Broward County, FL Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Vet hospital buffer
- No plot touching residential zoning
- Disqualifying separation
- Street, alley, or canal only
- Vet clinic (no boarding)
- No buffer requirement
- Applies only in
- Unincorporated Broward County
Summary
Unincorporated Broward bars veterinary hospitals from sites touching residential zoning, or separated from it only by a street, alley, or canal.
(bb)Veterinary hospital. Veterinary hospitals shall not be permitted on any plot which is contiguous to a residentially-zoned district or which is separated from a residentially-zoned district only by a street, alley, or canal.(cc)Warehouses, self-storage.(1)Self-storage warehouses shall only be used for self-service storage. No businesses shall be permitted to operate from, or be licensed at, the facility. No personal activities, such as but not limited to, hobbies, arts and crafts, woodworking, repair, restoration, or maintenance of vehicles, machinery or equipment, etc. shall be permitted.(2)Outside storage areas for boats, vehicles, etc. shall be located on the interior of the facility, not visible from any adjacent property or street.(3)Building height shall not exceed thirty-five (35) feet.(4)Storage bay doors on any perimeter building shall not face any abutting property located in a residentially-zoned district.(5)One accessory dwelling unit shall be permitted, subject to the availability and allocation of a reserve unit as provided in the Future Unincorporated Area Land Use Element. Such dwelling unit shall not exceed one thousand five hundred (1,500) square feet in floor area. (Ord. No. 1999-23, § 3, 5-11-99; Ord. No. 2000-14, § 5, 4-11-00; Ord. No. 2002-09, § 2, 2-26-02; Ord. No. 2013-04, § 2, 2-12-13; Ord. No. 2014-19, § 3, 6-10-14; Ord. No. 2020-34, §§ 1, 34, 9-22-20; Ord. No. 2022-18, § 7, 4-27-22)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 72 | Administrative Code: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
Broward County's zoning code prohibits veterinary hospitals on any plot contiguous to a residentially-zoned district, or separated from one only by a street, alley, or canal. Veterinary clinics without overnight boarding face no such buffer and are permitted outright in the applicable commercial and industrial use tables. The restriction applies only in unincorporated Broward: the Zoning Code by its own terms governs the unincorporated area, while Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs and the county's 27 other municipalities set their own veterinary siting rules under their individual codes.
Violations & Fines
Operating a veterinary hospital on a disqualified site is a zoning code violation; Broward's zoning and code enforcement division can order the use discontinued or the site brought into compliance, with code enforcement proceedings and fines for continued noncompliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a veterinary hospital open next to a Broward County neighborhood?
Does this rule apply inside Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Broward County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Broward County to another location·View the Florida animal ordinances overview
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