San Benito County, CA Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Administrative use permit
- Not required
- Conditional use permit
- Not required
- Still applies
- Chapter 13 animal-keeping rules
- Coverage
- Unincorporated county only
Summary
Unincorporated San Benito County exempts veterinary hospitals from the use-permit process that otherwise applies to kennels and pet shops, while still holding them to the county's animal-keeping standards.
Animal keeping exempt from use permit requirement. (1) The following are exempt from the requirement to obtain an administrative use permit, but are subject to the animal keeping regulations in Chapter 13 of the County Code: (a) Veterinary hospitals... (2) The following are exempt from the requirement to obtain a conditional use permit: ... (e) Veterinary hospitals.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-28: current through Ordinance 1078).
Full Breakdown
San Benito County Code § 25.08.012 requires an administrative or conditional use permit for kennels under the zoning use tables in Chapter 25.03, but § 25.08.012(B) carves veterinary hospitals out of both permit requirements: exempt from the administrative use permit under (B)(1)(a) and from the conditional use permit under (B)(2)(e). Veterinary hospitals still have to comply with the animal-keeping regulations in Chapter 13 of the county code. The exemption applies only in the unincorporated area; a veterinary clinic inside Hollister or San Juan Bautista is zoned under that city's own code, not this one.
Violations & Fines
A facility calling itself a veterinary hospital to dodge the kennel use-permit process while actually functioning as a boarding kennel remains subject to code enforcement and Chapter 13's animal-keeping rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a veterinary hospital need a use permit in unincorporated San Benito County?
Do vet hospitals still have to follow any animal rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Benito County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Benito County to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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