Salt Lake City, UT Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Veterinary office in MU districts
- Permitted by right
- Kennel/boarding in MU districts
- Conditional use required
- Downtown districts allowed
- D-2 and D-3 only
- Boarding scope allowed onsite
- Short-term, incidental only
- Nonresidential zoning fine
- $200 per day
Summary
Veterinary offices are a permitted, by-right use in Salt Lake City's MU-2 through MU-11 mixed-use districts, while an attached kennel for overnight boarding needs a separate conditional use permit in those same districts.
Animal: Cremation service P P P P P P / Kennel C C C C C C / Veterinary office P P P P P P [columns: MU-2 MU-3 MU-5 MU-6 MU-8 MU-11; Legend: C = Conditional P = Permitted]
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Salt Lake City Code § 21A.33.030 lists "Animal: Veterinary office" as "P" (permitted) across all six mixed-use zoning districts (MU-2, MU-3, MU-5, MU-6, MU-8, MU-11), while "Kennel" in the same row is marked "C" (conditional use, requiring planning commission review). Downtown, veterinary offices are permitted only in the D-2 and D-3 districts (§ 21A.33.050), not D-1 or D-4. The zoning code's definition (§ 21A.62.040) caps any onsite boarding at "short time boarding" that is "only incidental" to the clinic's medical use, a full-service boarding kennel is a distinct use requiring its own approval. Residential districts (§ 21A.33.020) list no veterinary or kennel use at all, so clinics may not locate there.
Violations & Fines
Operating in a district or with boarding beyond what the zoning table allows is a civil zoning violation; unresolved citations accrue $200/day for a nonresidential property under § 21A.20.040 until corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a veterinary clinic in Salt Lake City without a special permit?
Are veterinary hospitals allowed in Salt Lake City's residential zones?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
Compare Salt Lake City to another location·View the Utah animal ordinances overview
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Veterinary Clinic Zoning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle veterinary clinic zoning.