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 Nebraska
Pet sitting and dog walking need no degree or state exam, but a few registrations come up in every state. Here is what Nebraska's own agencies say, checked October 7, 2026. Rules change, so follow each link before you file.
1. Register the business
LLCs are formed with the Nebraska Secretary of State. A sole proprietor using a business name other than their own can register a trade name with the Secretary of State ($100 online) and must publish notice in a local newspaper and file proof within 45 days, or the registration is canceled.
Source: Nebraska Secretary of State, Business Services
2. Sales tax on pet sitting
Taxable
Nebraska taxes animal specialty services, and its guide names walking, boarding, grooming, training, and pet sitting at the sitter's or the owner's location. You need a Nebraska sales tax permit and must collect state and local sales tax.
Source: Nebraska DOR, Sales and Use Tax Guide for Animal Specialty Services (6-413)
3. Licenses for boarding and pet care
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture licenses boarding kennels under the Commercial Dog and Cat Operator Inspection Act. State law defines a boarding kennel as a facility mainly used to house other people's dogs or cats for a fee. Check with the Department whether boarding in your home counts, and with your city or county for local licenses.
Source: Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Dog and Cat Program
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.