Hanover County, VA Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

Section 26-107, the B-1 Neighborhood Business District's permitted-use list, opens with "Animal hospital or clinic for small animals conducted entirely in a soundproof building" as item 1, ahead of dozens of other neighborhood retail and service uses like banks, pharmacies and dry cleaners. The soundproofing condition is the only performance standard attached to the use; unlike a kennel, an animal hospital in the B-1 district needs no minimum lot size, no special exception, and no conditional use permit, subject to the district's general yard requirements (35-foot front yard, 10-foot side yard and 25-foot rear yard when adjacent to a residential district, per § 26-113) and its 45-foot by-right height cap under § 26-114.

The B-2 Community Business District permits animal hospitals too, through § 26-117(1)'s blanket cross-reference to every B-1 permitted use, and the M-1 Limited Industrial District does likewise through § 26-163(1). "Pet shop or animal grooming establishment" is separately listed as item 45 in the same B-1 permitted-use section, a distinct use from a veterinary hospital or clinic. 4(b)(1) for a larger building. Neither section defines "small animals" or specifies a decibel limit for the soundproofing standard.