Royal Oak, MI Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Royal Oak's Zoning Ordinance groups dog grooming with other everyday personal service businesses. § 770-39B(9) permits, as of right in the Neighborhood Business Zone, personal service establishments such as barber, hair salons, nail salons, tanning salons, watch and jewelry repair, tailors and alteration shops, and dog grooming facilities with no outdoor exercise runs or pens. Because it is a permitted use, a groomer does not need a special land use hearing before the Plan Commission the way a veterinary hospital does under § 770-38C(2); it only needs site plan review under § 770-12 if the project involves a new structure, an alteration, addition, expansion, or conversion of an existing building, or new off-street parking, per § 770-12A(1).

Site plan review is handled through the Zoning Administrator, who forwards a complete application, fee, and plan set to the Plan Commission, which checks the plan against the standards in § 770-12B(3), covering emergency vehicle access, landscaping, and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood. The same no-outdoor-runs-or-pens limit that applies to veterinary boarding under §§ 770-38 and 770-39 applies here: a Neighborhood Business grooming shop cannot keep dogs in an outdoor pen or run between appointments, even briefly, and any exercise area must be indoors. The Neighborhood Business Zone's own purpose clause, § 770-39A, describes the district as intended for office, limited retail, and service businesses serving the surrounding neighborhood in a manner compatible with adjacent residences, which is the policy basis for excluding outdoor animal areas.