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

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Zone allowed
C-2 Central Commercial only
Condition
No dogs kept overnight
Home-based grooming
Prohibited as home occupation
Governing sections
RMC 18.32.020(C)(13); 5.68.070(A)
Permit type
By-right in C-2, no CDP needed

Summary

Rialto Municipal Code Sec. 18.32.020(C)(13) permits dog grooming shops as a matter of right in the C-2 central commercial zone, on the condition that no dogs are kept on the premises overnight. Separately, Section 5.68.070(A) bars animal grooming facilities from operating as home occupations, so a residential-based grooming business is not allowed anywhere in the city.

Uses permitted are as follows:...C.Any of the following uses:...13.Dog grooming shops, provided that no dogs are kept on the premises overnight,14.Dry cleaning, pressing and dyeing plants using noninflammable and nonexplosive cleaning fluid and employing less than ten persons,...

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 39).

Full Breakdown

32. 020(C)(13) lists 'dog grooming shops, provided that no dogs are kept on the premises overnight' among the retail and service uses allowed by right alongside barber shops, banks, and dry cleaners. The overnight-boarding restriction is the only operating condition the zoning code attaches to the use; there is no cap on the number of animals groomed per day and no separate grooming license referenced in this section. 40. 68. 050 does allow. Any grooming operation must instead locate in a C-2 zoned commercial building and obtain a standard business license, since the C-2 zone is the only district where the use is listed as permitted by right rather than requiring a conditional development permit.

Violations & Fines

Keeping dogs on the premises overnight breaches the condition attached to Section 18.32.020(C)(13) and can trigger code enforcement action against the C-2 business, since the overnight restriction is what keeps grooming a permitted use rather than a kennel or animal hospital requiring a conditional development permit. Operating a grooming business from a home, in violation of the Section 5.68.070(A) exclusion, exposes the operator to denial or revocation of any home occupation permit and a business license violation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run a dog grooming business from my Rialto home?
No. Rialto Municipal Code Section 5.68.070(A) lists animal hospitals and grooming facilities among the uses expressly prohibited as home occupations, so the city will not issue a home occupation permit for a grooming business regardless of the residential zone or how small the operation is. Grooming has to locate in a commercially zoned building instead.
Where in Rialto can I legally open a dog grooming shop?
The C-2 central commercial zone is where dog grooming shops are a permitted use by right under Section 18.32.020(C)(13), meaning no conditional development permit is required. The only zoning condition is that no dogs may be kept on the premises overnight; boarding animals would require a different use classification, such as an animal hospital or kennel, in a different zone.
Can a Rialto groomer board dogs overnight?
Not under the dog grooming shop classification. Section 18.32.020(C)(13) permits grooming shops in the C-2 zone specifically on the condition that no dogs are kept on the premises overnight, so overnight boarding would take the business outside that permitted use and into animal hospital or kennel territory, which requires a conditional development permit in different zoning districts.

Sources & Official References

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All Rialto rules

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