Bernalillo County, NM Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Professional animal site permit
- Precondition
- County zoning certification
- Issuing agency
- Animal Care Services Dept.
- Renewal
- Annual, 30-day grace period
- Scope
- Unincorporated county only
Summary
Pet groomers in unincorporated Bernalillo County are licensed as professional animal sites, needing an annual permit plus proof of zoning compliance before opening for business.
Valid permits are required to operate a multiple animal site, professional animal site, or shelter site, breed dogs or cats, have a litter of dogs and cats, possess a guard dog or possess an intact dog or cat that has been impounded as a stray. ... Multiple animal site, professional animal site and shelter site permits require a demonstration of a certification of zoning and land use from the Bernalillo County Zoning Department.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 92).
Full Breakdown
The county code defines a grooming parlor as an establishment maintained for cosmetological services on animals, and classifies it as a "professional animal site." Sec. 6-39 requires a valid annual permit from Animal Care Services for any professional animal site, plus a certification of zoning and land use from the Bernalillo County Zoning Department before the permit issues. Sec. 6-39A then imposes sanitation, ventilation, record-keeping and animal-welfare standards on the site, and officers may inspect with notice. This chapter reaches only the unincorporated county; a groomer inside Albuquerque falls under the city's own Integrated Development Ordinance instead.
Violations & Fines
Operating a grooming parlor without the required professional animal site permit violates Sec. 6-39 and is punishable under the chapter's general penalty, Sec. 6-70. Noncompliance with site standards can trigger permit suspension or revocation under Sec. 6-71, with a revoked permit barred from reinstatement for one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Bernalillo County pet-grooming business need a permit?
Does this apply to a groomer located in Albuquerque?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bernalillo County
Compare Bernalillo County to another location·View the New Mexico animal ordinances overview
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