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 Vermont
Pet sitting and dog walking need no degree or state exam, but a few registrations come up in every state. Here is what Vermont's own agencies say, checked October 7, 2026. Rules change, so follow each link before you file.
1. Register the business
Businesses such as LLCs register with the Vermont Secretary of State's Business Services Division. A sole proprietor doing business under a name other than their own registers an assumed business name with the Secretary of State (state level) and renews it every five years.
Source: Vermont Secretary of State: Assumed Name
2. Sales tax on pet sitting
Not confirmed: ask the state
We did not find an official Vermont statement on whether pet sitting, boarding or grooming services are taxable. The Department of Taxes says supplies for boarding and grooming are taxable purchases. Check with the Vermont Department of Taxes.
Source: Vermont Department of Taxes: Sales and Use Tax
3. Licenses for boarding and pet care
We found no statewide license for pet sitting or boarding in Vermont. State law licenses pet shops and pet dealers, defined around selling animals. Your town may require a kennel or business license.
Source: 20 V.S.A. ยง 3901 (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.