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Southaven, MS Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Residential districts that list clinics
A/ER and PUD only (S 9)
RO office district
Conditional use (C 35)
Site plan review districts, Chart 4
C-1, C-3, C-4, M-1, M-2, PUD
Kennel rule, Chart 4 districts
No open or outdoor kennels
Kennel rule, Chart 3 districts
No open kennels outside agricultural district
Site plan scale
Not less than 100 feet to the inch

Summary

In the City of Southaven, Mississippi, a veterinary clinic needs site plan review in C-1, C-3, C-4, M-1, M-2 and PUD, a conditional use in the RO office district, and site plan review in the A/ER district. No single-family or multifamily residential district lists it. Footnotes 9 and 35 bar open or outdoor kennels at the clinic.

Uses Permitted A/ER R-30 R-20 R-15 R-12 R-10 R-9 R-8 R-6 RM-8 PUD ... Veterinary clinic S 9 S 9 ... Uses Permitted O RO C1 C3 C4 PBP M1 M2 PUD ... Veterinary clinic C 35 S 35 S 35 S 35 S 35 S 35 S 35 ... (9)Veterinary clinics shall not have open kennels on site unless located in an agricultural district. ... (35)Veterinarian clinics must not have open or outdoor kennels.

Full Breakdown

The Southaven zoning charts treat a veterinary clinic as a use that always needs a city approval step. Chart 3, the residential chart, prints 'S 9' on the Veterinary clinic row in two columns only: A/ER (agricultural and estate residential) and PUD. The R-30, R-20, R-15, R-12, R-10, R-9, R-8, R-6 and RM-8 columns are empty. Chart 4, the commercial chart, prints 'C 35' in the RO column, 'S 35' in C1, C3, C4, M1, M2 and PUD, and leaves the O and PBP columns empty. The Chart 4 legend reads 'C is conditional use, S is site plan review (site plans may be formal or administrative per city planner),' so a clinic in the RO district needs a conditional use permit and a clinic anywhere else on the list needs an approved site plan.

The footnotes carry the operating limit. Footnote 9, tied to the Chart 3 columns, says clinics shall not have open kennels on site unless located in an agricultural district. Footnote 35, tied to the Chart 4 columns, says clinics must not have open or outdoor kennels. The code defines a kennel as an establishment where dogs or other pets are boarded for compensation on a commercial scale, and Title III defines a veterinary hospital as an establishment maintained and operated by a licensed veterinarian for surgery, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries of animals.

The two approval paths run through different chapters. Under Sec. 13-8(b) a site plan goes to the planning commission at a scale of not less than one hundred (100) feet to the inch and shows the boundary, utilities, curbs and sidewalks, the points of ingress and egress, and the footprint and height of proposed buildings. Under Sec. 13-9(a) the governing authority grants a conditional use permit by board order and imposes conditions and safeguards, including a specified period of time for the use. Applications go to the office of planning and development, and Sec. 13-9(c) requires the use to meet every other rule of its district.

Violations & Fines

Sec. 13-12(a) bars any use of a building or premises that the district does not allow, so a clinic opened in an unlisted district violates Title XIII. Sec. 13-2(c) lets the proper authorities sue to restrain or abate the violation and sets fines according to state law, imprisonment up to thirty (30) days, stop work orders and revocation of privilege licensing and certificates of occupancy for a knowing and willful violation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a vet clinic open in a Southaven neighborhood zoned R-10 or R-15?
No. Chart 3 leaves the Veterinary clinic cell empty for every single-family column from R-30 through R-6 and for RM-8. The only residential-chart columns that list a clinic are A/ER and PUD, each marked 'S 9' for site plan review. A clinic elsewhere has to be in a district that Chart 4 lists.
Does a Southaven vet clinic need a conditional use permit?
Only in the RO residential office district, where Chart 4 prints 'C 35.' In C-1, C-3, C-4, M-1, M-2 and PUD the same row prints 'S 35,' and the Chart 4 legend defines S as site plan review. Conditional use permits are granted by board order of the governing authority under Sec. 13-9(a).
Can a clinic board animals outdoors in Southaven?
No, with one exception. Footnote 35 says clinics in the Chart 4 districts must not have open or outdoor kennels. Footnote 9 says clinics in the Chart 3 districts shall not have open kennels on site unless located in an agricultural district, so the agricultural district is the one place open kennels are named as allowed.
Which districts leave the vet clinic row blank?
In Chart 4, the O office and PBP planned business park columns are empty on the Veterinary clinic row. In Chart 3, every single-family column and the RM-8 column are empty. A blank cell means the code does not list the use there, and Sec. 13-12(a) bars any use a district does not allow.

Sources & Official References

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