Hayward, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

3510 defines PET GROOMING SHOP as an establishment which provides a grooming service of household pets to the public for a fee, and folds a boarding limit directly into the definition: the typical operation includes washing, hair trimming, and temporary boarding of animals being groomed, that is, less than 24 hours. Any boarding beyond that window pushes the operation into a different use category, such as a kennel, which carries its own separate zoning classification. Where a pet grooming shop can locate depends on the district.

1522 lists Pet grooming shop among the Retail Commercial Uses permitted by right as a primary use, alongside pet stores and other neighborhood retail. 1542 permits the same use by right in the Central City-Plaza (CC-P) Subdistrict. 1533 lists Pet grooming shop only among uses that require approval of an administrative use permit before opening, reflecting the subdistrict's residential character. The Zoning Ordinance's general use classification framework lets the Planning Director treat an unlisted variant as substantially similar to a listed use. A grooming shop that adds overnight boarding, breeding, or other kennel-type services beyond the less-than-24-hour limit must seek approval under Hayward's separate kennel provisions rather than operate under the pet grooming shop classification.