A home-based “doggy day care” may be shut down because of complaints from neighbors and a determination by the East Hampton Town building inspector that it is not permitted in a residential area—a determination that the business’s owner is hoping to get overturned.

Lori Marsden, along with her husband, Anthony Tyson, run a dog-walking and dog-sitting business out of their home on Saddle Lane in East Hampton, which they purchased in 1996. Their services include at-home pet care such as feedings and administering medication for all types of pets, as well as walking dogs. The business also offers doggy day care when pet owners leave town for the day and, occasionally, overnight.

The business had been operating for more than a decade without any incident or complaints, Carl Irace, an attorney representing Ms. Marsden, said on Monday.

In the last year or so, however, neighbors have complained about dogs barking and the traffic created by pet owners picking up and dropping off their animals. They have also expressed concern about the potential dangers of dogs getting loose and biting someone.

On July 14, 2017, a town code enforcement inspector visited Ms. Marsden’s home and cited her for operating a doggy day care, and she has been fighting her case ever since. At the time of the inspection, Ms. Marsden had four dogs in her home, two of which were her own.

Ms. Marsden has asked the ZBA to overturn the determination by the building inspector. At a ZBA meeting on Tuesday, January 29, she said that on average, she cares for two to three dogs a day. “I”ll have one per week that stays for the whole week,” she added.

Ms. Marsden said she has always had dogs, and that in the past she’s had cats and even horses. She doesn’t walk the dogs in the neighborhood, she said, but usually loads them in her van and takes them to the beach or somewhere else where they can run.

Recently, police officers visited the house following up on a noise complaint from neighbors while Ms. Marsden was away taking her daughter to college.

John Collier, a full-time resident of Saddle Lane, was one who voiced a complaint at the ZBA meeting. “My husband and I are very concerned,” Mr. Collier told the board. “We’re raising twins that are 2 years old.”

He said he and his husband, Joseph Langdon, are concerned that the business is being run in a residential neighborhood. The website for the business, he said, makes no mention of how many pets can be boarded at once, or for how long. That, he said, could have “negative impacts” on the character of the residential neighborhood.

In the summer, Mr. Collier said, he has heard as many as a dozen dogs barking, and also heard people dropping off and picking up their pets all throughout the day.

“The enjoyment of our property has been negatively affected by the noise of multiple dogs barking loudly throughout the day seven days a week, every week, all year long,” he told the board. “We are greatly concerned for the safety of our children with a dog care facility operating across the street. Should a dog under the care of this kennel get loose, it has the potential of putting residents in this completely residential neighborhood at risk.”

Mr. Collier added that he and Mr. Langdon fully support the determination that Ms. Marsden is running a commercial operation in violation of the town code.

“Dogs are a part of residential life,” countered Mr. Irace,

Joyce McFadden, a next-door neighbor on Saddle Lane, said she’s lived there for 25 years and that Ms. Marsden is a wonderful neighbor. However, she said the she understands the quality-of-life issue.

“Sometimes the barking lasts for hours, but on some days I don’t hear barking at all,” she told ZBA members. Ms. McFadden added that she has not had any problem with traffic.

In 2017, the county also brought a civil case against Ms. Marsden, contending that she was running a dog-grooming business. The case was vacated and annulled without an appearance in court by Ms. Marsden, who said she grooms her own standard poodle on their screened-in porch with a dog grooming table.

The town case is still pending, according to Mr. Irace.

“Walking dogs is an inherent part of residential life for many people,” he said this week. “In fact, when I visited Lori’s neighborhood to take pictures, right around the corner, there was someone walking a dog.

“By the same token, having dogs in your living room also does nothing to alter the residential character of the home, whether they are asleep during the day or night,” Mr. Irace said.

According to Mr. Irace, pet sitter websites such as www.petsitter.com show 57 pet sitters in East Hampton alone, not including Montauk and Amagansett.

“Lori’s doggy day care business is not a crime,” Mr. Irace said. “It is so important, not only to her, but to the small-town, small-business economy that is such a critical part of life in our town.”

At the January 29 meeting, John Whelan, the ZBA’s chairman, said the board would close the public hearing on the matter but leave the record open pending a decision.