Worcester County, MD Animal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (2026)

Section ZS 1-202(c)(14) lists veterinary clinics and commercial kennels together as a special exception use in the A-2 Agricultural District. A special exception is granted by the Board of Zoning Appeals under § ZS 1-116(c), not by the Department over the counter. The minimum lot requirements are a lot area of forty thousand square feet, a lot width of two hundred feet, a front yard setback of thirty-five feet, each side yard setback of fifty feet and a rear yard setback of fifty feet, and the use is also subject to § ZS 1-325. All outside pens and runways must sit at least two hundred feet from any perimeter property line or public road right-of-way.

The C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District lists the same use in its special exception list with identical lot requirements. The C-2 and C-3 commercial districts treat it differently: their permitted use lists carry the line "Veterinary clinics or kennels, including outside pens and runways." The A-1 Agricultural District does not list veterinary clinics, and it allows commercial kennels only by special exception, with side and rear setbacks of fifty feet and outside pens at least two hundred feet from any perimeter property line or public road right-of-way.

The animal-control title draws a line between a clinic and a kennel. A commercial kennel is an establishment that keeps a pack or collection of more than five dogs, cats or an aggregate thereof, over four months of age, other than a licensed veterinary facility. Under § PS 2-102, a licensed veterinarian doing business in Worcester County does not need a commercial kennel license for animals held for treatment directly related to the veterinary care of those animals. A holder of a commercial kennel license is deemed to have granted the Animal Control Warden a right of entry at all reasonable hours to inspect the premises. The off-street parking schedule also carries its own line for doctor, dentist and veterinarian offices.