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

Section 10-2.179 (Services, Personal) lists "pet grooming" as one of the personal-service businesses covered by Modesto's Personal Services land use category, alongside barber shops, beauty shops and body art studios. Table 3.1-1, adopted under Section 10-3.101, marks Personal Services "P" (permitted) in the MU-P, MU-H, P-O, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-M, M-1 and M-2 zones and "-" (not permitted) in the R-1, R-2 and R-3 residential zones, so a stand-alone grooming shop cannot locate on residentially zoned property.

Grooming sold inside a pet store is treated separately. Section 10-2.161 defines "Pet Store" as "a shop for the sale of small animals and other household pets which may include services such as grooming, but excludes exterior runs or other outdoor uses." A pet store's grooming counter is an accessory to the retail sale of animals and must stay entirely indoors; the definition specifically strips out any exterior run or outdoor component.

A groomer that also boards animals overnight falls under a different table row. "Kennel" is conditional, requiring a conditional use permit, in the MU-P, MU-H, C-2 and C-3 zones, and permitted outright only in the C-M, M-1 and M-2 zones; it is not allowed at all in R-1, R-2, R-3, P-O or C-1. Adding overnight boarding to a grooming business can therefore move the required zoning approval from a simple permitted use to a conditional use permit, or push the location into an industrial zone.