Kent County, DE Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

§ 205-54 defines COMMERCIAL KENNEL as any building or land used for the housing, breeding, training or care of animals for commercial purposes and specifically states 'this use includes animal hospitals,' folding veterinary practices into the kennel category rather than treating them as a stand-alone use; the definition also requires a kennel license for all commercial kennels while carving out grooming, pet sitting and dog day care as separate, lighter uses. § 205-67G then sets the operative siting standards: all kennels and runs, which would include a veterinary hospital's boarding or kenneling space, must sit at least 100 feet from any adjoining property line and 300 feet from any dwelling not on the same parcel, the operation must maintain twenty-four-hour security with a caretaker on duty at all times, exterior lighting must be focused away from adjacent properties, and buildings must be noise-insulated per the 1970 federal Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Because the definition separates 'Veterinarian services (on-premises)' out again as an unsuitable home-occupation use under § 205-55(B)(10), a veterinarian cannot instead qualify for the lighter home-occupation track to avoid the kennel siting standards.