Thurston County, WA Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- By-right districts
- General Commercial and Arterial Commercial only
- Special-permit districts
- All four village/center districts, Table 5.01
- Governing definition
- TCC 23.02.180, Office, veterinary/clinic
- Boarding limit
- Short-term care incidental to hospital use only
- Unlisted districts
- Prohibited absent director/hearing examiner authorization
Summary
Thurston County's Olympia Urban Growth Area zoning code treats a veterinary office or clinic as its own land-use category, distinct from a medical office, and steers it toward commercial districts. TCC 23.06.040's Table 6.01 permits the use outright only in the General Commercial and Arterial Commercial districts, while TCC 23.05.040's Table 5.01 requires a special use permit in every village and shopping-center district.
A.Permitted and Special Uses. Table 6.01, Permitted and Special Uses, identifies land uses in the commercial districts which are permitted outright (P) or subject to a special use permit (S). The applicable requirements for these uses and activities are identified by a number referencing the list of use regulations under Section 23.06.060, Commercial districts' use standards... B.Prohibited and Unspecified Uses. Land uses which are not listed as permitted or special uses are prohibited unless authorized by the director (or the hearing examiner on appeal) consistent with Section 23.02.080, Interpretations. [Table 6.01: "Veterinary offices/clinics" listed P for General Commercial and Arterial Commercial only] [Table 5.01, § 23.05.040: "Veterinary offices and clinics" listed S for Neighborhood Center, Neighborhood Village, Urban Village, Community Oriented Shopping Center] "Office, veterinary/clinic" means a place where animals receive medical care and the boarding of animals is limited to short-term care incidental to the hospital use. This is not a medical office.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 77).
Full Breakdown
180 defines 'Office, veterinary/clinic' as a place where animals receive medical care, adding that any boarding of animals on-site is limited to short-term care incidental to the hospital use and specifying the category is not a medical office; the code cross-references a separate 'Animal hospital' definition for facilities offering compensated overnight boarding or kennel services. Where a veterinary office or clinic can legally open depends on the specific zoning district. 040 lists it as a permitted (P) use only in the General Commercial (GC) and Arterial Commercial (AC) districts; it is not listed for the Neighborhood Retail, Professional Office/Residential Multifamily, or Medical Service districts, all of which are commercial districts under the same table.
040 marks veterinary offices and clinics with an 'S,' meaning a special use permit is required in the Neighborhood Center, Neighborhood Village, Urban Village, and Community Oriented Shopping Center districts alike, with no by-right option in any of the four. 080, Interpretations, so a Neighborhood Retail or Medical Service district location needs that discretionary sign-off before it can proceed.
Violations & Fines
Opening a veterinary office or clinic in a district where Table 6.01 or Table 5.01 does not list it as permitted or special, such as Neighborhood Retail, Medical Service, or Professional Office/Residential Multifamily, without director authorization under TCC 23.02.080 is an unauthorized land use under TCC 23.06.040(B). Operating in a village or center district without first securing the special use permit those tables require likewise violates the use table and exposes the operator to the county's zoning enforcement process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I open a veterinary clinic by right in Thurston County?
Do village center zones allow veterinary clinics?
Can a Thurston County veterinary clinic board animals overnight?
What happens if a veterinary office opens in a district that doesn't list it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thurston County
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