Dealers; importation and sale of dogs and cats; penalty
Va. Code Ann. § 3.2-6511.2
in effectA. No dealer, commercial dog breeder, or cat breeder shall import for sale, sell, or offer for sale, including sale for experimental purposes, any dog or cat bred by a person who has received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pursuant to enforcement of the federal Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. § 2131 et seq.) or regulations adopted thereunder, (i) a citation for a direct or critical violation or citations for three or more indirect or noncritical violations for at least two years prior to the procurement of the dog or cat or (ii) two consecutive citations for no access to the facility prior to the procurement of the dog or cat.
B. No person shall serve as an owner, director, officer, manager, operator, member of staff, or animal caregiver for a dealer, commercial dog breeder, or cat breeder if such person has been convicted of a violation of § 3.2-6570 .
C. Any person violating any provision of this section is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor for each dog or cat imported, sold, or offered for sale.
D. As used in this section, "dealer," "commercial dog breeder," or "cat breeder" includes any person or entity that breeds dogs or cats regulated under federal law as research animals.
2020, c. 569 ; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 339 ; 2022, cc. 94 , 95 .
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/3.2-6511.2/Fetched: 10/16/2026