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Horry County, SC Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Use category
Animal Services (§204.4)
Conditional-use districts
RE, AG2, AG3, LFA, FA, CFA, HC/NC/CC group
Permitted by right in
RE3/RE4 and LI/MA1/MA2/HI
No outdoor boarding in
AG3, HC, NC, CC, RCS, TRS, RE1, RE2, OPI, PR1, RC
Max penalty
$500 fine, 30 days, per day

Summary

In unincorporated Horry County, veterinary clinics and animal hospitals are classified as "Animal Services" under the zoning ordinance's Animal Facilities Use Chart. The use needs a conditional-use permit in most districts, including RE, AG2, AG3, LFA, FA, CFA, the HC/NC/CC/RCS/TRS group, RE1/RE2 and OPI/PR1/RC, and is permitted outright only in RE3/RE4 and the LI/MA1/MA2/HI industrial group.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Horry County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

B.The raising, care and handling of animals and livestock. The raising, care and handling of animals, where allowed by district, must meet the minimum lot size requirements listed in § 205.C.Animal boarding facilities.[1.]AG3, HC, NC, CC, RCS, TRS, RE1, RE2, OPI, PR1, & RC zoning districts. No outside boarding of animals.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 88).

Full Breakdown

4 of the Zoning Ordinance, the Animal Facilities Use Chart, lists "Animal Services" (the category covering veterinary offices, animal hospitals and vet clinics per the ordinance's own glossary) as a conditional use in LFA, FA, CFA, RE, AG2 and AG3, in the combined NC/CC/RCS/TRS/HC group, in RE1/RE2, and in the OPI/PR1/RC group. It's a permitted, by-right use only in RE3/RE4 and in the LI/MA1/MA2/HI industrial group, and it doesn't appear at all in the SF, MSF or GR single-family and multi-family residential columns. Every entry in that row carries a "902/933" cross-reference, meaning approval also has to satisfy Section 902's animal-facilities standards.

B ties the size of the operation to the minimum lot requirements of the underlying district under Section 205, so a vet clinic on a small commercial lot faces the same acreage floor as any other use there. C separately bars outside boarding of animals in AG3, HC, NC, CC, RCS, TRS, RE1, RE2, OPI, PR1 and RC, which matters for hospitals that keep patients overnight: the glossary distinguishes an "Animal hospital" (can include outdoor and overnight boarding) from a "Vet clinic" (no outdoor boarding permitted), pushing overnight-boarding operations toward the LI/MA zones where boarding isn't restricted.

Applicants apply for a Certificate of Zoning Compliance through the Zoning Administrator, and uses marked "C" also go to the Planning Commission for conditional-use review.

Violations & Fines

Operating an animal hospital or vet clinic without the required Certificate of Zoning Compliance, or boarding animals outdoors in a district where Section 902.C bars it, is a zoning violation under Section 114: a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500 and 30 days for each offense, with every day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. Appeals of a Zoning Administrator decision go to the Board of Zoning Appeals under Article XI.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I open a veterinary clinic anywhere in unincorporated Horry County?
No. Section 204.4 makes "Animal Services" a conditional use in most zoning districts, meaning it needs a Certificate of Zoning Compliance and, in many districts, Planning Commission review. It's a by-right permitted use only in RE3/RE4 and the LI/MA1/MA2/HI industrial group, and it isn't listed at all for single-family residential districts.
Can my vet clinic board animals overnight?
Only in districts where Section 902.C doesn't bar it. In AG3, HC, NC, CC, RCS, TRS, RE1, RE2, OPI, PR1 and RC, outside boarding is prohibited outright, which is why the ordinance's glossary treats an "Animal hospital" with overnight boarding differently from a no-boarding "Vet clinic."
What happens if I operate without the required permit?
Section 114 makes any zoning violation a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine and 30 days in jail, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense, so an unpermitted clinic can rack up fines fast.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Horry County

All Horry County rules

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