1251 [ca]—veterinary Premises — 2025 California Building Code

1. Indoor lighting shall be adequate for its intended purpose. All surgical rooms shall be provided with emergency lighting with a viable power source. 2. A reception room and office, or a combination of the two. 3. An examination room separate from other areas of the veterinary premises and of sufficient size to accommodate the doctor, assistant, patient and client. 4. All floors, doors, table tops, countertops and window coverings shall be nonporous.

INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT

5. Fire precautions shall meet the requirements of local and state fire prevention codes. 6. The temperature and ventilation of the veterinary premises shall be maintained so as to assure the comfort of all patients. 7. If animals are housed or retained for treatment, the following shall be provided: A. Separate compartments, one for each animal, maintained in a sanitary manner so as to assure comfort. B. Effective separation of known or suspected contagious animals. 8. A veterinary premises that provides aseptic surgical services shall comply with the following: A. A room, separate and distinct from all other rooms shall be reserved for aseptic surgical procedures that require aseptic preparation. A veterinarian may perform emergency aseptic surgical procedures in another room when the room desig- nated for aseptic surgery is occupied or temporarily unavailable. 1. The California Veterinary Medical Board (Board) may exempt a fixed veterinary premises that is currently regis- tered with the Board, but does not have a separate aseptic surgery room, where it determines that it would be a hardship for the veterinary premises to comply with the provisions of paragraph A. In determining whether a hard- ship exists, the Board shall give due consideration to the following factors: (i) Zoning limitations. (ii) Whether the premises constitutes a historical building. (iii) Whether compliance with this requirement would compel the veterinary premises to relocate to a new location.

B. The surgery room shall not contain a functional sink with an open drain. C. The doors into the surgery room must be able to be fully closed, fill the entire door space, be made of nonporous material and not provide access from outside the veterinary premises. In cases where the size of the animal prevents entry to a fixed veterinary premises via a regularly sized door, doors for outside access are permitted as long as such doors are able to be fully closed, fill the entire door space and be made of nonporous material.

(a) An animal vaccination veterinary premises, as defined in Section 2030.3 of Article 4 of Division 20 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, shall meet all minimum standards specified in Section 1251.1 except for Items 2 and 3 of that section. (b) For the purposes of this section, a “large animal fixed veterinary premises” shall mean a building where veterinary services are being provided to equines or food animals and livestock, as defined in Section 4825.1 of the Business and Professions Code. A large animal fixed veterinary premises shall meet all minimum standards specified in Section 1251.1 except for Item 6 of that section.

(c) For the purposes of this section, “animal shelter premises” shall mean a building or portion(s) thereof where veterinary services are being provided to animals impounded by a privately or publicly operated agency or organization and does not meet the exception criteria pursuant to paragraphs (4) and (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 4827 of the Business and Professions Code. An animal shelter premises providing veterinary services solely to impounded animals shall meet all minimum standards specified in Section 1251.1 except for Items 2 and 3 of that section. This includes post-adoption veterinary services to animals adopted from the same premises within 30 days of adoption.