Pet Service Space in Santa Ana

What to diligence before LOI

1. 01

   Vet clinics: Santa Ana Municipal Code Section 41-365(i) permits animal hospitals and veterinaries in C1, and Sections 41-377(a) and 41-412 carry that into C2 and C4. The C-SM South Main Street district also permits animal hospitals and veterinarians (Section 41-521(d)). The parking article has no ratio specific to animal hospitals, so the 5 spaces per 1,000 sq ft rule for retail and service (Section 41-1340) or for unspecified uses (Section 41-1420) is the likely answer; get Planning's written read before sizing a 4,000 sq ft hospital.

2. 02

   Boarding and daycare: Section 41-472.5(e) lists kennels for the temporary care and lodging of dogs and other domesticated household animals as a conditional use in M1, and Section 41-201(n) lists kennels in A1. Kennels do not appear in the C1, C2 or C4 permitted or conditional use lists, so an overnight boarding or dog daycare tenant in a shopping center needs a use determination from Planning before any lease is signed.

3. 03

   Grooming and outdoor space: the C1 list does not name pet grooming, so confirm it will be treated as a service use under Section 41-365(a). Section 41-366(a) requires C1 business activity to be inside an enclosed building, with exceptions for things like nurseries and auto sales but not animal runs, so plan dog relief areas and play yards indoors unless Planning approves otherwise.

4. 04

   Change of use in small suites: Section 41-1309.1(2) lets a space under 2,500 sq ft switch among office, service, medical office, restaurant, retail, bank and gym uses without adding parking. Animal hospitals are not on that list, so a small vet clinic moving into a former retail suite should confirm whether it counts as a service use for this purpose.

5. 05

   State premises registration: California Business and Professions Code Section 4853 requires every veterinary premises, including a building or kennel where veterinary medicine is practiced, to be registered with the Veterinary Medical Board, and the application must name the owners and the responsible licensee manager. The Board takes premises registration applications online through BreEZe. Put the registration timeline in the lease's opening schedule.

6. 06

   X-ray: 17 CCR 30108 requires anyone possessing a reportable source of radiation to register with the state. Banfield's page lists digital radiology and dental X-ray at its 17th Street hospital, so a new clinic should budget for registration, shielding design and who pays for lead-lined walls in the work letter.