Fredericksburg cleans up its rules on dog kennels

The Fredericksburg City Council will consolidate its conflicting rules on dog kennels to allow them within the city. 

The newly revised ordinance will allow dog kennels to operate in Fredericksburg but will not be allowed to operate in residential zones or transitional or downtown commercial zoning districts. A particular use permit would be required for kennels that would seek to operate in commercial shopping districts.

The ordinance also requires kennel operators to insulate the kennel so no sound or odor could escape, and any open pens or runs would have to be at least 75 feet away from a property line. The kennels could also include retail and grooming services. Those services could only make up a quarter of the total gross floor area of the building from which the kennel operates.

Before the consolidation, the city’s code had two differing ordinances regarding dog kennels. The more recent ordinance came about due to the Unified Development Ordinance. Adopted by Fredericksburg in December 2013, the UDO sought to create more transparent and more straightforward land-use regulations and review processes by merging the city’s zoning and subdivision ordinances.

According to the UDO, the ordinance allows kennels to operate in several zoning districts, including industrial, commercial, and creative maker zones.

The city council adopted this particular ordinance in 1997. It had been periodically enforced by the Fredericksburg Police Department or by Animal Control when it was determined that a home had too many dogs and created noise, health, and sanitation issues in residential areas. However, the ordinance conflicted with an earlier ordinance prohibiting dog kennels from operating anywhere in the city. 

According to information provided by the city, Fredericksburg could expect to see an increase in money generated due to the retention and expansion of pet care services in the city. The information references a report from the U.S. Census Bureau, which stated that such steps resulted in a 60% increase in pet care establishments between 2007 and 2017, which resulted in a doubling of revenue to $5.8 billion.

Stafford County is also looking into updating its comprehensive zoning ordinance. An amendment was made to the ordinance in 2019, allowing commercial kennels to operate in agricultural zoned districts.

The Fredericksburg City Council will have a final read of the revised ordinance at its next meeting on June 14.