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 New York
Pet sitting and dog walking need no degree or state exam, but a few registrations come up in every state. Here is what New York's own agencies say, checked October 7, 2026. Rules change, so follow each link before you file.
1. Register the business
A sole proprietor using a business name other than their own files an assumed name certificate with the county clerk ($25, or $100 in New York City). LLCs are formed with the NYS Department of State and file any assumed name there.
Source: New York Business Express, Sole Proprietorship
2. Sales tax on pet sitting
Taxable
A state advisory opinion says pet sitting by a business, including dog walking and feeding in the client's home, is taxable maintenance of pets. Services for guide, hearing, and service dogs are exempt.
Source: NYS Tax Department, Advisory Opinion TSB-A-00(35)S
3. Licenses for boarding and pet care
New York's state pet dealer license covers selling dogs and cats, not boarding or pet sitting. We found no statewide license for pet sitting. Your city or county may require a local license.
Source: NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, Pet Dealers
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.