Redwood City, CA Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- CG District requirement
- Conditional Use Permit (sec. 15.4.C)
- IR District requirement
- Conditional Use Permit (sec. 17.4.D)
- IR max FAR for vet/animal hospital use
- 70% (sec. 17.14.A)
- Other IR conditional uses FAR
- 35% (sec. 17.14.C)
- Kennels
- must be completely enclosed and soundproofed
- IR approval findings
- traffic capacity, land-use balance, no harm to industry
Summary
Animal hospitals and veterinary clinics cannot open by right in Redwood City's general commercial or light industrial districts; both require a discretionary Conditional Use Permit, and any kennel on site must be completely enclosed and soundproofed.
15.4 - Conditional Uses. The following uses are permitted in the CG District subject to first securing a Use Permit: A.Public or quasi-public uses;B.Automobile service stations, cabinet shops, electrical, plumbing, or heating shops, sheet metal shops, upholstery shops, bakeries, creameries, bottling plants, laundries, and cleaning and dyeing establishments, so long as any activities or operations connected therewith which are normally capable of creating noise, odor, glare, or dust are located wholly within a completely enclosed building or room having no exterior entrance within fifty (50) feet of any street or adjacent property unless such entrance is completely shielded by part of the building from such street or adjacent property;C.Animal hospitals, veterinary clinics, and completely enclosed, soundproofed kennels;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Code: Supplement 29 | City Code: Supplement 61 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
C lists "Animal hospitals, veterinary clinics, and completely enclosed, soundproofed kennels" among the Conditional Uses in the CG General Commercial District, meaning a Use Permit must be secured before one can operate. D imposes the identical Conditional Use Permit requirement, "Animal hospitals, and veterinary clinics," in the IR Light Industrial District. 13: the use cannot significantly harm nearby industrial firms, the street system must be able to safely absorb the added traffic considering capacity, arterial access, transit, parking and pedestrian and bicycle safety, and the use cannot significantly alter the area's existing balance of industrial and non-industrial uses.
C that applies to other conditional uses in the same district, with a mezzanine floor-area exemption for overhangs of 25 percent or less of the ground floor. 4.
Violations & Fines
Operating an animal hospital, veterinary clinic or kennel without the Conditional Use Permit required in the CG or IR district, or exceeding the applicable floor area ratio, is a zoning violation and public nuisance under Section 50.2, treated as an infraction under Section 50.5 with fines up to $100, $200 and $500 for successive violations of the same rule within a year, each day a separate offense, and the City Attorney can sue to abate the use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a veterinary clinic in Redwood City's general commercial zone by right?
What floor area ratio applies to a veterinary clinic in the light industrial district?
Do dog kennels need soundproofing in Redwood City?
What does the City consider when approving an animal hospital in the industrial district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redwood City
California rules heatmap·Compare Redwood City to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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