Pet Sitting Business Permit Requirements in Minneapolis, MN

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. Minnesota - No State Pet Sitter or Boarding Kennel License

   Minnesota does not license pet sitters who visit clients' homes, and it does not license ordinary commercial boarding kennels either. The Board of Animal Health licence under Minn. Stat. 347.31 to 347.40 applies only to a narrow class of 'kennels' and 'dealers' - places that obtain dogs or cats from municipalities, pounds, auctions, or as strays or abandoned animals, largely for supply to institutions. Ordinary boarding, daycare and grooming facilities are regulated by cities and counties instead, so check the local ordinance where you operate. Note that pet sitting, dog walking and animal care ARE taxable services for Minnesota sales tax.

   Official government source

   No state licence fee for pet sitting. Where the Board of Animal Health licence does apply, Minn. Stat. 347.33 subd. 3 sets $15 a year per kennel and $100 a year per dealer.·N/A

   No state licence fee for pet sitting. Where the Board of Animal Health licence does apply, Minn. Stat. 347.33 subd. 3 sets $15 a year per kennel and $100 a year per dealer.

   N/A

2. Minnesota Business Registration

   LLCs, corporations and partnerships must register with the Minnesota Secretary of State. A sole proprietor operating under a trade name instead files a Certificate of Assumed Name with the Secretary of State and publishes it in a qualified legal newspaper.

   Official government source

   LLC Articles of Organization: $155 filed online or in person, $135 by mail; corporate Articles of Incorporation are the same. Certificate of Assumed Name: $50 online or in person, $30 by mail. Annual renewal is free.·Immediate when filed online or in person; roughly 4-7 business days by mail

   LLC Articles of Organization: $155 filed online or in person, $135 by mail; corporate Articles of Incorporation are the same. Certificate of Assumed Name: $50 online or in person, $30 by mail. Annual renewal is free.

   Immediate when filed online or in person; roughly 4-7 business days by mail

1. City of Minneapolis Business License

   Minneapolis has no license aimed at pet sitters who visit clients' homes. The city's animal-related licenses are the Commercial Animal Care Provider (Pet Shop) license - which covers grooming and other animal care, including pet care provided from a vehicle, and bars selling dogs, cats or rabbits - and the Horse and Carriage license. If you will groom, board, or otherwise care for animals at your own premises or from a vehicle, confirm with Business Licenses & Consumer Services (612-673-2080) that the pet shop license applies.

   Official government source

   No fee for plain home-visit pet sitting; if the Commercial Animal Care Provider (Pet Shop) license applies, it is $173 a year plus a $110 inspection fee·Not applicable unless a pet shop license is required, in which case it renews annually

   No fee for plain home-visit pet sitting; if the Commercial Animal Care Provider (Pet Shop) license applies, it is $173 a year plus a $110 inspection fee

   Not applicable unless a pet shop license is required, in which case it renews annually

2. Minnesota Board of Animal Health — Kennel License (narrow statutory scope)

   The Board of Animal Health's kennel license comes from Minn. Stat. 347.31 to 347.40. The statute defines a "kennel" as a place where dogs or cats obtained from municipalities, pounds, auctions, strays, or by advertising for unwanted animals are kept, and expressly excludes a person's home where dogs or cats are kept as pets. In-home pet sitters who visit clients' homes do not need this license, and a Minneapolis business that boards, day-cares or grooms owners' pets is licensed instead by the city as a pet shop / commercial animal care provider.

   Official government source

   $15 per year for each kennel; $100 per year for each dealer (Minn. Stat. 347.33)·Annual license, issued by the Board of Animal Health after inspection and verification of compliance with Minn. Stat. 347.31 to 347.40

   $15 per year for each kennel; $100 per year for each dealer (Minn. Stat. 347.33)

   Annual license, issued by the Board of Animal Health after inspection and verification of compliance with Minn. Stat. 347.31 to 347.40

3. Minneapolis Multiple Animal Permit (if boarding 4+ animals at once)

   Boarding animals at a Minneapolis home requires a Multiple Animal Permit from Minneapolis Animal Care and Control when four or more dogs or cats — or five or more animals combined with other species such as rabbits or ferrets — are kept at one address. Smaller-scale pet sitting does not trigger the permit. Individual dogs and cats also need their own city licenses.

   Official government source

   $84 for a Multi-Animal Permit and $58 to re-register it; individual pet licenses are $30 for a spayed or neutered dog or cat, $40 unaltered, $15 and $35 for seniors, $85 for a 3-year spayed/neutered license and $250 for a lifetime license (2026 Minneapolis License Fee Schedule)·Permit issued by Minneapolis Animal Care and Control; apply through Minneapolis 311

   $84 for a Multi-Animal Permit and $58 to re-register it; individual pet licenses are $30 for a spayed or neutered dog or cat, $40 unaltered, $15 and $35 for seniors, $85 for a 3-year spayed/neutered license and $250 for a lifetime license (2026 Minneapolis License Fee Schedule)

   Permit issued by Minneapolis Animal Care and Control; apply through Minneapolis 311

Official Sources

• Minnesota Board of Animal Health — Kennel License
• City of Minneapolis — Business Licenses

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