Thurston County, WA Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Area covered
- Unincorporated Olympia urban growth area (Title 23)
- Permitted outright (P)
- General Commercial and Arterial Commercial districts
- Special use permit (S)
- Neighborhood Center, Neighborhood Village, Urban Village, Community Oriented Shopping Center
- Unlisted districts
- Prohibited unless the director authorizes it
- Boarding limit
- Short-term care incidental to the hospital use
- Kennel threshold
- Four or more animals over six months old
- Home occupation
- Veterinary clinics prohibited, Section 23.04.060(12)
Summary
In the unincorporated Olympia urban growth area, a veterinary office or clinic is permitted outright in the General Commercial and Arterial Commercial districts and needs a special use permit in the four village and center districts. Every district whose table does not list the use prohibits it unless the county director authorizes it. Boarding must stay short-term and incidental to treatment.
Prohibited and Unspecified Uses. Land uses which are not listed as permitted or special uses are prohibited unless authorized by the director (or the hearing examiner on appeal) consistent with Section 23.02.080 , Interpretations. ... Table 6.01 Permitted and Conditional Uses ... Commercial District NR PO/RM GC MS AC ... Veterinary offices/clinics P P ... Prohibited and Unspecified Uses. Land uses which are not listed in Table 5.01 as permitted, special, or required uses are prohibited, unless they are authorized by the director consistent with Section 23.02.080 , Interpretations. ... Table 5.01 Permitted, Special and Required Uses ... Neighborhood Center Neighborhood Village Urban Village Community Oriented Shopping Center ... Veterinary offices and clinics S S S S ... "Office, veterinary/clinic" means a place where animals receive medical care and the boarding of animals is limited to short-term care incidental to the hospital use. This is not a medical office. (See also "Animal hospital.")
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 77).
Full Breakdown
Thurston County regulates veterinary offices through Title 23 of the county code, the zoning ordinance for the unincorporated Olympia urban growth area. Section 23.02.060 bars any building, structure or premises from being used there except in compliance with the title and only after all required permits are secured. Section 23.02.180 defines an "Office, veterinary/clinic" as a place where animals receive medical care, limits boarding to short-term care incidental to the hospital use, and adds that it is not a medical office. The companion "Animal hospital" definition covers medical or surgical treatment and includes the accessory use of the premises as a kennel or paid boarding. A "Kennel" is a separate use: any site where four or more dogs, cats or other small animals over six months old are kept.
Table 6.01 lists "Veterinary offices/clinics" as permitted (P) in two commercial districts, General Commercial (GC) and Arterial Commercial (AC). The Neighborhood Retail (NR), Professional Office/Residential Multifamily (PO/RM) and Medical Service (MS) columns carry no entry for the use. Section 23.06.120 sends commercial applicants on to Chapter 23.38 (Parking and Loading), Chapter 23.36 (Landscaping and Screening), Chapter 23.42 (Signs), Chapter 23.60 (Site Plan Review) and Chapter 23.50 (Design Review).
Table 5.01 lists "Veterinary offices and clinics" as a special use (S) in all four village and center districts: Neighborhood Center, Neighborhood Village, Urban Village and Community Oriented Shopping Center. An S entry means the clinic is subject to a special use permit, so it cannot open on a permit-free basis there. Section 23.05.040(B) also bars uses that create noise, vibration, smoke, dust, glare or toxic or noxious emissions beyond what allowed uses generate.
Both tables close the same gap. Land uses not listed as permitted or special are prohibited unless the director authorizes them under Section 23.02.080, Interpretations. The hearing examiner hears the matter on appeal under Section 23.06.040(B), and Section 23.02.080(B) routes a director's classification decision to appeal under Section 23.72.190A.
Other districts follow their own chapters. Home occupations in residential districts under Section 23.04.060(12) prohibit veterinarian offices and clinics. Section 23.04.060(10) allows veterinary clinics legally established before the Olympia UGA Zoning Ordinance took effect as special uses in the Table 4.01 districts. Chapter 23.08 lists veterinary clinics among the light industrial/commercial uses.
Violations & Fines
Chapters 23.02, 23.05 and 23.06 set no fine schedule for a clinic opened in the wrong district. They do fix the consequences of non-compliance. Section 23.02.060 bars use of any premises except in compliance with Title 23, Section 23.02.120(B) voids any permit or license issued in conflict with the code, and an unlisted use in a commercial or village district is prohibited unless the director authorizes it. Penalty provisions are not set out in these sections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a veterinary clinic open in the Medical Service district?
Can a clinic board animals overnight?
What does the S in the village and center districts require?
Can a veterinarian run a practice from a home in a residential district?
Who decides if my parcel's zoning does not list a veterinary clinic?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thurston County
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