Ada County, ID Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Ada County Code 8-4-36 governs "Kennel, Commercial," defined in 8-10-2 as any premises where five or more domestic dogs are maintained, boarded, bred, or cared for in return for compensation (excluding a licensed animal clinic, hospital, or veterinary office). Chapter 4's use standards apply countywide wherever a listed use, including a commercial kennel, is permitted, accessory, or conditional in the base or overlay zoning district (8-4-1(B)). Under 8-4-36(A), the kennel operator must comply with all county and state regulations. Outside runs where animals are housed must sit at least 300 feet from any property line (8-4-36(B)(1)), must have an attendant on-site 24 hours a day whenever in use (8-4-36(B)(2)(a)), and must be enclosed by at least a six-foot fence or wall; an electronic fence alone does not satisfy the standard (8-4-36(B)(3)).

Residential-district kennels must also add visual screening under the county's general landscaping standard, Section 8-3-7. Within that framework, 8-4-36(B)(4) sets the accessory-use caps for a commercial kennel building: up to 5% of floor area (excluding the kennel area itself) may be used for related retail sales, and a grooming facility is separately capped at 35% of that same floor area. That means an operator cannot convert a majority of a licensed kennel into a grooming business; grooming stays secondary to the kennel use the conditional use permit was issued for.

A hobby kennel (8-4-37), capped at ten dogs at a private residence, is licensed under Ada County Code Section 5-7-5 and 5-7-6 but is not authorized to run a commercial grooming operation under this section.