Wellington, FL Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

LDR § 6.2.2.B.18 sets two tracks for a veterinary clinic depending on where it sits and what it does. Inside the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District, the use is limited to livestock only and needs a minimum five-acre lot, keeping small-animal veterinary practices out of the equestrian-focused overlay entirely. Anywhere a veterinary clinic operates with outdoor runs or boarding facilities, five specific standards apply. The lot must be at least one acre. No outdoor run or boarding structure can sit within 25 feet of any property line.

Outdoor areas must be hard-surfaced or grassed with drains every ten feet, connected to an approved sanitary facility, so runoff and waste do not drain onto neighboring land. The walls and top of every run must carry chain-link material, and Wellington can require a safety fence up to six feet high if needed to protect the public from the animals inside. Finally, a landscape screen of at least 75 percent opacity has to wrap the outdoor run so it is not visible from adjacent properties or the street.

A clinic without outdoor runs or boarding, such as a small-animal exam-only practice, is not bound by the acreage, setback, drainage, fencing or screening standards and instead follows the general use-table permissions for its zoning district under Sec. 6.2.2.