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

The Town's C Retail Business District, established by § 260-31 of the Zoning Code, lists permitted principal uses that must be conducted entirely within an enclosed building. Among them, § 260-31A(1)(b)[7] names 'Dog grooming with no overnight harboring of animals' alongside retail sales, laundromats, tailors and similar personal-service uses. The enclosure requirement matters because the district's opening clause ties every listed use, including grooming, to being conducted 'entirely within an enclosed building,' meaning outdoor grooming stations, sidewalk operations or open-air runs are not part of the permitted use.

The 'no overnight harboring' limit is the operative boundary between a grooming shop and a kennel or boarding facility: once a groomer keeps animals on site after business hours, the use crosses into a different classification (the code separately permits a 'small-animal hospital with no outside kennels' in the CM General Commercial District under § 260-32A(1)(h)[2], which shows the Town consistently treats overnight animal-keeping as a distinct, more restricted use). A dog-grooming business in the C District needs no special use permit beyond ordinary site plan and building-permit review, since it is a principal permitted use, but a groomer that wants to add boarding, daycare with overnight stays, or an outdoor exercise yard would need to seek a different district classification or a use variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals under § 260-76.