Scranton, PA Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Use classification
- "P", Permitted Use by Right
- Definition section
- Scranton City Code § 445-8
- Sample district
- § 445-12J, City Neighborhood Mixed Use
- Not permitted
- Purely residential district tables (R-6 to R-11)
- Ongoing standards
- Noise/odor limits under § 445-24
Summary
Scranton's Zoning Ordinance defines an "animal hospital or veterinary clinic" at § 445-8 as a building for treating, housing, or boarding small domestic animals by a veterinarian, and the City's district use tables list the use as "P," Permitted Use by Right, in the City Neighborhood Mixed Use District and other commercial and mixed-use districts.
ANIMAL HOSPITAL OR VETERINARY CLINIC A building used for the treatment, housing, or boarding of small domestic animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, and birds or fowl by a veterinarian. ... J. 14 City Neighborhood Mixed Use. ... (1) Permitted uses. Key: P = Permitted Use by Right C = Conditional Use SE = Use by Special Exception ... Animal hospital or veterinary clinic P
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4719898; v25 updated 2025-12-16; through 12-16-2025).
Full Breakdown
" Section 445-12, the district-by-district "quick view" of principal uses, lists animal hospitals and veterinary clinics as a "P," Permitted Use by Right, in the district catalogued at § 445-12J, the 14 City Neighborhood Mixed Use District, and the same "P" designation recurs across the code's other commercial, mixed-use, and industrial district tables. That means, unlike uses flagged "C" for Conditional Use or "SE" for Special Exception elsewhere in those same tables, a veterinarian does not need a conditional-use hearing or a special-exception variance from the Zoning Hearing Board to open a clinic in a qualifying district; a standard zoning permit application confirming the use and lot comply with the district's bulk and parking standards is sufficient.
Because the use does not appear in the residential district tables reviewed in Chapter 445 (R-6 through R-11), a veterinary clinic is confined to Scranton's commercial, mixed-use, and industrial zones rather than purely residential blocks, and any accessory boarding or outdoor animal areas at the clinic still have to meet the chapter's general nuisance, noise, and odor standards at § 445-24.
Violations & Fines
Because animal hospitals and veterinary clinics are a by-right permitted use where the district table lists "P," no separate zoning penalty attaches to opening one; a clinic that violates the chapter's general nuisance, noise, or odor limits under § 445-24, or that expands beyond the footprint approved on its zoning permit under § 445-16, is enforced the same as any other zoning violation under the Municipalities Planning Code's enforcement provisions, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq., which Chapter 445 itself operates under.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special zoning approval to open a veterinary clinic in Scranton?
Can a veterinary clinic operate in a Scranton residential zoning district?
How does Scranton's zoning code define a veterinary clinic?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scranton
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