Pet Sitting Business Permit Requirements in Boston, MA

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC/corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Massachusetts Pet Sitting — No State Licence, but Kennel Rules Can Apply

   Massachusetts does not license individual pet sitters or dog walkers, and there is no state permit for visiting clients' homes to feed, walk or care for their animals. The line that matters is boarding. Under M.G.L. c.140 s.136A a 'commercial boarding or training kennel' is an establishment used for boarding, holding, day care, overnight stays or training of animals that are not the owner's, for consideration and in the owner's absence — which means taking client dogs into your own home overnight, as a business, puts you inside the definition. The same section excludes an individual who boards or cares for others' animals temporarily and not in the normal course of business, and excludes a grooming-only facility with no overnight boarding. Where a kennel licence is needed, s.137A puts it with the city or town licensing authority, not the board of health: the authority sets the licence period and fee, and cannot issue or renew until an animal control officer has inspected the kennel. The Department of Agricultural Resources sets standards and registers animal rescue organisations, but does not license pet sitters. Boston is no different: the kennel licence, where one is required, comes from the City through its licensing authority, with animal control officer inspection.

   Official government source

   No state fee, because Massachusetts issues no pet sitter or dog walker licence. If you board animals and need a kennel licence, M.G.L. c.140 s.137A(b)(1) leaves both the fee and the licence period to the issuing city or town, and the fee normally scales with the number of dogs kept — dogs under 3 months are not counted. A domestic charitable corporation incorporated to protect animals from cruelty gets its kennel licence without charge.·There is no state waiting period for in-home pet sitting or dog walking — you can start immediately. If you board animals, allow time for the animal control officer's inspection, which the licensing authority must have completed before it may issue or renew a kennel licence, and confirm the licence period your city or town has set.

   No state fee, because Massachusetts issues no pet sitter or dog walker licence. If you board animals and need a kennel licence, M.G.L. c.140 s.137A(b)(1) leaves both the fee and the licence period to the issuing city or town, and the fee normally scales with the number of dogs kept — dogs under 3 months are not counted. A domestic charitable corporation incorporated to protect animals from cruelty gets its kennel licence without charge.

   There is no state waiting period for in-home pet sitting or dog walking — you can start immediately. If you board animals, allow time for the animal control officer's inspection, which the licensing authority must have completed before it may issue or renew a kennel licence, and confirm the licence period your city or town has set.

2. Massachusetts Business Entity Registration (LLC or Corporation)

   Entity filings go to the Corporations Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Which filing you make depends on the structure you chose: an LLC files a Certificate of Organization, a corporation files Articles of Organization. Sole proprietors and general partnerships do not file with the Secretary at all — they only file a business certificate (DBA) with their city or town clerk, and then only if they trade under a name other than the owner's legal name. Check name availability in the Secretary's Business Entity Search first. After the entity is approved you still need to decide whether a DBA is required, get an EIN from the IRS, and register with MassTaxConnect if you will collect or pay state tax. Every Massachusetts employer must also carry workers' compensation insurance, including where you are an employee of your own company. Businesses formed in the United States are exempt from federal beneficial ownership (BOI) reporting; those formed abroad are not. Massachusetts does not license pet sitters or dog walkers, so this filing concerns the business structure only.

   Official government source

   $500 to file an LLC Certificate of Organization. A for-profit or professional corporation files Articles of Organization for $275 covering up to 275,000 authorized shares, plus $100 for each additional 100,000 shares; a non-profit corporation is $35 and a foreign entity is $400. Sole proprietors and general partnerships pay the Secretary nothing — only the local business certificate fee, which in Boston is $65. Budget for the annual report too: $500 every year for an LLC, and $125 for a for-profit corporation ($100 if filed electronically).·You can file online, by fax, by mail, or in person, and online is the fastest route. The Corporations Division does not publish a guaranteed processing time, so confirm current turnaround when you file. The entity does not legally exist until the Secretary approves the filing, so do not sign a lease or open accounts in the entity's name before you have the approved certificate back.

