Dubuque, IA Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

The Unified Development Code defines an animal grooming service in section 16-2-3 as any place, public or private, where animals are bathed, clipped, or combed to enhance their appearance or health for a fee, a definition broad enough to cover a standalone grooming shop as well as grooming offered inside a pet daycare or animal hospital. Zoning treats 'pet daycare or grooming' as a single use category, and it is not allowed outright in any district; instead, section 16-5-11-2 lists it as a conditional use in the C-2 Neighborhood Shopping Center district, meaning an operator must first obtain a conditional use permit from the Dubuque Zoning Board of Adjustment under the procedures of chapter 16-8-5 before opening.

The conditions attached to that permit are set out in section 16-8-5-10: for pet daycare or grooming uses in the C-2 and C-2A districts, the specified condition is that all operations and activities be conducted within a completely enclosed building, meaning no outdoor kennel runs, wash stations, or grooming tables serving the public right of way. Because it is a conditional use rather than a permitted one, the board can attach additional site-specific conditions when it approves the permit, and under section 16-8-5-7 that approval expires after two years unless a building permit is obtained and construction begun or an occupancy permit is obtained and the use commenced, with one possible six-month extension.

Parking for the grooming use must otherwise conform to the general parking table in chapter 14 of the title unless the board specifies otherwise as part of the approval.