Portsmouth, VA Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Portsmouth's Zoning Ordinance defines ANIMAL GROOMING at Sec. 2-213 as "a facility maintained for the grooming of animals that does not board animals on site," distinguishing it from kennels and veterinary clinics that keep animals overnight. 2-216, the citywide Use Table, lists animal grooming as a permitted (by-right, "P") use only in the Urban Residential-Mixed (UR-M), Neighborhood Mixed-Use (NMU), General Mixed-Use (GMU), Mixed-Use High (MU-H), Light Industrial (IL), Industrial (IN), Downtown D1-T4, D1-T5, and Historic Limited Business (HLB) districts. It is not a permitted principal use at all in the base Neighborhood Residential (NR), General Residential (GR), or Urban Residential (UR) districts; a stand-alone grooming shop cannot open in those zones.

2-216 must also satisfy the Animal Care Uses standards at Sec. 2-217(G)(2): the facility must be sufficiently insulated so no unreasonable odor or noise reaches neighboring properties, and if the site sits within 200 feet of residentially zoned land, the operation must be conducted inside a completely enclosed, adequately ventilated building. m. Compliance is reviewed by the Planning Department during Site Plan or Zoning Permit review under Sec. 2-217(B). A home-based grooming business run out of a resident's own dwelling is regulated separately as a Home Occupation under Sec. 2-215, which caps such activity at 25 percent of the dwelling's floor area and bars outdoor storage or signage beyond what Sec. 2-307 allows.