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

Franklin County's Unified Development Code Table of Permitted Uses, Table 5-1 at UDC section 5.3.3, sets zoning for the Animal Service use category, which the code defines at section 5.3.6.A as covering veterinary services, animal hospitals, pet clinics, pet grooming, kennels and animal shelters. For the specific 'Veterinary' use line, Table 5-1 marks 'S' (Special Use Permit required) in the AR and R-30 residential districts, '-' (prohibited outright) in R-80 and R-8, and 'P' (permitted by right) in the NB (Neighborhood Business) and GB (General Business) nonresidential districts; it is marked '-' in the HI (Heavy Industrial) district.

A veterinary clinic proposing to locate in AR or R-30 must obtain a Special Use Permit through the county's Article 4 review procedures, which involve Planning Board and Board of Commissioners review of siting, screening and traffic impacts before the use can open. Related Animal Service uses in the same table are treated differently: Kennel is permitted by Special Use Permit in AR and GB, permitted by right in NB, and prohibited in R-80, R-30 and R-8; Pet Cremation and Shelter add HI as a by-right district.

Section 5.3.6.A confines animal service uses largely to indoor operations, with only fenced, outdoor pet-walk areas allowed as an accessory use. Opening a veterinary clinic in a prohibited district, or without a required permit, is enforced by the Administrator under UDC sections 3.3.1 through 3.3.6, and can lead to permit denial or revocation under sections 3.4.2.A-B, a civil penalty of up to $500.00 under section 3.4.2.C, or prosecution as a Class 3 misdemeanor under section 3.4.2.D.