Bookings, deposits and client texts for a pet sitting business, with these forms ready to sign on your phone.
Pet Sitting Business: BookingBookings, deposits and client texts for a pet sitting business, with these forms ready to sign on your phone.
How to start a pet sitting business in Kansas
Pet sitting and dog walking need no degree or state exam, but a few registrations come up in every state. Here is what Kansas's own agencies say, checked October 7, 2026. Rules change, so follow each link before you file.
1. Register the business
LLCs and corporations must register with the Kansas Secretary of State. Sole proprietors do not register with the Secretary of State, and its name reservation does not register a DBA name.
Source: Kansas Secretary of State: Register a Business
2. Sales tax on pet sitting
Depends on the service
In a 2010 private letter ruling (P-2010-001), the Kansas Department of Revenue said feeding, walking and watching pets at the client's home is not taxable. It said grooming, nail trimming, flea dips and bathing are taxable. A private letter ruling applies to the facts it was given, so check with the Department of Revenue.
Source: Kansas Department of Revenue: Private Letter Ruling P-2010-001
3. Licenses for boarding and pet care
The Kansas Pet Animal Act requires boarding facilities to be licensed and inspected by the Kansas Department of Agriculture. A boarding or training kennel operator is anyone whose establishment keeps four or more dogs or cats in any one week for boarding or training for pay (K.S.A. 47-1701). If you board pets in your home, check with the department's Animal Facilities Inspection program.
Source: Kansas Statutes 47-1701: definitions
4. Also worth checking
- Your city or county: a local business license, and home-business (zoning) rules if dogs stay overnight in your home.
- Insurance: ask an agent about liability coverage and bonding for pet sitters.
- Paperwork: a written service agreement, a veterinary release and a key agreement for every client.
Free forms for your first clients
Pet Sitting Contract TemplateThe agreement a client signs before the first booking: services, rates, deposit, cancellations, vet care, home access and behavior.Dog Walking Contract TemplateFor regular walks: schedule, leash and equipment, solo or group walks, bad weather, cancellations and payment.Pet Sitting Client FormEverything to collect from a new client before the first visit: contacts, feeding, medications, vet, behavior and routine.Veterinary Release Form for Pet SittersLets the sitter get a pet seen by a vet when the owner can't be reached, with a spending limit the owner sets.Key Release Form for Pet SittersHow keys and entry codes are handed over, stored, used and returned, and who pays if one is lost.Pet Sitting Meet-and-Greet ChecklistWhat to cover when meeting a new client and pet: the walk-through, health and safety, and the paperwork.Pet Sitting Invoice TemplateA one-page invoice: services by date, fees, the deposit received and the balance due.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.