Springfield, OH Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Springfield does not have a separate use category for pet groomers; instead § 1105.02(k)(1) defines Kennel broadly as a facility licensed to house dogs, cats, or other household pets or where grooming, breeding, boarding or training or selling of animals is conducted as business, expressly including pet resorts/hotels, pet adoption centers, dog training centers, animal rescue shelters and sanctuaries, so a commercial dog or cat grooming shop is regulated as a Kennel under the Zoning Code. Table 1104.03.1: Use Table marks Kennel as a Limited or Permitted use depending on the commercial district, with a parking ratio of 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet, and § 1106.02(s) then layers on site standards.

Subsection (1)(A) sets a minimum lot area of 20,000 square feet. Subsection (1)(B) requires a 50-foot front setback, 40-foot side setback, and 50-foot rear setback. Subsection (1)(C) requires all structures to sit at least 200 feet from a Residential district. Subsection (1)(D) bars outside runs entirely: outside runs used for animals are prohibited, and all services shall be provided within a fully enclosed building, meaning even a grooming-only Kennel must operate indoors with no outdoor holding or exercise area. Subsection (2) caps the building footprint of a Kennel in the C-NC district at 10,000 square feet.

Because these standards attach to the Kennel use as a whole, a groomer that also boards or sells animals faces the identical lot-area, setback, buffer, and enclosed-building rules as a full-service kennel.