DeKalb County BZA approves special exception for canine boarding at Butler property

The DeKalb County Board of Zoning Appeals on a voice/roll-call vote approved a special-exception permit allowing professional canine boarding and kennel operations at 5776 County Road 36A in Butler.

The site owner and petitioner, Joshua Heffelfinger, sought permission to use part of an existing pole barn on A-2 agricultural-zoned property for boarding. Planning staff recommended approval and outlined site-specific conditions, and board members moved and seconded a motion to approve the petition.

The approval allows use of existing site improvements — the pole barn, driveway and parking — for a kennel limited by site configuration and subject to the board’s continuing jurisdiction. Planning staff told the board there were no outstanding development standards to be met beyond the special-exception process and that county review letters from the county health department, highway department, Soil and Water Conservation District and surveyor had been received and considered.

Heffelfinger described the proposed operation as a small-scale, professional boarding business tied to his existing dog-training work. He said the building’s physical capacity is 12 dogs but that his initial set-up will house six. "Twelve would be the max is what the building could physically hold. The first set of kennels I'm buying is gonna be six," Heffelfinger said. He said the business is not intended to be his primary income source and that he does not expect to expand immediately to the building’s maximum capacity.

Board member Chris Gollmer asked about outdoor access and containment. Heffelfinger said the facility will include two outdoor runs and that dogs would not have unrestricted access to outside areas; the plan calls for about 20 minutes of outdoor time during each of two daily windows. "Those are gonna be, like, 20 minutes of that hour each time, morning and afternoon, and that’d be it," Heffelfinger said. He added that kennels would have interlocks and built-in raising-floor pans and plumbing to reduce escape and sanitation risks.

A nearby resident who identified himself as Brian spoke in favor and asked whether the special-exception use would transfer to a future owner. Planning staff replied that the special exception applies to the use on the property; if ownership or operating circumstances change, a new operator would need to return to the board for approval. Staff also told the petitioner the county would send an official approval letter after finalization.

The board adopted staff-proposed conditions, including: continuing jurisdiction by the board to ensure compliance and to add conditions if needed for health and safety; a condition that off-site drainage crossing the property not be obstructed; a statement that the special exception is granted to allow professional canine boarding/kennel on the site; and that the zoning administrator determine when conditions have been met. At the hearing, board members discussed but declined to add a numeric cap to the approval, noting the building’s physical limit was 12 and that the petitioner indicated he would start with six kennels.

The motion to approve petition 25-009 passed on the recorded roll-call votes. The board chair said staff would send the petitioner an official letter confirming approval and conditions.

The public portion of the hearing was brief: staff presented the findings of fact and jurisdictional items (application filed 07/28/2025; legal notice published in the Star on Aug. 29; and receipt of review letters from county agencies), one resident spoke, and the board voted to approve.

The board adjourned after completing the item.