TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Anthea Gianniotes, Development Services Director
THROUGH: Terrence R. Moore, ICMA-CM
DATE: June 9, 2026
Title
ORDINANCE NO. 11-26: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE CITY OF DELRAY BEACH CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER 4, “ZONING REGULATIONS,” ARTICLE 4.4, “BASE ZONING DISTRICT,” SECTION 4.4.9, “GENERAL COMMERCIAL (GC) DISTRICT,” TO CHANGE PET GROOMING FROM A CONDITIONAL USE TO A PERMITTED USE; AMENDING SECTION 4.4.11, “NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL (NC) DISTRICT,” TO CHANGE PET GROOMING FROM A CONDITIONAL USE TO A PERMITTED USE; AMENDING SECTION 4.4.13, “CENTRAL BUSINESS (CBD) DISTRICT,” SUBSECTION (C), “ALLOWABLE USES,” TABLE 4.4.13(A), “ALLOWABLE USES AND STRUCTURES IN THE CBD SUB-DISTRICTS,” TO CHANGE PET GROOMING FROM A CONDITIONAL USE TO A PERMITTED USE FOR ALL SUB-DISTRICTS; AMENDING SECTION 4.4.19, MIXED INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL (MIC) DISTRICT,” TO CHANGE PET HOTEL, DOMESTIC ANIMAL TRAINING, AND DAYTIME BOARDING FROM A CONDITIONAL USE TO A PERMITTED USE AND CHANGE PET GROOMING FROM A CONDITIONAL USE TO AN ACCESSORY USE; AMENDING SECTION 4.4.20, “INDUSTRIAL (I) DISTRICT,” TO CHANGE PET HOTEL, DOMESTIC ANIMAL TRAINING, AND DAYTIME BOARDING FROM A CONDITIONAL USE TO A PERMITTED USE AND CHANGE PET GROOMING FROM A CONDITIONAL USE TO AN ACCESSORY USE; AMENDING SECTION 4.4.26, “LIGHT INDUSTRIAL (LI) DISTRICT,” TO CHANGE PET HOTEL, DOMESTIC ANIMAL TRAINING, AND DAYTIME BOARDING FROM A CONDITIONAL USE TO A PERMITTED USE AND CHANGE PET GROOMING FROM A CONDITIONAL USE TO AN ACCESSORY USE; AMENDING SECTION 4.4.29, “MIXED RESIDENTIAL, OFFICE AND COMMERCIAL (MROC) DISTRICT,” TO CHANGE PET GROOMING FROM A CONDITIONAL USE TO A PERMITTED USE; PROVIDING A CONFLICTS CLAUSE AND A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; AUTHORITY TO CODIFY; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. (FIRST READING / PUBLIC HEARING)
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Review and consider Ordinance No. 11-26, a City-initiated amendment to Section 4.4.9, “General Commercial (GC) District”, Section 4.4.11, “Neighborhood Commercial (NC) District”, Section 4.4.12, “Planned Commercial (PC) District”, Section 4.4.13, “Central Business (CBD) District”, Section 4.4.19, “Mixed Industrial and Commercial (MIC) District”, Section 4.4.20, “Industrial (I) District”, Section 4.4.26, “Light Industrial (LI) District”, and Section 4.4.29, “Mixed Residential, Office, and Commercial District (MROC)” of the Land Development Regulations (LDR) to establish pet grooming as a principal use instead of a conditional use and to establish pet hotels, animal shelters, domestic animal training, and daytime boarding as a principal use instead of a conditional use in the MIC, I, and LI zoning districts.
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Background:
The proposal is initiated by the City to simplify the approval process for pet grooming businesses. The proposed amendment changes the pet grooming use from conditional to principal in all zoning districts where the use is currently allowed, except in MIC, I, and LI where grooming is limited to an accessory use to other domestic animal services. These more intense domestic animal services (e.g. pet hotel, animal shelter) are only allowed in limited areas of the city, while grooming businesses have many potential locations.
On October 19, 2021, the City adopted Ordinance No. 17-21, extensively updating the regulations governing domestic animal services to modernize the regulations related to pet services. The ordinance established standards for distinct domestic animal service uses in LDR Section 4.3.3(W), “Domestic Animal Services”, which are designed to prevent certain pet services (domestic animal training, daytime boarding, and pet hotels) from becoming a nuisance to the surrounding property owners.
Prior to Ordinance No. 17-21, pet grooming was classified as a principal use; however, as pet services evolved, grooming is frequently co-located with "doggie daycares", which have potential impacts to neighboring businesses, so in an abundance of caution, all animal services were classified as conditional uses.
