Casper, WY Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

Under Title 17 of the Casper Municipal Code, a veterinary practice cannot qualify as a residential home occupation no matter how small its footprint. Section 17.12.140(A)(3) lists veterinary uses, including the boarding of animals, alongside nursing homes, ambulance services, body shops, and taverns as uses a home occupation 'shall not be interpreted to include.' Operating a veterinary clinic from a dwelling in an R-1 through R-6 district is therefore a Title 17 zoning violation from the outset, regardless of square footage or signage. Instead, the code channels veterinary and animal-clinic uses into specific commercial and industrial districts.

Section 17.80.020 lists 'animal shelters, treatment centers, animal clinics, and animal boarding centers' as item one of the permitted uses in the M-1 limited industrial district, and item forty-three of that same list separately permits 'veterinary clinics with boarding outside pens.' The C-4 highway business district carries a parallel allowance: section 17.76.020 permits 'animal shelters, animal clinics, and animal boarding and treatment centers' along with kennels as a permitted use, so a veterinary practice with boarding can locate in either M-1 or C-4 by right, without a conditional use hearing.

Any use not expressly listed as permitted in a district is deemed excluded under section 17.16.010(B)(2) unless the planning and zoning commission grants an exemption after finding the use consistent with the district's intent. A veterinary clinic proposed for a district other than M-1 or C-4, including any residential district, therefore needs commission approval or must relocate.