   $500 to file an LLC Certificate of Organization. A for-profit or professional corporation files Articles of Organization for $275 covering up to 275,000 authorized shares, plus $100 for each additional 100,000 shares; a non-profit corporation is $35 and a foreign entity is $400. Sole proprietors and general partnerships pay the Secretary nothing — only the local business certificate fee, which in Boston is $65. Budget for the annual report too: $500 every year for an LLC, and $125 for a for-profit corporation ($100 if filed electronically).

   You can file online, by fax, by mail, or in person, and online is the fastest route. The Corporations Division does not publish a guaranteed processing time, so confirm current turnaround when you file. The entity does not legally exist until the Secretary approves the filing, so do not sign a lease or open accounts in the entity's name before you have the approved certificate back.

1. City of Boston Business Certificate (DBA) for a Pet Sitting Business

   Massachusetts General Laws chapter 110, section 5 requires anyone conducting business under a title other than their real legal name to file a certificate with the clerk of every city or town where the business has an office. In Boston that is the City Clerk's Office. This is a public record of who owns the business, not a business license, and it does not replace or substitute for any trade or health license. The trigger is the name, not the entity type: a sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, or corporation all must file if the operating name differs from the owner's legal name or the name on record with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Your signature must be executed under oath, so the form has to be notarized (the Clerk's Office will notarize it if you bring valid photo ID). You must supply a signed lease with start and end dates, or a notarized letter from your landlord; a virtual address or P.O. box is not accepted. The certificate is in force for four years and must be renewed every four years or it lapses. Operating without one is punishable by a fine of up to $300 for each month the violation continues. There is no separate obligation to 'notify the city' beyond this filing.

   Official government source

   $65. If you are not a Massachusetts resident but want to conduct business in the Commonwealth, you pay an additional $35. Paying by credit card or pinless debit card adds a non-refundable processor fee of 2.5% of the payment ($1 minimum), which the City does not keep. A later change-of-location filing is $50.·Same day: bring the notarized form, a copy of your signed lease (or a notarized letter from your landlord), and payment to the City Clerk's Office, Room 601, 1 City Hall Square, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Filing by mail is also accepted; enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and allow return-mail time.

   $65. If you are not a Massachusetts resident but want to conduct business in the Commonwealth, you pay an additional $35. Paying by credit card or pinless debit card adds a non-refundable processor fee of 2.5% of the payment ($1 minimum), which the City does not keep. A later change-of-location filing is $50.

   Same day: bring the notarized form, a copy of your signed lease (or a notarized letter from your landlord), and payment to the City Clerk's Office, Room 601, 1 City Hall Square, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Filing by mail is also accepted; enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and allow return-mail time.

2. Boston — Kennel License (if boarding pets)

   If you board clients' pets in Boston as a business, MGL c.140 s137A requires a kennel license. Under the definitions in s136A, the licensing authority is the Police Commissioner of the City of Boston (in every other municipality it is the city or town clerk). A kennel license cannot be issued until the kennel passes inspection by an animal control officer, and Boston's Animal Care and Control Division inspects dog boarding facilities and enforces the city's animal ordinances. The statute covers boarding, day care, overnight stays or training of animals that are not your own, for pay, in the course of business; it excludes someone who temporarily and not in the normal course of business cares for others' animals, and excludes grooming-only facilities that do not board overnight. Boarding animals at a property may also require zoning approval from Inspectional Services.

   Official government source

   Set by the City of Boston — MGL c.140 s137A(b)(1) leaves the kennel license fee and license period to the municipality; confirm the current amount with Boston Animal Care and Control (617-635-5348)·Issued only after inspection by an animal control officer; timing varies

   Set by the City of Boston — MGL c.140 s137A(b)(1) leaves the kennel license fee and license period to the municipality; confirm the current amount with Boston Animal Care and Control (617-635-5348)

   Issued only after inspection by an animal control officer; timing varies

Official Sources

• City of Boston — Doing Business in Boston
• Boston Animal Care and Control

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