How to Start a Pet Sitting or Dog Sitting Business (2026)

KKBy Kashif Nazir Khan, Founder of Pupline

Updated September 1, 2026·17 min read

Delen

You can start a pet sitting business for under $1,500, many start for less than $500, and run the whole thing from your phone. Pet sitting is the broadest, most flexible pet business: drop-in visits, overnights in a client's home, house-sitting, dog walking, and caring for cats and small animals. There's no special licence to get, the startup cost is tiny, and demand is everywhere, about 71% of US households own a pet (APPA).

This is the complete 2026 guide to starting a pet sitting business: the legal basics, insurance, what to charge, what it costs, and how to get your first clients. We link out to focused guides wherever the detail goes deep. Sitting dogs only, or boarding them at your own place? Starting a dog sitting business specifically at the end of this guide covers the kennel-licence trap that catches new dog sitters out. And if you are looking for the software to run the business on rather than the how-to, that is Pupline's pet sitting software.

This is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Licensing, bonding and tax rules vary by state, county and city. Confirm specifics with your Secretary of State, local clerk, and a licensed insurance agent.

The short version, to start a pet sitting business:

1. Choose your services and the pets you'll care for.
2. Register your business and decide sole proprietor vs LLC.
3. Get insured, liability plus animal bailee (care, custody & control).
4. Consider a pet first-aid certification.
5. Set your prices per visit and per night.
6. Estimate your startup costs (usually under $1,500).
7. Get clients via word of mouth, local search and referrals.
8. Set up Care Cards, the Vault, scheduling and invoicing.

Is pet sitting a profitable business?

It can be a very good living, and the overhead is almost nothing. The US pet industry is worth around $158 billion (APPA), and the pet-sitting segment alone is projected to roughly double from about $728 million in 2024 to $1.39 billion by 2030 (Grand View Research).

The income picture, honestly:

• Side gig: $500–$2,000 a month is realistic part-time.
• Full-time: roughly $33,000–$36,000 on aggregator averages, with experienced independent sitters earning into the $50,000s and beyond.
• Built-out business: Pet Sitters International members averaged about $100,500 in gross business revenue in 2023, a benchmark for what a mature operation can bill, not solo take-home.

The levers that move your number most are your service mix (overnights pay far more than short visits), your share of repeat clients, and whether you book direct or hand 20–40% to a platform. We dig into all of it in Do pet sitters make good money?

Step 1: Choose your services and pets

Decide what you'll offer, each has a different price and commitment:

• Drop-in visits (30–60 min), feed, walk, play, scoop the litter, send a photo. The bread and butter.
• Dog walking: easy to bundle with drop-ins.
• Overnight stays in the client's home: you sleep over; the highest-value standard service.
• House-sitting: overnights plus plants, mail and making the home look lived-in.
• Cat and small-animal care: cats are the single most-requested pet for professional sitters.

If you're unsure how these differ, Do pet sitters stay at your house? explains drop-ins, overnights, house-sitting and boarding clearly. If you want to specialise in dogs, including boarding them at your own home, jump to starting a dog sitting business specifically.

Step 2: Sort the legal basics

There is no special "pet-sitter licence" anywhere in the US, but most sitters still need ordinary business paperwork:

• Business licence / registration from your city or county (roughly $0–$550). A few localities require more if you board pets in your own home.
• A DBA if you trade under a business name.
• An EIN (free from the IRS) for your taxes and business bank account.
• Sole proprietor vs LLC. An LLC (about $35–$500 to file) shields your personal assets. One important myth to retire: an LLC does not cover your own negligence, insurance does, so you want both.

A second myth worth clearing up: "bonded" is not the same as "insured." A bond only reimburses a client if you're accused of theft; it's a trust signal, not liability cover. The real protection is insurance (next step). Full detail in Do pet sitters need a license and insurance?

Put your terms in writing from the very first booking. Build one in a couple of minutes with the pet care service agreement generator, or read what the clauses actually need to say in the pet sitting contract guide.

Step 3: Get insured

Insurance isn't legally required, but it's essential, you're responsible for other people's pets and homes. Carry:

• General liability: third-party injury and property damage (aim for $1M+ limits).
• Care, custody & control (animal bailee): covers a pet hurt or lost in your care, which general liability excludes.
• Lost-key liability: often bundled in, to re-key a client's locks.
• A surety bond: optional, reimburses a client for theft and reassures nervous customers.

Expect roughly $300–$600 a year for a solo sitter, depending on coverage (bare liability-only plans can start lower).

Step 4: Consider a certification

None are required, but they build trust and skill, especially when you're new and have no reviews yet:

• Pet first aid / CPR (about $50–$200), the single most worthwhile credential.
• PSI's CPPS or NAPPS certification, recognised industry programs that look good on a profile.

