Lewis County, WA Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

LCC § 6.15.010 defines 'grooming facility' as any business or entity, however named, that provides services related to a dog's appearance and cleanliness but does not include any overnight stay at the facility, the overnight-stay line being what separates a groomer from a boarding kennel. The same section's 'kennel' definition then expressly carves out a grooming facility (along with an animal hospital and a veterinary building not used for boarding) from counting toward the 10-dogs-with-intact-organs or 20-dogs-total threshold that otherwise makes a property a kennel.

Because Chapter 5.25's operating-permit requirement for kennels adopts Chapter 6.15's definitions under LCC § 5.25.020, a pure grooming business never meets the 'kennel' definition and does not need a kennel operating permit, an inspection, or the posted-permit requirement in § 5.25.100. § 6.15.020(5)(a)(iii) separately exempts grooming facilities from the breeding-practices standards, including the 50-dog population cap, minimum enclosure sizes, exercise requirements, and sanitation rules that apply to kennels. A groomer that also boards dogs overnight, however, loses the grooming exemption for that portion of its operation and can trip the ordinary kennel thresholds and permit duty.