Rowan County, NC Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

Sec. 21-56(2)a covers veterinary services for animal specialties and related animal specialty services classified under SIC 0742, listed as an SR (special requirement) use under the agriculture, forestry and fishing group in Sec. 21-113's table of uses; the section excludes boarding kennels, animal shelters, and dog pounds, which fall instead under the separate special-use-permit standards in Sec. 21-60(1)a. Before Planning & Development issues a zoning permit, the applicant's site plan has to show the lot, every existing and proposed building, outdoor runs or training facilities, fencing, and any area the animals can access.

Once approved, the clinic has to keep every structure used to shelter animals, plus any outdoor run area, at least one hundred feet from all property lines, and any outdoor run must be enclosed by a security fence at least six feet high. Where the site borders a residentially zoned parcel, those same structures and runs must be screened under Sec. 21-215(1), and the code specifically strips away the distance exemption from screening found in Sec. 21-219 that some other uses can claim, meaning a veterinary clinic cannot rely on the 100-foot setback alone to skip screening near housing.

The rule applies to the clinic building and outdoor animal areas only; office space, parking, and customer-facing portions of the practice are not subject to the 100-foot siting standard.