The House of Delegates is the principal body within the Association responsible for establishing policy and providing direction for matters relating to veterinary medicine and is the representative body of the Principal and Constituent Allied Veterinary Organizations of the Association. Its responsibilities include, in part, approving all changes to the Association's Articles of Incorporation; reviewing and voting on proposed amendments to the AVMA Bylaws; voting on resolutions brought before it; and electing the president-elect, vice president, and when necessary, the president; as well as members of the House Advisory Committee, and the AVMA councils.

The House is comprised of one delegate and one alternate delegate from each Principal Veterinary Organization represented in the House of Delegates, which includes each state, the District of Columbia, territory, and possession of the United States, as determined by the House; select Constituent Allied Veterinary Organizations; the Uniformed Services Organization; and the Student AVMA. House members are selected by their respective organization for terms of four years, unless terminated earlier by the organization. The House holds its regular annual session in conjunction with the Association's annual convention and holds a regular winter session in conjunction with the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference.