St. Louis County, MO Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

Section 1003.020(190) of the Zoning Ordinance defines a "veterinary clinic" as "a facility for the practice of veterinary medicine," and builds in a small overnight allowance: "the overnight boarding of no more than three household, domestic animals is incidental and permitted." That cushion means a clinic can hold a handful of recovering or surgical patients overnight without being reclassified as a "pet care facility," which the code treats as a separate, more heavily regulated use once boarding involves four or more animals.

Where a clinic can locate depends entirely on the district. In the "C-2" Shopping District (Section 1003.133) and the "C-3" Shopping District, veterinary clinics are listed as permitted, by-right uses, conditioned only on screening any outdoor pet relief area with a sight-proof, decorative fence; animal hospitals, a separate zoning term for larger-scale boarding and treatment operations, require a Conditional Use Permit in both of those districts instead. In the "NU" Non-Urban District, the rule flips: Section 1003.107 lists "riding stables, kennels, and veterinary clinics" together as item 29 on the conditional-use table, so a veterinary practice in the county's rural, large-lot district needs Planning Commission approval under Section 1003.181 before it can open, the same track required for a boarding kennel or a horse stable in that district.