Carteret County, NC Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Carteret County's zoning ordinance treats a home-based pet-grooming operation as a personal-business home occupation, an accessory use in an otherwise residential property. Section 1102 defines both the minor and major home occupation categories, and both definitions list pet-grooming among the personal-business services that qualify, alongside services like bookkeeping and locksmith work. The employee count sets the class: one non-resident employee keeps the business a minor home occupation; a second or additional non-resident employee moves it into the major category, which the ordinance permits only by special use permit from the planning commission.

General standards in Section 2902 apply to every home occupation in unincorporated Carteret County: the business may use no more than 25 percent of the home's gross floor area, capped at 400 square feet (600 square feet if run from a garage or detached accessory building), and it cannot alter the home's exterior appearance, store equipment outdoors, or receive deliveries by tractor-trailer. Minor home occupations face additional limits under Section 2902.C: no more than ten clients or customers on site per week on average, no retail sales beyond items made on-site, no more than one non-resident employee, and no signage identifying the business in a residential district.

A pet groomer that hires a second non-resident employee must apply for a special use permit under Section 3320, which requires at least two off-street parking spaces, limits on-site client contact to one appointment at a time (up to eight visits a day), and allows signage under Chapter 2100 that a minor home occupation cannot have. The Carteret County Planning and Development department's zoning enforcement officer administers both tracks.