DuPage County, IL Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

DuPage County's zoning definitions in Section 37-302 define 'animal hospital' as 'any building or portion thereof designed or used for the care, observation, or treatment of animals or pets,' a definition broad enough to reach veterinary clinics as well as full-service hospitals. That use does not appear on the by-right permitted-use lists for either the B-1 Local Business District or the B-2 General Business District. 2 both list animal hospitals among the conditional uses in those districts, meaning 'prior approval after a public hearing in accordance with the requirements of Section 37-1413' is required before the county will allow one.

That hearing goes through the Zoning Board of Appeals, which forwards findings and a recommendation to the County Development Committee and ultimately the County Board, so a veterinary practice looking at a B-1 or B-2 site should plan for a multi-step public process rather than an over-the-counter permit. Because this is a county ordinance, it governs only unincorporated DuPage County; incorporated cities such as Naperville, Wheaton, Downers Grove and Elmhurst each run their own separate zoning codes for veterinary uses inside city limits. Opening or operating an animal hospital without going through the conditional-use process, or in a district where it is not listed at all, is enforced as a general zoning violation under Section 37-1417.