Clinton Township, MI Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted districts
- OS-1, B-1, B-2, B-3 (by right)
- Governing sections
- 1128.02(j), 1134.02(l), 1136.02(k), 1138.02(n)
- Overnight boarding
- Expressly included in the permitted use
- Cross-reference
- Subject to Chapter 1153 use standards
- Enforcement officer
- Building Director, Section 1112.02
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 93 days jail, Section 202.99
- Residential districts
- Use not listed in any residential district
Summary
Clinton Township's Zoning Code lists veterinary clinics and hospitals, including facilities for overnight keeping of animals, as a permitted use by right in four commercial and office districts: OS-1, B-1, B-2, and B-3. Each grant carries the identical clause and ties the use to Chapter 1153's supplemental use standards. The use is absent from every residential district's permitted list.
In the OS-1 Office/Service Low-Rise District, no building or land shall be used and no building shall be erected except for one or more of the following uses, unless otherwise provided in this Zoning Code. These uses may be subject to additional standards as specified in Chapter 1153 Use Standards: ... (j) Veterinary clinics and hospitals, including facilities for overnight keeping of animals.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-25: Local legislation current through May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
02(j) of the OS-1 Office/Service Low-Rise District's permitted-use list authorizes "Veterinary clinics and hospitals, including facilities for overnight keeping of animals" as a principal use, no special-approval hearing required. 02(n) for the B-3 General Business District. Each of these four sections opens with the same operative sentence, that no building or land shall be used and no building shall be erected except for one of the listed uses, meaning a veterinary practice cannot legally open anywhere else in the Township without a zoning map amendment or a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
All four permitted-use lists cross-reference Chapter 1153, Use Standards, so a clinic's site plan, parking count, and screening still have to clear whatever generic standards Chapter 1153 sets for the district, even though no clause in Chapter 1153 singles out veterinary uses for extra conditions. None of the Township's residential districts list veterinary clinics or hospitals among their permitted or special-approval uses, so a home-based practice or an animal hospital proposed on residentially zoned land is not an option under this code; the applicant would need a rezoning through the Planning Commission and Township Board.
The current permitted-use language in all four sections was codified by Ordinance 260-A-499, passed December 22, 2025, in the Township's amlegal code, stated current through May 26, 2026.
Violations & Fines
Operating a veterinary clinic or hospital in a district that doesn't list it as a permitted use is a zoning code violation. Section 1112.02 designates the Building Director as the Township's zoning enforcement officer, empowered to inspect the use and issue appearance tickets. Absent a specific zoning penalty, violations default to the general penalty at Section 202.99: a fine up to $500, imprisonment up to 93 days, or both, with each day of noncompliance charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a veterinary clinic anywhere in Clinton Township?
Does the ordinance allow overnight boarding of animals at a vet clinic?
What extra standards apply once a vet clinic is in a permitted district?
Who enforces the zoning rule if a clinic opens in the wrong district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clinton Township
Compare Clinton Township to another location·View the Michigan animal ordinances overview
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