Memphis, TN Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

H of the Unified Development Code, in the Commercial Use Standards chapter that governs both the City of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County, sets a single locational standard for six related uses: Animal Hospital, Veterinary Clinic, Pet Clinic, Animal Boarding, Animal Shelter, and Kennel. The code splits the zoning map into two groups. In the Conservation Agriculture, Community Mixed-Use, Employment, Warehouse Distribution, and Heavy Industrial districts, an operator may build and use outdoor runs where animals can be kept or exercised in the open air.

In every other zoning district, including the residential and most commercial classifications where the bulk of Memphis veterinary practices and boarding kennels actually locate, outdoor runs are not permitted. The code goes further than simply banning outdoor runs in those districts: it requires that all overnight care of animals occur indoors, and that every pen, kennel, and run be located within an enclosed building, not just screened or fenced. That means a Memphis veterinary clinic on a commercial corridor outside the five listed districts cannot keep dogs in an outdoor kennel run overnight even behind a privacy fence; the animals and their enclosures must be inside four walls and a roof.

The standard applies regardless of whether the clinic treats the animals, boards them, or both, and it applies the same way to a stand-alone animal shelter or kennel that has no veterinary component.