Lake Havasu City, AZ Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

Section 14.03.03C.4 states plainly that a veterinary hospital use is subject to the animal care and boarding standards whenever it offers boarding services, so the design and operation rules written for kennels apply directly to a boarding veterinary practice. Under those animal care and boarding standards, all activities must be completely contained within an enclosed building citywide, except in the LI, I and A-P districts, where outdoor kennels, runs and exercise areas become permitted. In those same three districts, any outdoor run or exercise area must maintain a minimum 10-foot setback from any lot line and must be enclosed by a 6-foot solid masonry wall, a physical barrier requirement that goes beyond a typical fence standard.

The broader animal care and boarding division also requires that kennels be built to prevent direct outdoor access, that noise and odor be mitigated for neighboring properties, that animal transfers occur during regular business hours except for medical emergencies or nonprofit rescue transfers, and that solid waste be removed from outdoor areas during use and stored in a secure, odor-free receptacle. Animal breeding at these facilities is otherwise prohibited unless authorized through a conditional use permit. A veterinary hospital that does not board animals overnight is not pulled into these design standards, making the boarding decision the trigger point for compliance.