Step 5: Set your prices

Price per visit or per night, with clear add-ons. Typical 2026 US ranges:

Note the spread: one overnight is worth three or four drop-ins, so your service mix matters more than your hourly rate. Scale these to your state with the Pet Sitting Rate Calculator, and see service-specific guides for how much dog sitters charge, cat sitters charge, and overnight dog sitting rates.

Step 6: What it costs to start

Pet sitting is home-based and low-cost. Toggle the line items to fit your plan:

A bare-bones start is under $500; a typical, properly-insured launch with an LLC and some marketing lands around $500–$1,500. Compare every pet business side by side with the Pet Business Startup Cost Calculator.

Step 7: Get your first clients

Word of mouth is the number-one source of pet-sitting clients, so make it easy to refer you and over-deliver on every booking. Then build the channels that compound:

• A website to send people to: the hub your profile, socials and cards all point at. You can make one for free in minutes, no Wix or Squarespace bill needed.
• A Google Business Profile with reviews: the most important asset for local "pet sitter near me" searches.
• Nextdoor and neighbourhood Facebook groups: hyperlocal and high-intent.
• Vet, groomer and pet-store referrals: drop off cards and treats.
• Platforms (Rover, Care.com) for fast leads, but they take 20% (25% in California) of every booking, forever, even from a regular you've sat for two years.

Treat platforms as a discovery channel: meet clients there, then move repeats to direct booking so you keep 100%. See exactly what the fees cost in How much does Rover take? and project your take-home with the Pet Sitter Income Calculator.

Step 8: Set up your systems

What separates a professional from a hobbyist is the operations behind the visit, and you can run all of it from your phone with Pupline:

• Care Cards: owners fill in feeding, meds and quirks themselves, via a private link, no app to download.
• The Vault, gate codes, alarm PINs and key locations, encrypted at rest instead of buried in your texts.
• Clients & pets: every household and pet, with the vet's number and allergies right where you need them.
• Report Cards: a photo recap that reassures an owner on holiday and earns you referrals.
• Invoicing: branded invoices from completed visits, with no cut of your earnings.

Prefer to start on paper? The free pet sitting instructions template, pet sitting report card and pet sitting invoice template are the print-and-fill versions of the same three jobs.

Not sure which tool to start with? Our complete guide to pet sitting software covers the must-have features, the honest truth about "free", and how to choose.

Get those four things right, legal, insured, priced, and organised, and pet sitting is one of the most rewarding businesses you can start this month.

Starting a dog sitting business specifically

If you plan to work with dogs only, one decision changes everything else: where the dog sleeps. Dog sitting means you go to the dog's home. Dog boarding means the dog comes to yours, and that single difference sets your rate, your insurance and, in some cities, whether you are allowed to operate at all.

In-client-home sitting earns more per night and is far simpler to set up. Home boarding fits more dogs into a day at a lower price each, and it is where the real rules start. Pick deliberately, then read the next section before you take a single boarder.

The licensing trap: boarding dogs at your own home

This is the part that catches new dog sitters out. Taking client dogs into your home overnight can reclassify you, in your city's eyes, as a commercial kennel or boarding establishment:

• Dog-count thresholds. Many cities let you keep a small number of dogs, commonly three to five, before a kennel licence is required. Thresholds vary enormously, so check your own city and county rather than a national article.
• Some places have no small-scale exemption at all. In New York City, for example, nobody may operate a boarding kennel for small animals without a permit from the Health Commissioner, under NYC Health Code § 161.15, regardless of how few dogs are involved.
• Zoning and home-occupation rules. Commercial kennels are frequently prohibited in residential zones outright, or allowed only with a home-occupation permit. A neighbour complaint is the classic way an unpermitted home kennel gets discovered.
• HOA and lease limits. HOAs can cap the number of dogs and ban home businesses, and many leases limit how many animals you may care for.
• USDA licensing is usually not your problem. Federal USDA licensing targets breeders, dealers and exhibitors, so most small home boarders fall below it. Your binding constraints are state and local kennel and zoning rules.
• Inspections. Where a kennel licence does apply, expect a facility or health inspection covering sanitation, space and safe enclosures.

The honest takeaway: operating "through Rover" does not exempt you from local licensing or zoning. Confirm what your city allows before you accept your first boarder.

The home-insurance gap that catches boarders

Your homeowner's or renter's policy excludes business activity and damage caused by animals you keep, so it will not cover boarding. You need commercial general liability plus care, custody and control (animal bailee) cover, and some carriers apply breed restrictions on top. Budget above the $300 to $600 a year a solo in-home sitter pays, because the risk of a dog in your house is greater. Details in Do pet sitters need a license and insurance?

