Dane County, WI Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

004(170) of the Dane County Code defines veterinary clinic as an establishment for the medical or surgical treatment of animals, expressly including animal hospitals, clinics for domestic pets or livestock, and wildlife rehabilitation centers, while excluding animal boarding facilities, breeding operations, colony houses, domestic fowl or beekeeping operations, and small-scale farming or livestock operations, those fall under separate zoning categories. Because a veterinary clinic is not listed among the RM-8 district's permitted or agricultural-accessory uses, ch. 233(3)(q) places it among the district's conditional uses, meaning an operator must first obtain a conditional use permit from the Dane County zoning committee before opening.

Under ch. 101(7), that process requires a complete application with a site plan and operational plan describing hours of operation, anticipated noise and odors, outdoor lighting, traffic, and waste handling, followed by a public hearing after Class 2 notice and a recommendation from the affected town board. The zoning committee must make written findings that the general and district-specific standards are met before granting, conditioning, or denying the permit; a denial or an unwanted condition can be appealed to circuit court under Wis. s. 69(5e)(e).

This framework applies only in the unincorporated towns that have adopted county zoning, clinics operating inside Madison, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg, Middleton, Verona, Stoughton, or Monona are governed by each city's own zoning code, not this chapter.