OC Animal Care

Animal Facility Business License — Veterinary Hospitals (Orange County)

OC Animal Care's own published list of businesses required to hold its Animal Facility Business License — aviaries, circus, commercial kennels, commercial stables, exotic animals, fish stores, grooming parlors, mobile groomers, pet shops, pony rides, rodeo, temporary and permanent animal exhibits, and zoos — does not include veterinary hospitals or clinics, so on that published list no fee applies to a veterinary hospital or clinic for its medical practice. Separately, the Zoning Code's own definition of 'Kennel' at Sec. 7-9-134.4(b)(4) expressly excepts veterinary clinics and veterinary hospitals from that classification, and the County of Orange Codified Ordinances carry matching language exempting a veterinarian's possession of animals for medical or surgical treatment from the county's animal-permit requirement for keeping more than 3 dogs and/or 3 cats. This exemption, and OC Animal Care's business-licensing function generally, reach only Anaheim, Brea, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Lake Forest, Los Alamitos, Orange, Placentia, San Juan Capistrano, Tustin, Villa Park, Yorba Linda and the unincorporated area — 14 cities, not all 34; a veterinary clinic in one of the other 20 cities deals with that city's own animal-control function instead. Veterinary practice and premises licensing itself is a California Veterinary Medical Board function, recorded at the state layer. A clinic that also boards, grooms or sells animals commercially may still need OC Animal Care's business license for that other activity within its 14-city service area — the fee for that license is not published and none is given here.