Surry County, NC Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

Surry County classifies veterinary practices under the NAICS Veterinary services line of its Table of Permitted Uses (§ 154.007-01), splitting them into two use types, services with outside runs and services without, each permitted by right only in the CB (Central Business) and HB (Highway Business) zoning districts and cross-referenced to a special requirements section. Section 154.003-02 defines an ANIMAL HOSPITAL/VETERINARY CLINIC broadly as any facility giving licensed medical treatment to animals, plus customarily incidental services such as grooming, boarding, and selling pet supplies. The site standards that apply regardless of which use classification governs a given clinic sit in § 154.008(C)(52) and (53): a clinic without outdoor kennels must keep any outdoor animal containment at least 250 feet from residentially zoned property and 50 feet from any other adjacent lot line, and a clinic with kennels must meet that same 250-foot and 50-foot buffer plus additional standards.

Kennel areas must be enclosed by an opaque fence at least six feet high built to prevent escape, designed to buffer noise audible to surrounding properties, and kept clean of pet waste and uneaten feed to prevent odor and aesthetic nuisances. A clinic with kennels is also limited to one on-premises sign, capped at nine square feet unless the Zoning Administrator approves a larger one. Because these are Table of Uses classifications rather than a stand-alone chapter, a veterinary clinic proposed for a Rural Agricultural, residential, or industrial district outside CB or HB is not a listed use and would require a rezoning rather than a special use permit.