St. Johns County, FL Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

The Land Development Code lists 'Veterinary Office and Animal Hospitals and Groomers' together as a single zoning use category, so a stand-alone dog- or cat-grooming business is reviewed under the same Section 2.03.41 standards that apply to full veterinary clinics. The use is not allowed by right in most commercial and industrial districts; the operator must first obtain a Special Use Permit from the Growth Management Department, which reviews the application against the district list in Section 2.03.01 covering districts such as Commercial Neighborhood, Commercial General, Commercial Intensive, Commercial High Intensity, Commercial Warehouse and Industrial Warehousing.

Once permitted, the facility's animal-housing structures carry a fixed setback: any completely enclosed building used to house animals must sit at least 100 feet from the boundary of any residentially zoned property or any Open Rural parcel carrying a Residential future land use designation, and any structure that is not fully enclosed, including outdoor kennel runs, must sit at least 200 feet from that same boundary. Outdoor exercise areas tied to the grooming or boarding operation must also meet the design standards set out in Section 6.08.04.

A narrow carve-out applies only to agricultural veterinary practices treating livestock and farm animals in Agricultural-Intensive or Rural/Silviculture future land use designations, which can operate by right as a Rural Home Industry under Section 2.02.04.E.4 rather than through the Special Use process. A retail grooming shop serving household pets does not qualify for that exception.