republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2021/sb-1135.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	legislature	session	identifier	citation	classification	subjects	status	primary_sponsors	version_count	action_count	vote_count	first_action	last_action	source	source_identifier	source_url	source_hash	vintage	source_snapshot	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
Bill	Dangerous dogs; restructures procedure for adjudication, penalty.	Dangerous dogs; procedure for adjudication; penalty. Restructures the procedure for adjudication of a dog as a dangerous dog to provide for (i) written notice by an animal control officer to the owner of the dog that he has applied for a summons, and a prohibition on disposal of the dog by the owner for 30 days; (ii) the issuance of a summons with an option rather than a requirement that the officer confine the dog, a prohibition on the disposal of the dog other than by euthanasia, and an authorization for the court to compel the implanting of electronic identification; (iii) the holding of a hearing within 30 days unless good cause is shown; (iv) the authority of the court if deferring further proceedings without adjudicating to compel the implanting of electronic identification; and (v) a limit of 30 days for any appeal of a dangerous dog adjudication. The bill authorizes an officer to obtain a summons for a hearing to determine whether a dog that has been surrendered is a dangerous dog and provides that any dangerous dog not reclaimed from the animal control officer within 10 days of notice shall be considered abandoned. The bill imposes new requirements for the transfer of dangerous dogs, requiring a releasing agency that is transferring or releasing for adoption a dangerous dog in the Commonwealth to notify the receiving party of the legal requirements for keeping a dangerous dog. If the agency is transferring the dog outside the Commonwealth, it is required to notify the appropriate animal control officer of the dog's adjudication as dangerous. An owner who is bringing a dog found to be dangerous in another state to reside in the Commonwealth shall notify the local animal control officer. Any owner who disposes of a dangerous dog by gift, sale, transfer, trade, or surrender shall notify the receiver in writing of the dog's adjudication as dangerous, with a violation penalized as a Class 3 misdemeanor. Finally, the bill provides that if a dangerous dog adjudication occurred within 60 days of the end of the calendar year, the first renewal of the dangerous dog registration shall be included in the initial registration at no additional charge. The bill contains technical amendments.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2021	SB 1135	Virginia SB 1135 (2021)	bill		enacted	David W. Marsden	5	48	10	2021-01-01	2021-03-31	openstates	ocd-bill/d9cc1d8d-affb-485f-a2ba-c2bb40c39ff5	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+SB1135	67990e5ee572de27e9eeaa84a8b1cbc0a35739ae2db981294fe3a494678c3611	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia SB 1135 (2021) — Dangerous dogs; restructures procedure for adjudication, penalty.

Dangerous dogs; procedure for adjudication; penalty. Restructures the procedure for adjudication of a dog as a dangerous dog to provide for (i) written notice by an animal control officer to the owner of the dog that he has applied for a summons, and a prohibition on disposal of the dog by the owner for 30 days; (ii) the issuance of a summons with an option rather than a requirement that the officer confine the dog, a prohibition on the disposal of the dog other than by euthanasia, and an authorization for the court to compel the implanting of electronic identification; (iii) the holding of a hearing within 30 days unless good cause is shown; (iv) the authority of the court if deferring further proceedings without adjudicating to compel the implanting of electronic identification; and (v) a limit of 30 days for any appeal of a dangerous dog adjudication. The bill authorizes an officer to obtain a summons for a hearing to determine whether a dog that has been surrendered is a dangerous dog and provides that any dangerous dog not reclaimed from the animal control officer within 10 days of notice shall be considered abandoned. The bill imposes new requirements for the transfer of dangerous dogs, requiring a releasing agency that is transferring or releasing for adoption a dangerous dog in the Commonwealth to notify the receiving party of the legal requirements for keeping a dangerous dog. If the agency is transferring the dog outside the Commonwealth, it is required to notify the appropriate animal control officer of the dog's adjudication as dangerous. An owner who is bringing a dog found to be dangerous in another state to reside in the Commonwealth shall notify the local animal control officer. Any owner who disposes of a dangerous dog by gift, sale, transfer, trade, or surrender shall notify the receiver in writing of the dog's adjudication as dangerous, with a violation penalized as a Class 3 misdemeanor. Finally, the bill provides that if a dangerous dog adjudication occurred within 60 days of the end of the calendar year, the first renewal of the dangerous dog registration shall be included in the initial registration at no additional charge. The bill contains technical amendments.

Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. CHAP0464 (committee substitute) — source
2. Committee substitute printed 21103739D-S1 (committee substitute) — source
3. Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21100694D (committee substitute) — source
4. SB1135ER (committee substitute) — source
5. SB1135S2 (committee substitute) — source

Votes

• Continued to Special Session 1 in Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources — 0–0 (fail) · lower
• Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) — 38–0 (pass) · upper
• Read third time and passed Senate (38-Y 0-N) — 38–0 (pass) · upper
• Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N) — 8–0 (pass) · lower
• VOTE: Passage (77-Y 23-N) — 76–23 (pass) · lower
• Reconsideration of passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N) — 39–0 (pass) · upper
• House amendment agreed to by Senate (36-Y 2-N) — 36–2 (pass) · upper
• Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — 39–0 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with amendment(s) (16-Y 5-N) — 16–5 (pass) · lower
• Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with substitite (13-Y 0-N) — 13–0 (pass) · upper

Sponsors

• David W. Marsden — primary (person)
• Kaye Kory — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

• 2021-01-01 Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21100694D introduction
• 2021-01-01 Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources referral-committee
• 2021-01-05 Impact statement from VCSC (SB1135)
• 2021-01-18 Assigned ACNR sub: Companion Animals referral-committee
• 2021-01-19 Impact statement from DPB (SB1135)
• 2021-01-21 Assigned ACNR sub: Companion Animals referral-committee
• 2021-01-25 Senate subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
• 2021-01-26 Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
• 2021-01-26 Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with substitite (13-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2021-01-26 Committee substitute printed 21103739D-S1 substitution
• 2021-01-27 Impact statement from VCSC (SB1135S1)
• 2021-01-28 Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N)
• 2021-01-29 Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
• 2021-01-29 Floor substitute printed 21104008D-S2 (Marsden)
• 2021-01-29 Read second time reading-2
• 2021-01-29 Reading of substitute waived
• 2021-01-29 Committee substitute rejected 21103793D-S1
• 2021-01-29 Reading of substitute waived
• 2021-01-29 Substitute by Senator Marsden agreed to 21104008D-S2
• 2021-01-29 Engrossed by Senate - floor substitute SB1135S2
• 2021-01-29 Impact statement from VCSC (SB1135S2)
• 2021-02-01 Read third time and passed Senate (38-Y 0-N) passage, reading-3
• 2021-02-01 Reconsideration of passage agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
• 2021-02-01 Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) passage
• 2021-02-05 Placed on Calendar
• 2021-02-05 Read first time reading-1
• 2021-02-05 Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources referral-committee
• 2021-02-08 Continued to Special Session 1 in Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
• 2021-02-09 Assigned ACNR sub: Agriculture referral-committee
• 2021-02-10 Impact statement from DPB (SB1135S2)
• 2021-02-17 House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
• 2021-02-17 Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (8-Y 0-N)
• 2021-02-17 House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
• 2021-02-17 Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with amendment(s) (16-Y 5-N) committee-passage
• 2021-02-19 Read second time reading-2
• 2021-02-22 Read third time reading-3
• 2021-02-22 Committee amendment agreed to
• 2021-02-22 Engrossed by House as amended
• 2021-02-22 Passed House with amendment (77-Y 23-N) passage
• 2021-02-22 VOTE: Passage (77-Y 23-N)
• 2021-02-23 House amendment agreed to by Senate (36-Y 2-N)
• 2021-02-25 Enrolled
• 2021-02-25 Signed by President
• 2021-02-26 Signed by Speaker
• 2021-03-01 Impact statement from DPB (SB1135ER)
• 2021-03-01 Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 1, 2021
• 2021-03-01 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
• 2021-03-31 Approved by Governor-Chapter 464 (effective 7/1/21) executive-signature

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/d9cc1d8d-affb-485f-a2ba-c2bb40c39ff5. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).