Grand Junction, CO Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Grand Junction's Community Development Department classifies pet grooming under the "Animal care, boarding, or sales" use category in Table 21.04-1, the Principal Use Table found in GJMC § 21.04.020. The Municipal Code's definitions section, § 21.14.020, sets the threshold: a facility qualifies once it houses, grooms, breeds, boards, trains for compensation, or sells four or more animals of the same species, and it may also offer incidental medical treatment without becoming a separate veterinary use. The use table lists this classification twice, once for indoor operations only and again for outdoor operations, so a storefront grooming shop that keeps animals inside is evaluated on its own line separate from an outdoor kennel or grooming yard.

Under § 21.04.020(c), an "A" on the table means the use is allowed by right in that zone district, but still needs administrative approval per § 21.02.040(b) before the business can open; a "C" means the use is only permitted through the discretionary Conditional Use Permit process of § 21.02.050(f), which can attach site-specific conditions such as hours, noise control, or animal-holding limits; a blank cell means the use is not allowed in that district at all unless another Code provision expressly permits it. Section 21.04.020(b) layers on additional compliance duties: every use must also meet any other applicable Municipal Code standards and must hold any local, state, or federal approval, license, or permit required to operate, keeping that authorization in effect at all times.