on September 10, 2026

Virginia Dog Poop Laws

Quick answer: Virginia has no statewide pooper scooper law. Picking up after your dog is regulated city by city, and all three of the largest cities we checked have an ordinance requiring it. None of them uses a set ticket amount. Fines are set by a judge within a range the code allows.

Why Virginia leaves it to cities

Virginia has no statewide law requiring people to pick up after their dogs. The Comprehensive Animal Care chapter of the Code of Virginia (Title 3.2, Chapter 65) leaves the everyday rules to cities and counties: § 3.2-6538 lets any locality prohibit dogs from running at large, § 3.2-6539 lets a locality adopt a leash ordinance (optionally by referendum), and § 3.2-6544 lets localities regulate the keeping and running at large of animals. Virginia cities then write their own pick-up rules, and all three of the largest make a violation a misdemeanor. The fine ceilings come from state law: under Va. Code § 18.2-11 a Class 4 misdemeanor carries a fine of up to $250, a Class 3 up to $500, and a Class 1 up to $2,500 and up to 12 months in jail.

  • Local option to prohibit dogs running at large: Va. Code § 3.2-6538 (read it)
  • Local option leash ordinances: Va. Code § 3.2-6539 (read it)
  • Local regulation of keeping and running at large of animals: Va. Code § 3.2-6544 (read it)
  • Misdemeanor fine limits used by city pick-up ordinances: Va. Code § 18.2-11 (read it)

Pooper scooper laws in Virginia's largest cities

Each row comes from the city's own municipal code. "Up to" is the most a court can impose, not a standard ticket. Where a city publishes no amount, we say so rather than estimate one.

City Ordinance Fine Must carry a bag
Virginia Beach Virginia Beach City Code § 5-534, Allowing dogs or horses to urinate or defecate on public or private property (penalty via § 5-100); beaches and boardwalk: § 6-5(g) Up to $250 No
Chesapeake Chesapeake City Code § 10-23, Defecation (penalty via § 10-20) Up to $250 No
Norfolk Norfolk City Code § 6.1-72, Allowing animals to defecate on public property or on private property of other persons Up to $500 No

The rule people miss: carrying the bag

None of the cities we checked in Virginia spell out a separate duty to carry a bag, but the pickup duty applies the moment your dog goes, and "I did not have a bag" is not a defense in any of them.

A bag holder on the leash solves that for good. Ours is the Walk Dispenser, which clips on and holds a full roll.

Worth knowing about Virginia

  • Virginia Beach's Oceanfront carries one of the stiffest pick-up penalties we found anywhere: failing to remove dog feces on the city's sand beaches, or on the boardwalk and the grassy strip west of it from Rudee Inlet to 42nd Street, is a Class 1 misdemeanor (§ 6-5(g)), punishable by up to $2,500 and up to 12 months in jail. The same section's service-dog exemption expressly does not cover the pick-up rule.
  • Virginia's pick-up ordinances are criminal misdemeanors, not civil tickets, so the maximum fine is set by the state misdemeanor class (Va. Code § 18.2-11) rather than by a city fine schedule.
  • Norfolk treats a pick-up violation as a Class 3 misdemeanor (up to $500), while neighboring Virginia Beach and Chesapeake use Class 4 (up to $250).
  • Leash laws in Virginia are a local option. State law (§ 3.2-6539) lets localities adopt them and even put them to a referendum.

Common questions

Is it illegal to not pick up dog poop in Virginia?

There is no statewide law, but every one of the largest cities we checked has a pickup rule, and most smaller towns have similar ordinances. Check your own city or county code.

How much is the fine for not picking up dog poop in Virginia?

It depends on the city. Virginia Beach: Up to $250. Chesapeake: Up to $250. Norfolk: Up to $500.

Do I have to carry a poop bag in Virginia?

Not as a separate rule in the cities we checked. You still have to pick up, so in practice you need one.

Other states in the South

Texas · Florida · Georgia · North Carolina · Tennessee · Maryland · South Carolina · Alabama

See all 50 states · How scoop laws work in general

Sources

Checked 2026-09-10. Ordinances change, so if you are dealing with an actual citation, read the current code at the link rather than relying on this page.

This page is general information, not legal advice.