effective the investigation will be. Your first call should almost always go to your local animal control agency.
If you are concerned about an animal’s well-being or want to report potential abuse or neglect, contact your local animal control agency for the county you live in or the county where the concern is taking place. Animal control — not the SPCA or a rescue organization — has the legal authority to investigate and act.
- Call your local animal control office. Provide as much information as possible so they can investigate the situation, and ask how you can be updated about the results of an inquiry or investigation.
- Document what you observed. Note the date, time, address, and a description of the animal and the person involved. Photos or video taken safely from public property can support an investigation significantly.
- Call 911 for emergencies. If you witness an animal emergency or an animal is in imminent danger, call 911.
- Escalate if needed. Enacting change can take time. If you find that animal control is not responding, gather more information about the situation — but do not trespass. If things do not change, contact the supervisor for animal control in your area, then work your way up the chain of command within the police department for the locality.
- Contact elected officials as a last resort. If you do not get results after contacting your local animal control office, contact your local city or county elected representative.
Some Virginia localities also offer anonymous tip lines. For example, in the Metro Richmond area, you can safely and anonymously submit a tip through Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers if you have information related to suspected animal cruelty, abuse, or neglect. Check whether your locality has a similar program.
| Locality | Agency | Contact Number |
|---|---|---|
| City of Richmond | Richmond Animal Care and Control | (804) 646-5573 |
| Fairfax County | Animal Protection Police Officers | (703) 691-2131 |
| Loudoun County | Loudoun County Animal Services | (703) 777-0406 |
| Alexandria | Animal Welfare League of Alexandria | (703) 746-6000 |
| Albemarle County | Albemarle County Animal Control | (434) 296-5807 |
For a full directory of animal control contacts by county and city across Virginia, the National Link Coalition’s Virginia directory lists agency names and phone numbers for every jurisdiction in the state.
What Happens After You Report in Virginia
Once you file a report, the process moves into the hands of trained officers. An animal control officer will be assigned to investigate all reported situations of suspected animal abuse, neglect, or cruelty. The investigation may involve a site visit, interviews, and documentation of the animal’s condition.
Animal control officers have the authority to issue a summons and obtain felony arrest warrants, as well as general search warrants. Their authority also allows them to obtain and execute animal cruelty search warrants if they have reasonable cause to believe that laws relating to cruelty to animals have been, are being, or are about to be violated in any particular building or place.
If the animal is in immediate danger, officers can act quickly. Any humane investigator, law-enforcement officer, or animal control officer may lawfully seize and impound any animal that has been abandoned, has been cruelly treated, or is suffering from an apparent violation of this chapter that has rendered the animal in such a condition as to constitute a direct and immediate threat to its life, safety, or health.
After seizure, a court hearing is scheduled promptly. Upon seizing or impounding an animal, the officer shall petition the general district court in the city or county where the animal is seized for a hearing. The hearing must be held no more than 10 business days from the date of seizure. The hearing determines whether the animal has been abandoned, cruelly treated, or denied adequate care.
The officer must give notice to the owner, who may go to court to ask for the animal back. If the court decides the owner violated animal abuse laws, the owner must pay all costs associated with seizing, caring for, or disposing of the animal.
Virginia’s animal cruelty issues sometimes intersect with broader wildlife and habitat concerns. If you care about the animals that share the state’s landscape, you may also want to read about endangered animals in Virginia and the animals that are native to Virginia.
Penalties for Animal Cruelty in Virginia
In Virginia, some acts of animal cruelty are a misdemeanor and others are a felony. The severity of the charge depends on the nature of the act, the type of animal involved, and whether the offender has prior convictions.
Class 1 Misdemeanor
The punishment for breaking animal cruelty laws in Virginia depends on the specific offense. Most acts of animal cruelty are considered Class 1 misdemeanors and can result in fines of up to $2,500 and jail time of up to one year. This covers the baseline offenses under § 3.2-6570(A), including neglect, abandonment, and general mistreatment.
Class 6 Felony — Repeat Offenders and Serious Harm
Under current Virginia law, it is a Class 6 felony if a person is convicted of any of the misdemeanor crimes listed under § 3.2-6570 twice within five years, if either violation resulted in the death of an animal or the euthanasia of an animal based on the recommendation of a licensed veterinarian. A Class 6 felony conviction carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.
If a person tortures, willfully inflicts inhumane injury or pain, or cruelly and unnecessarily beats, maims, or mutilates any dog or cat that is a companion animal and as a direct result causes serious bodily injury to such dog or cat, the death of such dog or cat, or the euthanasia of such animal on the recommendation of a licensed veterinarian upon determination that such euthanasia was necessary due to the animal’s condition, that person is guilty of a Class 6 felony.
“Tommie’s Law” and Expanded Felony Protections
On July 1, 2019, a new animal cruelty law called “Tommie’s Law” went into effect in Virginia, making it a felony to abuse cats and dogs regardless of whether the animal lives or dies. Before the new law, animal cruelty would only be considered a crime if the animal died as a result of the mistreatment or neglect. This was a significant expansion of felony-level protections for companion animals.
Animal Fighting Penalties
In general, it is a misdemeanor in Virginia to attend, promote, or run an animal fight for entertainment or profit. However, the offense rises to a Class 6 felony when any device or substance intended to enhance an animal’s ability to fight is used or possessed with intent to use it; when money or anything of value is wagered on the result of such fighting; when money or anything of value is paid or received for admission to an animal fight; or when any animal is possessed, owned, trained, transported, or sold with the intent that the animal engage in an exhibition of fighting.
Loss of Animal Ownership Rights
Any person convicted of a felony violation of § 3.2-6570 may be prohibited by the court from possession or ownership of companion or equine animals for life. A person convicted of a misdemeanor violation may be prohibited from possession or ownership of such animals for a period of up to five years.
In addition to Virginia’s civil and criminal penalties for animal abuse, anyone found guilty of neglecting, abandoning, or cruelly treating a companion animal may be barred from owning other pets. Courts can also order that animals currently in the person’s possession be seized and forfeited.
Key Insight: Virginia localities may also establish animal cruelty registries. Any locality may create a computerized animal cruelty registry as a database of information regarding persons convicted of a felony violation of cruelty to animals, animal fighting, maiming or killing an animal, or killing or injuring a police animal.
The penalties Virginia imposes reflect how seriously the state treats animal welfare. If you want to see how Virginia’s framework compares with other states, explore our coverage of animal cruelty laws in Pennsylvania, animal cruelty laws in Ohio, animal cruelty laws in Maryland, or animal cruelty laws in New York. You can also review the full text of Virginia’s animal cruelty statutes directly on the Virginia Legislative Information System.
Reporting animal cruelty takes a moment of your time but can mean everything to an animal in distress. Virginia gives you the legal backing, the reporting channels, and the knowledge that authorities are required to follow up. If you see something, use this guide to take the right steps — and keep going until the situation is addressed.