Nixa amends code to bar outdoor pet runs in neighborhood commercial zones

The Nixa City Council on July 22 approved an amendment to the city code to reconcile definitions for pet grooming and kenneling and to remove a special-use-permit pathway that would allow outdoor runs in neighborhood commercial zoning. Councilmembers said the change clarifies inconsistent language and limits potential neighborhood impacts.

Scott Godby, the city’s planning and development director, told council the code previously contained conflicting entries: kennels with outdoor runs required a special-use permit in neighborhood commercial zones while pet grooming without outdoor runs also required a special-use permit, creating confusion about which uses were allowed. Godby said staff’s amendment removes the special-use-permit option for grooming or kenneling with outdoor runs in neighborhood commercial districts “so therefore, with outdoor runs wouldn't be allowed in the neighborhood commercial zoning district at this time.”

Godby reviewed state licensing rules for facilities that hold animals overnight and explained that grooming-only operations that do not keep animals overnight are not licensed by the state. He also cited the state’s method for calculating the minimum indoor space per animal: “The minimum space requirement is calculated by taking the length of the dog in inches measured from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail, plus 6 inches, times itself and then dividing the product by 144 to convert the square footage,” Godby said.

Council discussion focused on neighborhood impacts such as noise and barking, the scale of operations likely to fit in neighborhood commercial districts, and how future applications would be reviewed. Several councilmembers said a large kennel or frequent outdoor barking would be more appropriate in other zoning districts than in neighborhood commercial areas. Councilmembers also asked whether updated special-use-permit criteria could be reintroduced later if staff prepares clearer standards; staff confirmed council could amend the code again to add a revised special-use-permit process.

Formal action: council bill 2025-22 (amending Chapter 117, Article 4, Section 117.90, part 2) was amended and approved. The amendment removing the special-use-permit option for outdoor runs in neighborhood commercial was moved and seconded; subsequent final passage of the ordinance as amended was approved by roll call. Staff recommended approval whether council adopted the amendment or not, but the council voted to restrict outdoor runs in neighborhood commercial districts.

The ordinance change takes effect according to the city’s code-adoption rules; staff said it will proceed with drafting clearer special-use-permit language should council want to revisit conditions and criteria for more intensive pet operations.