Rancho Cordova, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

040 (Land Use Definitions) as retail sales of domestic and exotic animals, bathing and trimming services, and boarding of said animals for a maximum period of 72 hours, conducted entirely within an enclosed building with no outdoor use. That definition controls every pet grooming storefront in the city: no outdoor kennel runs, no sidewalk wash stations, and no boarding stay beyond three days, because a longer stay tips the use into a commercial kennel, a separate land use category with its own rules. Where a groomer can locate depends on the zoning table.

030, Allowed Land Uses and Permit Requirements for Mixed-Use Districts) lists "Animal Sales and Grooming" as permitted by right (P) in the Commercial Mixed-Use (CMU), Village Center (VC), Local Town Center (LTC) and Regional Town Center (RTC) districts. 125 RCMC before it can open. It is not permitted at all in the Office Professional Mixed-Use (OPMU), Office Industrial Mixed-Use (OIMU) or Light Industrial Business Park (LIBP) districts, so a groomer cannot lease space in an office park or an industrial building regardless of permit. 6 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area, the same ratio applied to ambulance services and artisan shops in the same table.

A groomer that opens in a prohibited district, exceeds the 72-hour boarding cap, or runs an outdoor bathing or drying operation is operating outside its zoning certification.