Animal License Requirements in Virginia Beach

It shall be unlawful for any person to own a dog or cat four (4) months old or older in this city, unless such dog or cat is licensed under the provisions of this article." Under the recently amended city code, pet owners can obtain an animal license that is valid for up to three years that runs concurrently with your pet's rabies vaccination.

If your veterinarian does not participate in the City of Virginia Beach animal license program, simply bring a copy of your pet's recent rabies vaccination to the Animal Care and Adoption Center during normal business hours, or visit any office of the City Treasurer to obtain your pet's animal license.

Virginia Beach Animal Care and Adoption Canter can only assist you with your pet licenses if they have been given within the last 30 days. If the vaccines were done longer than 30 days please stop by the City Treasurer's Office. We can only issue a 1 year license at the shelter. If you have a 3 year rabies vaccine and would like a 3 year license, please go to the City Treasurer's Office.


  Animal License Fees:

The animal license fees for the City of Virginia Beach as defined by §5-303 are as follows:

Spayed & Neutered Animals
  • Dogs
  • One-Year License $7.00
  • Two-Year License $14.00
  • Three-Year License $21.00

    Cats
  • One-Year License $5.00
  • Two-Year License $10.00
  • Three-Year License $15.00
Unaltered Pets

Dogs & Cats Remember to bring your pet's current rabies certificate
  • One-Year License $10.00
  • Two-Year License $20.00
  • Three-Year License $30.00
  • Kennel of five (5) to twenty (20) dogs, or cattery of five (5) to twenty (20) cats, annually $35.00*
  • Kennel of twenty-one (21) or more dogs, or cattery of twenty-one (21) or more cats, annually $50.00*

* Pursuant to Virginia Code §3.2-6500, a "kennel" is any establishment in which five or more canines are kept for the purpose of breeding, hunting, training, renting, buying, boarding, selling, or showing. A "cattery" is a similar establishment for felines. The owner of a kennel or cattery shall pay the kennel or cattery tax imposed above but shall not be required to also pay the individual dog or cat license fees listed in subsections (1) and (2) for any dog or cat that is owned by the owner of the kennel or cattery and that is housed within the kennel or cattery.

Why Are Animal Licenses Important?

Animal licenses have been a part of pet ownership in America since the early 1800's and were initially used as the only means by which animal control officers of the day could distinguish stray animals from those that had owners.
Sometime after World War II, animal licenses were seen as a means to not only identify animals with owners, but to assist in assuring pet owners were complying with the new (at that time) requirement of having their pet vaccinated against the rabies virus.

If your pet is lost and arrives at an animal shelter, your pets' animal license provides shelter staff with the means to contact you in order to reclaim your companion.

Each year, thousands of animal are euthanized in Hampton Roads animal shelters, many of them arrived with no identification of any kind, leaving shelter staff with no means of contacting the rightful owner. Under Virginia law, the presence of a collar, an ID tag or some other form of identification literally doubles the amount of time a shelter must hold an animal-up to 10 days. After that time, an animal can be humanely euthanized or placed up for adoption. 
Did you know that according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Infectious Diseases as well as the World Health Organization, approximately 55,000 people die from rabies exposure each year? 

The City of Virginia Beach uses our animal license requirements to help insure that our citizens as well as their pets are protected against rabies. 

By complying with the law requiring your pet to receive a rabies vaccination and to wear an animal license, you are demonstrating the commitment of a responsible pet owner not only to your animal, but to your community that you are doing your part to find your animal should it ever become lost as well as insuring that your community as well as your pet is protected against the deadly rabies virus.