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 Virginia
Pet sitting and dog walking need no degree or state exam, but a few registrations come up in every state. Here is what Virginia's own agencies say, checked October 7, 2026. Rules change, so follow each link before you file.
1. Register the business
LLCs register with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC). The SCC Clerk's Office is also the central filing office for assumed or fictitious name certificates, including for sole proprietors. The fee is $10.
Source: Virginia SCC: Fictitious Names
2. Sales tax on pet sitting
Not taxable
Virginia Tax has said sales tax does not apply to charges for keeping or boarding pets (Ruling 17-43); services are generally exempt. You pay tax on supplies you buy. Check with Virginia Tax if you also sell products.
Source: Virginia Tax: Ruling of the Tax Commissioner 17-43
3. Licenses for boarding and pet care
Virginia has no statewide license for boarding, but state law sets care duties for any boarding establishment, meaning a place where animals not owned by the proprietor are sheltered, fed and watered for a fee. It must give required care and emergency vet treatment. Your city or county may require a kennel or business license.
Source: Code of Virginia ยง 3.2-6518
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.