Pet Service Space in Lake Forest

What to diligence before LOI

1. 01

   Classification: the Land Use Matrix in Section 9.72.090 permits Pet Grooming and Animal Clinic or Hospital (the matrix's Veterinary Office row points to the same definition) by right in the C, I, PA and UA categories, and Pet Shop by right in C and UA only. Kennel, which Section 9.04.030 defines as four or more dogs or cats over four months kept for any purpose and says includes dog day care, needs a use permit in C, I and UA and is prohibited in PA. Section 9.04.030 also says no boarding is allowed at an animal clinic and pet grooming excludes overnight boarding, so boarding or overnight daycare belongs in the kennel row.

2. 02

   Sound and air: footnote 3 applies Section 9.146.020 (amended by Ord. 374 on February 4, 2025) to every animal service business. All animal service and confinement areas must be in an air-conditioned, sound-attenuated building, with sound attenuation on every exterior wall and every wall shared with another tenant to California Green Building Code Section 5.507.4 or an equivalent the Community Development Director accepts, and waste bags and a disposal bin must be available near the entrance. Get an acoustic engineer's number before you finalize the TI allowance.

3. 03

   Boarding and daycare: footnote 12 adds Section 9.146.030, which requires pens, cages and other structures for keeping animals overnight to be at least 50 ft from any adjoining existing residential structure, or from where one could legally be built, unless a specific plan, planned community text or use permit allows otherwise. Section 9.168.070 item 19 parks kennels and day boarding at 2 spaces for every 3 employees plus 1 loading space for every 8 (the mirror text does not name the unit, so confirm it with Planning at (949) 461-3535).

4. 04

   Veterinary parking and licensing: Section 9.168.070 item 28 parks veterinary hospitals and clinics at 1 space per 250 sq ft, the office rate, against 1 per 200 sq ft for general retail. The California Veterinary Medical Board registers each premises through BreEZe, with a California-licensed veterinarian named as Licensee Manager who answers for Business and Professions Code Sections 4853 to 4856 and the minimum standards in 16 CCR 2030 to 2032.5.

5. 05

   County license: Section 9.146.020(C) requires animal service businesses to obtain all applicable OC Animal Care permits, and OC Animal Care says commercial kennels, grooming parlors, mobile groomers and pet shops need an Animal Facility Business License, with routine inspections of animal care and records. Applications come from its Business Licensing Desk at (714) 796-6429, so start that call while the lease is being negotiated.

6. 06

   Foothill Ranch suites: the Foothill Ranch Planned Community text (PC 8, Section X) uses matrix column C for commercial parcels, keeps every use inside a completely enclosed structure except items shown on the approved site plan, and sends parking to the PC's own Section XIX. A daycare with an outdoor play yard on Towne Center Drive or Portola Parkway would need that yard on the site plan and would sit near the PetSmart that already runs Doggie Day Camp and PetsHotel.