Melbourne, FL Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

Appendix B, article V, § 2, Table 1B lists veterinary facility across the ten nonresidential districts: it's permitted by right, 'P,' in C-1, C-2, C-P, C-E, M-1, and M-2, requires conditional use approval, 'C,' in C-1A and C-3, and is prohibited, 'N,' in R-P and I-1. Article II defines a veterinary facility as a place used for the care, grooming, diagnosis, and treatment of sick or injured animals, including incidental overnight accommodations for treatment, observation and/or recuperation purposes, and the definition folds in both veterinary clinics and veterinary hospitals.

The same definition draws a hard line to a separate, more restrictive use: any sole or principal use providing facilities for the overnight boarding of animals or providing outside pens or dog runs shall be classified as a kennel, not a veterinary facility. That distinction matters because kennels are zoned differently under Table 1B: prohibited in R-P, C-1A, and C-1, conditional in C-2, C-P, and C-E, and permitted by right only in M-1 and M-2. 5-acre site, per article V, § 2(E)(3)(o). A practice that boards animals overnight or keeps outdoor runs needs to qualify under the kennel use, not the veterinary facility use, when the community development department reviews its site plan.