Set a vaccination and intake policy before your first boarder

Require proof of rabies, DHPP and Bordetella (kennel cough) on file before you accept any dog, with Bordetella given roughly 10 to 14 days ahead. Add a temperament check and flea-and-tick prevention at intake. Tracking those expiry dates is what Pupline's vaccination records are for, with a warning before anything lapses.

What dog sitting and home boarding cost to start

The two models are not remotely the same commitment. Switch the calculator above to Dog sitting to compare them line by line: in-client-home dog sitting typically starts around $500 to $1,400, while home boarding more often runs $1,200 to $5,000 or more once you add fencing, a kennel licence and heavier insurance. Home boarding is essentially the small, home-based cousin of a doggy daycare, so if the numbers are creeping upward, compare both in the Pet Business Startup Cost Calculator.

For what to charge, the dog sitting rate guide and overnight dog sitting rates break the numbers down by service, and the pet care cost report puts them beside every other pet-care service.

Whichever model you pick, the operations are identical, scheduling overnights, drop-ins and boarding stays with conflict warnings, the Vault for gate codes and key locations, report cards for owners on holiday, and branded invoicing you keep 100% of. That is the same Pupline setup described in Step 8.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to start a pet sitting business?

Very little, it's a low-cost, home-based business. Most people start for under $500, covering registration, basic insurance, a simple website, supplies and scheduling software. Adding an LLC, a certification and some paid marketing can push it to $1,000–$3,000.

Do I need a licence to pet sit?

There's no special 'pet-sitter licence' anywhere in the US, but most cities and counties require a general business licence (roughly $0–$550). A few localities require extra permits if you board pets in your own home or sell pet products. Always check your city, county and state.

Is a pet sitting business profitable?

Yes, overhead is minimal, so margins are high once you're booked. Part-timers earn about $500–$2,000 a month and full-timers roughly $33,000–$60,000 a year depending on experience and service mix, while established member businesses averaged about $100,500 in gross revenue in 2023. Profit depends on your service mix, repeat clients, and booking direct versus paying platform fees.

How do pet sitters get clients?

Word of mouth and referrals are the number-one source, supported by a Google Business Profile with reviews, Nextdoor and neighbourhood Facebook groups, and referrals from vets, groomers and pet stores. Platforms like Rover and Care.com deliver fast leads but take a commission and own the client relationship.

Do pet sitters need insurance?

It's not legally required but it's essential. You want general liability for third-party injury and property damage, plus care, custody & control (animal bailee) coverage for a pet hurt in your care, which general liability excludes. Plans typically run about $300–$600 a year, often with lost-key coverage included.

What's the difference between being bonded and insured?

Insurance protects against accidents and liability, injured pets, property damage, lawsuits. Bonding is a surety product that reimburses a client if the sitter steals from them; it isn't liability coverage. Bonding costs about $100–$250 a year and is mainly a trust signal, while insurance is the real protection.

How much should I charge for pet sitting?

In 2026, 30-minute drop-in visits run about $20–$40 (averaging ~$25) and overnight stays in the client's home about $75–$150 a night. Add $5–$10 per extra pet, a $5–$25 holiday surcharge, and a small fee for medication. Your service mix matters more than your hourly rate, since one overnight is worth several drop-ins.

How is starting a dog sitting business different?

The services and the paperwork are the same, but the model splits in two. Sitting or dropping in at the dog's own home is the simplest and best-paid version, about $75–$150 a night, and usually needs nothing beyond a general business licence. Boarding dogs at your own home earns less per night, about $35–$75, and is where kennel licensing, zoning, HOA limits and commercial insurance start to bite. Decide which one you are running before you advertise.

Do you need a licence to board dogs in your own home?

Often yes. Many cities set a threshold, commonly three to five dogs, above which a kennel licence, an inspection and zoning approval are required, and some cities have no small-scale exemption at all: in New York City nobody may operate a boarding kennel for small animals without a permit from the Health Commissioner (NYC Health Code § 161.15). Check your own city and county before you take a boarder, and note that working through a marketplace like Rover does not exempt you.

Does homeowners insurance cover boarding dogs at home?

No. Standard homeowner's and renter's policies exclude home-business activity and damage caused by animals you keep, so they will not cover boarding. You need commercial general liability plus care, custody and control (animal bailee) coverage, and some carriers apply breed restrictions. Expect to pay more than the $300–$600 a year a solo in-home sitter pays, because a dog staying in your house is a bigger risk.

What vaccinations should I require before boarding a dog?

Require proof of rabies, DHPP and Bordetella (kennel cough) before you accept any dog, with Bordetella given about 10 to 14 days ahead. Many sitters also require flea-and-tick prevention and a temperament check at intake. Keep the expiry dates somewhere that warns you before they lapse rather than in a folder of photos.