Animal Cruelty Registry

At a glance

Virginia Beach council reached consensus to have an ordinance drafted for a felony-only animal cruelty registry, which staff say could be in place budget-neutral by early 2027. Expansion to misdemeanors is not currently authorized by state law; a regional registry is a stated future goal. The registry is also a 2027 legislative agenda request.

Details

• September 15 (informal session): Council Member Berlucchi pushed for the registry and distributed a letter from Animal Services Advisory Board member C. Kelly Copeland. He and Council Member Hutcheson are the council liaisons to the board. He asked for a briefing in October and budget analysis before budget season.
• The board recommends adding legislative agenda provisions to allow misdemeanor animal neglect and abuse convictions in the registry, as Chesapeake does, and asked staff to research the judge-administered list of people banned from possessing animals. City Manager Duhaney said it could be considered in the next budget cycle.

Sources

• 2026-10-27 - City Council (briefing session) Meeting
• 2026-09-15 - City Council (official minutes: https://edocs.vbgov.com/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=51866249&dbid=0&repo=CityClerk)

Log

• 2026-10-27 - 2026-10-27 - City Council (briefing session) Meeting: Council member asked for an ordinance; Mayor, Vice Mayor and others agreed to move ahead with a felony-only registry. No formal vote. See also VBSPCA and Animal Services updates and 2027 draft legislative agenda guidance.
• 2026-09-15 - 2026-09-15 - City Council: Council member Berlucchi asked for an October briefing and budget analysis; the City Manager said it could be considered in the next budget cycle.