Amherst, NY Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Amherst regulates pet groomers through Chapter 203 of the Town Code, the Zoning ordinance. " The Town Board amended this standard on February 4, 2008 by Local Law No. 1-2008. Because the standard cross-references the district use tables, a groomer's location is not automatic: the business must sit in a nonresidential or special-purpose district whose use table lists "Animal grooming, cat boarding facility, hospital or veterinarian," such as the General Business district, with each table entry pointing back to § 203-6-4-1. Grooming is legally distinct from a dog day care operation: § 203-6-4-13 separately covers facilities where dogs are "groomed, trained, exercised and socialized, but not boarded overnight, bred or sold," and carries its own indoor-activity and outdoor-screening rules, so a business offering both grooming and day care must satisfy both sections.

The Town's Zoning Enforcement Officer administers Chapter 203 and reviews site plans and building-permit applications before a grooming business can open in a qualifying district; the enclosed-building requirement means outdoor grooming stations, wash tents or sidewalk setups are not a permitted use even where the underlying business is allowed. Amherst does not maintain a separate business-licensing chapter for pet groomers, so the zoning use standard in § 203-6-4-1 is the operative local rule governing where and how a grooming business may run in the town.