Auburn, WA Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted outright
- C-1, C-2, C-AG, M-1 zones
- Prohibited zone
- M-2 heavy industrial
- Governing table
- ACC 18.23.030
- Definition section
- ACC 18.04.480
- Kennels regulated separately
- ACC 18.04.510
Summary
Auburn's zoning code confines veterinary clinics and small animal hospitals to commercial and light-industrial land. Table 18.23.030 permits them outright in the C-1, C-2, C-AG and M-1 zones but bars them entirely from the M-2 heavy industrial zone. There is no administrative or conditional path around the M-2 prohibition.
Table 18.23.030 identifies the uses of land allowed in each commercial and industrial zone and the land use approval process required to establish each use... P – Permitted, C – Conditional, A – Administrative, X – Prohibited... LAND USE | Zoning Designation (C-1 | C-2 | C-AG | M-1 | M-2)... Veterinary clinic, animal hospital | P | P | P | P | X
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 7023, passed July 6, 2026).
Full Breakdown
030, the city's commercial and industrial use table lists "Veterinary clinic, animal hospital" as a permitted (P) use outright in the C-1 light commercial, C-2 heavy commercial, C-AG Auburn Gateway mixed-use, and M-1 light industrial zones, meaning a clinic can locate there without a conditional use permit or public hearing. The same row marks the use prohibited (X) in the M-2 heavy industrial zone, the only zone in the table where it is barred outright. 510. 030 use table. 020, does not list veterinary clinics or animal hospitals among permitted residential uses, so a clinic proposing to locate on residentially zoned land falls outside the by-right categories established for RC, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-NM and R-F zones and would need a different zoning designation. 030 is address-specific by zone, not citywide.
Violations & Fines
Operating a veterinary clinic or small animal hospital in the M-2 heavy industrial zone, or in a zone not authorized by Table 18.23.030 or the residential use table (ACC 18.07.020), constitutes an unpermitted land use subject to code enforcement by the Auburn Community Development & Public Works Department, which can require cessation of the use and denial or revocation of business licensing and permits tied to the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a veterinary clinic in Auburn's M-1 zone?
Is a veterinary hospital allowed in Auburn's M-2 zone?
Does Auburn treat a kennel the same as a veterinary clinic?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Auburn
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Veterinary Clinic Zoning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle veterinary clinic zoning.