https://www.allenandallen.com/virginia-dog-owners-responsibilities-leash-laws/

Owning a dog brings great joy but also great responsibility. Rarely does an owner want to acknowledge that their pet has the potential to harm someone. Many states have adopted state-wide laws regarding the responsibilities of an owner to control their dog. These laws are generally referred to as “leash laws.” [1] In Virginia, there is a two-part system.

What are the leash laws in Virginia?
First, there is no state-wide “leash law,” but the law does empower local jurisdictions (cities, counties and towns) to adopt regulations concerning the control of certain breeds of dogs, or at certain times of the year. These local ordinances have the effect of law and are called “running at large” ordinances. [2] Localities are also empowered to enact ordinances that require a dog owner to have a dog under “immediate control” which means on a leash or under voice control. [3] These local ordinances also have the effect of law and are called “leash laws”.

Most local jurisdictions in Virginia have adopted some kind of “leash law.” [4] Usually these laws require that while on your property, you must keep your dog under control. This means that your dog is confined to the house, a dog pen, on a secured leash or generally under immediate voice control. If you take the dog off of your property, the law usually requires you to have your dog on a leash or under immediate voice control. It is advisable to have the dog on a leash.

VA dog leash law
What qualifies as a “dangerous” dog?
The second part of the Virginia system is a state-wide law governing “dangerous dogs.” [5] Under specific circumstances, if a dog has bitten a person or another dog previously, then the dog is deemed a “dangerous dog.” There is a Dangerous Dog Registry. However, this state-wide law is relatively ineffective due to the large number of exceptions. For instance, if the dog bite is determined not to be “serious” by a veterinarian, the law doesn’t apply. If the bite takes place on the property of the dog owner, then the laws doesn’t apply. And there are many other exceptions.

The potential harm from not having your dog on a leash or confined may come in a form other than your dog biting a person. The harm could come from your dog wanting to play and knocking down a bicyclist or motorcyclist. Or the harm could come from scaring or running into a person out for a walk, who then falls and becomes injured. In addition, there is the risk of your dog of being hurt if allowed to run loose.

What is Virginia’s one-bite rule?
In general, Virginia is referred to as a “one bite” state or having the “one bite rule” when determining the civil liability of the dog’s owner. This principle states that in order to hold a dog owner responsible for their dog biting someone, the victim must show that the dog has bitten prior to this occasion. Even if the dog has not bitten before, if it has has shown “inclinations or characteristics” in its behavior that would otherwise put the owner on notice that the dog is likely to cause injury, then a dog owner has a duty to use ordinary care to prevent an injury. [6]

dog fight on the beach

So, under this approach, a victim must show that the dog behaved viciously or aggressively on other occasions, and that the dog’s owner knew of this behavior. This evidence may be obtained by one or more of the following ways: talking with the owner of the dog, the dog owner’s neighbors, checking with animal control, postal employees, FedEx or UPS drivers, and possibly obtaining the records from the dog’s veterinarian.

However, leash laws and ordinances may create liability for a dog owner even though the owner has no reason to know that the dog is likely to bite. [7] If a dog runs loose in violation of such an ordinance, or if a dog owner negligently allows the dog to get loose, the owner is liable for injury caused by the dog off the premises of the owner. [8] To determine if your city or county has a leash law, check https://www.municode.com. If your locale is not listed, call Animal Control for your area and ask about any “running at large” or “leash law” regulations.

Virginia law says that even if the dog has never bitten before, an owner is on notice for the “general natural inclinations” of the breed or class of dog, and if those “inclinations or characteristics” are of a kind likely to cause injury, then the owner has a duty to use reasonable care to prevent injury. Certain breeds can be naturally vicious and dangerous, especially if the breed is bred to be an attack or fight dog, and the dog is raised that way. This is often called notice of the “propensities of the breed.”