Brentwood, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Brentwood's home occupation ordinance, Municipal Code Chapter 17.840, lets residents run certain small businesses out of their houses with a home occupation use permit approved by the community development director. Section 17.840.007 carves out a list of uses that can never qualify no matter how small the operation, and pet grooming or boarding sits third on that list, alongside medical and dental offices, barber and beauty shops, appliance repair, cabinet shops, automotive repair, and welding. The city groups these together because they typically bring outside clients, animals, noise, odor, or specialized equipment into a residential neighborhood in ways the home occupation program is not built to absorb.

A resident who wants to operate a grooming or boarding business must instead locate in a zoning district that permits the use as a standalone commercial operation and obtain whatever planning entitlement and business license that district requires; the home occupation route under Chapter 17.840 is not available at all for this use. For occupations that are eligible, Section 17.840.006 caps the activity at twenty percent of the home's living space, requires a smoke detector and a five-pound fire extinguisher, and limits the permit to one year initially and three years on renewal, with a business license required throughout.

Because pet grooming and boarding are barred outright, no application will be accepted for that use under this chapter; attempting to run one anyway exposes the resident to the same code enforcement process used for any unpermitted home business, and any home occupation permit obtained on false pretenses can be revoked by the community development director after notice and an administrative hearing under Section 17.840.006(D). Decisions under this chapter may be appealed through Chapter 17.880.