Huntington, NY Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Huntington Code § 198-24(B)(3), C-3 District
- Permit type
- Special use permit via § 198-66
- Outdoor limits
- No open kennels or fenced runs allowed
- C-7 district rule
- ZBA must find no residential noise impact
- Home occupation
- Vet practices barred from home-occupation use
- First-offense fine
- $1,000 to $5,000 (§ 198-125(A))
Summary
Huntington does not allow veterinary hospitals or clinics as a matter of right in its business districts. Town Code § 198-24 lists animal hospitals, clinics and veterinary offices as a conditional use in the C-3 Special Business District, requiring a special use permit from the Board authorized under § 198-66, and expressly bars open kennels, fenced runs or other outside enclosures.
B. Conditional uses. (See Articles XI and XVI.) In addition, the following conditionally permitted uses shall be allowed subject to the issuance of a special use permit by the Board authorized to approve such permits pursuant to § 198-66: ... (3) Animal hospitals, clinics, professional offices of a veterinarian and the practice of veterinary medicine, but not including open kennels, fenced runs or similar outside enclosures.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4940543; v75 updated 2026-06-09; through 06-09-2026).
Full Breakdown
Huntington's zoning code treats veterinary practices as a conditionally permitted use, not a by-right use, in every commercial district that allows them. In the C-3 Special Business District, § 198-24(B)(3) lists "animal hospitals, clinics, professional offices of a veterinarian and the practice of veterinary medicine" among the uses "allowed subject to the issuance of a special use permit by the Board authorized to approve such permits pursuant to § 198-66," but the same subsection excludes "open kennels, fenced runs or similar outside enclosures" from that approval, so a permitted animal hospital cannot keep animals in an outdoor kennel or run.
The C-7 Minor Commercial Corridor District is stricter still: § 198-28(C)(3) makes "veterinary offices and animal hospitals" a special use permit category only "where the Zoning Board of Appeals determines that there will be no noise impact to adjacent residential uses," giving the ZBA discretion to deny an application on noise grounds alone, separate from site plan review.
Veterinary practices are also carved out of the Town's residential home-occupation allowance. The Chapter 198 definitions section, § 198-2, states under HOME OCCUPATION that "a home occupation shall not be interpreted to include animal clinics, professional offices of a veterinarian or the practice of veterinary medicine," a provision added by Ordinance No. 71-ZC-11 in 1971 and still in force. A veterinarian cannot legally practice out of a house in a residential zone under the home-occupation exemption available to other professionals; the practice must locate in a district that lists it as a permitted or conditional commercial use and go through the special use permit and site plan process.
Violations & Fines
Operating an animal hospital or veterinary office without the required special use permit, or keeping animals in an outdoor kennel or run barred by § 198-24(B)(3), is a Chapter 198 zoning violation. Under § 198-125(A), a first offense carries a fine of $1,000 to $5,000 or up to 15 days in jail; a second offense within five years rises to $2,000-$10,000; a third becomes a misdemeanor punishable by $4,000-$15,000 or up to six months. Each day the violation continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a veterinary clinic in a Huntington home?
Can an animal hospital keep dogs in an outdoor kennel in the C-3 district?
Why might Huntington deny a veterinary office in the C-7 district?
What happens if a veterinary office opens in Huntington without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Huntington
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Veterinary Clinic Zoning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Suffolk County handle veterinary clinic zoning.