Bakersfield, CA Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

Section 17.22.020 lists the uses permitted outright in Bakersfield's C-1 neighborhood commercial zone, and item 31 covers "Veterinary (small animal only), excluding kennel services." Because the C-1 zone incorporates "Any use listed in the uses permitted section in the C-O zone" under § 17.22.020(A), a small-animal vet clinic can also locate wherever C-1 uses are allowed, but the C-O list itself does not include veterinary services as a by-right use: instead, § 17.20.040(A)(11) requires a conditional use permit for "Veterinary services" in the C-O professional office zone.

That split means the zone matters: a small-animal-only practice with no boarding is a by-right use once it's in C-1 (or any zone that incorporates the C-1 list), while a full-service veterinary hospital that includes kennel or boarding services, or one located in the C-O office zone, needs a conditional use permit reviewed by the planning commission under Chapter 17.64. Off-street parking for the use is separately dictated by the citywide parking table, which requires one space per five hundred square feet of gross floor area for a "Veterinary hospital and clinic." The clinic must also meet the standard site plan review, landscaping and screening requirements that apply to every commercial use in the zone.