Pet Sitting Business Permit Requirements in Nashville, TN

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. Tennessee — No State Pet Sitter License

   Tennessee does not license pet sitters or dog walkers, and there is no state registration, bond or certification to obtain. The Department of Commerce and Insurance's Regulatory Boards Division publishes the complete list of occupations it licenses and pet care is not on it, and the Department of Agriculture's animal health program is confined to preventing and controlling disease in livestock and other domestic animals and to regulating interstate and intrastate animal movement. Commercial boarding kennels are governed instead by Metro Nashville and Davidson County animal control ordinances. One tax consequence is easy to miss: Tennessee taxes only services the statute enumerates, and 'cleaning tangible personal property and animal bathing' is enumerated - so pet sitting and walking are untaxed, but bathing or grooming charges are taxable.

   Official government source

   No state licence fee. The mandatory cost is the county business licence - $15 to the Davidson County Clerk, plus $15 to the city if you are inside the Nashville city limits.·No state licensing step. The county clerk issues the business licence at the counter; a Department of Revenue tax account takes up to 10 business days.

   No state licence fee. The mandatory cost is the county business licence - $15 to the Davidson County Clerk, plus $15 to the city if you are inside the Nashville city limits.

   No state licensing step. The county clerk issues the business licence at the counter; a Department of Revenue tax account takes up to 10 business days.

2. Tennessee Secretary of State Business Registration

   LLCs, corporations, and limited partnerships register with the Tennessee Secretary of State. Tennessee does not recognize DBA or fictitious-name registration for sole proprietors at either the state or the county level, so a sole-proprietor pet sitter files nothing here. A registered entity that wants to trade under a different name files an Assumed Name (form SS-4402, $20), good for five years and renewable.

   Official government source

   $300 is the minimum LLC filing fee, not a flat fee: LLC Articles of Organization (form SS-4270) cost $50 per member with a $300 minimum and a $3,000 maximum. A for-profit Corporation Charter (form SS-4417) is $100.·The Secretary of State publishes no processing time. File online through TNCaB at tncab.tnsos.gov rather than by mail. Registering afterward with the Tennessee Department of Revenue takes up to 10 business days.

   $300 is the minimum LLC filing fee, not a flat fee: LLC Articles of Organization (form SS-4270) cost $50 per member with a $300 minimum and a $3,000 maximum. A for-profit Corporation Charter (form SS-4417) is $100.

   The Secretary of State publishes no processing time. File online through TNCaB at tncab.tnsos.gov rather than by mail. Registering afterward with the Tennessee Department of Revenue takes up to 10 business days.

1. Metro Nashville - Davidson County Clerk Business License

   Pet sitting businesses in Metro Nashville-Davidson County obtain a business license from the Davidson County Clerk's Business Services office, not the Metro Department of Finance. This covers in-home visiting pet sitters and boarding operators. Annual gross receipts of $3,000-$99,999 qualify for a minimal activity license; $100,000 or more requires a standard business license with business tax filed to the Tennessee Department of Revenue. A business license is not zoning approval: boarding animals at your own residence additionally requires a Home Occupation Permit from Metro Codes and Building Safety.

   Official government source

   $15 flat registration fee if the business is in Davidson County outside the Nashville city limits (General Service District), or $30 if inside the city limits (Urban Service District). The fee is flat, not a percentage of gross receipts. Tennessee's separate, uncapped business tax is filed with the Department of Revenue once gross receipts reach $100,000/year.·The Davidson County Clerk publishes no processing time; apply online, in person, or by mail at the Clerk's Business Services office. If your gross receipts require a state business tax account, the Department of Revenue states registration takes up to 10 business days.

   $15 flat registration fee if the business is in Davidson County outside the Nashville city limits (General Service District), or $30 if inside the city limits (Urban Service District). The fee is flat, not a percentage of gross receipts. Tennessee's separate, uncapped business tax is filed with the Department of Revenue once gross receipts reach $100,000/year.

   The Davidson County Clerk publishes no processing time; apply online, in person, or by mail at the Clerk's Business Services office. If your gross receipts require a state business tax account, the Department of Revenue states registration takes up to 10 business days.

2. Nashville - Boarding and Kennel Requirements (confirm before boarding)

   Metro Animal Care and Control publishes rabies and dog licensing and a domestic hen permit, but no commercial boarding or kennel permit. What actually governs boarding clients' pets in Nashville is zoning: Metro Codes and Building Safety decides whether a kennel or boarding use is allowed at your address, and boarding at your own home requires a Home Occupation Permit from Codes, requested by emailing [email protected]. Confirm your specific situation with Metro Animal Care and Control and with the Codes Zoning Division (615-862-6510) before accepting boarding clients.

   Official government source

   No kennel permit fee is published by Metro Animal Care and Control, and no fee is published for a home occupation permit. If you request a zoning use verification letter for the address, Metro Codes charges $50.·5 business days for a Metro Codes zoning letter. No timeline is published for animal boarding approval, because no such permit is published.

   No kennel permit fee is published by Metro Animal Care and Control, and no fee is published for a home occupation permit. If you request a zoning use verification letter for the address, Metro Codes charges $50.

   5 business days for a Metro Codes zoning letter. No timeline is published for animal boarding approval, because no such permit is published.

Official Sources

• Metro Nashville — Business License
• Nashville Metro Animal Care and Control

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