The amendment adopted the following definitions for domestic animal services and pet services:
Domestic animal services: Places of business, either for profit or not for profit, that provide services for the care and well-being of domestic animals including veterinary clinics, pet service facilities, pet hotels, and animal shelters.
Pet services: A place of business that provides temporary care and services for domestic animals such as grooming, bathing, training, and daytime boarding.
After using the new ordinance for several years, the City Commission directed staff to change the review process of veterinary clinics from a conditional use to a principal use, as vets are heavily regulated by the state and every requested clinic to date has been approved. As such, Ordinance No. 11-25 was adopted on July 8, 2025 meeting.
After approving several pet grooming businesses under the conditional use process, at its November 18, 2025 meeting, City Commission directed Staff to update the LDR to provide pet grooming businesses with more business friendly process, via classification as a principal use as opposed to a conditional use, provided no boarding or outdoor use area was associated with the business.
Under this amendment, pet hotels, animal shelters, domestic animal training and daytime boarding facilities remain a conditional use in most districts, except for MIC, I, and LI. In these more intense districts, they are proposed to be principal uses; however, any associated outdoor use area will still require conditional use approval.
Language in both the principal and conditional uses was refined for clarity. General “Pet Services” language is substituted by the pet service specifically named within the definition, whether it be pet grooming, domestic animal training or daytime boarding.
Outside activities related to domestic animal services will remain limited to drop-off and necessary outdoor walks of animals in direct control of a person by means of a leash or cord. Pursuant to Section 4.6.6, Commercial and industrial uses to operate within a building, any other outside use requires approval through the conditional use process, specifically determining if the outside aspects of the use are appropriate. To be clear, the amendment requires "All associated outdoor use areas require conditional use approval" even if the indoor business is permitted as a principal use.
LDR Section 2.4.7(A)(5), Findings
For any approval, the City Commission must make a finding that the text amendment is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, and that the amendment furthers the implementation of an adopted neighborhood plan, if applicable.
The following Objectives and Policies of the adopted Comprehensive Plan are applicable to the proposed amendment.
Neighborhoods, Districts, and Corridors Element
Objective NDC 3.5 Update Land Development Regulations Regularly review and update the Land Development Regulations to provide timely, equitable and streamlined processes including, but not limited to, building permit processes for residential developments and to accommodate mixed-use developments, address market changes and development trends, and other innovative development practices.
Economic Prosperity Element
GOAL ECP 4 BUSINESS CLIMATE & COMPETITIVENESS CULTIVATE A MORE BUSINESS-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT AND DYNAMIC ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM WHICH ALLOW LOCAL ESTABLISHMENTS TO GROW IN PLACE, ATTRACT NEW INDUSTRY CLUSTERS AND FIRMS AND PRODUCE NEW HOMEGROWN ENTERPRISES.
Policy ECP 5.5.2 Increase essential retail and consumer services and neighborhood based employment opportunities for residents.
Policy ECP 3.3.2 Identify opportunities for potential zones, cultural districts or innovation district to grow the clusters and encourage economic development in mixed-use centers and neighborhoods.
Policy ECP 3.3.3 Encourage concentrations of commercial services, amenities and employment centers and creation connections between the Delray Beach’s vibrant hubs of activity.
The proposed amendment allows a more rapid response to the high market demand for pet services, specifically pet grooming, which has been a growing business in the City with 11 stand-alone pet grooming businesses and three domestic animal services uses (e.g. veterinary clinics) that offer pet grooming. Since the approval of Ordinance No. 17-21, four stand-alone pet grooming businesses have been approved through the Conditional Use process, none have been denied.
Pet grooming is generally characterized as a lower-impact and lower animal occupancy levels provided it is not also functioning as a doggie daycare. Conditional uses are reserved for uses have potential negative impacts to the surrounding area (i.e. barking).
Establishing a business classified as a principal use is inherently less complicated, as an administrative approval, than a conditional use, which requires review before two boards and a mailer to all properties within 500 feet of a requesting business. Given the characteristics of pet grooming, the conditional use process is excessive, particularly when the specific requirements in Section 4.3.3(W) are applicable to all domestic animal services, regardless of their classification as a principal or conditional use.
A detailed review of all required findings and relevant information for review is provided in the attached Planning and Zoning Board staff report.
The Planning and Zoning Board (PZB) voted 6-0 to recommend approval of Ordinance No. 11-26 at its May 18, 2026 meeting.
City Attorney Review:
Ordinance No. 11-26 is approved to form and legal sufficiency.
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
N/A.
Timing of Request:
Second reading and adoption of Ordinance No. 11-26 is anticipated for the first meeting in July 2026.