Grooming on the side..

[caffemoka810]

I want to start off my business by grooming on the side, meaning at my house on evenings and weekends. Probably an average of 3-5 dogs a week, which is not much. Do I need to get a business license and insurance if I'm only starting out slow this way?
Thanks in advance

[alina1686]

Hmmm

I would just because if you don't have insurance and you cut a dog, YOU are going to be responsible for all the vet bills. The insurance is usually only about $500 a year, so it is well worth it. It will also cover your equiptment & any other outrageous events that may occur. The business license, you really SHOULD get, because if anyone finds out you are grooming out of your house without one, you would end up paying more in fines! So just to be safe, I definitely would. But you may also want to check with your village to see if a business license would be required for that. (you can usually find that information on their website). So to do it the "right" & legal way, I would definitely get both of those things.

[CurbsideCuties]

I would say if you start asking aout a license you may find you are not allowed to grrom from home? As for insurance I would say yes! Anything can happen and its best to be covered. I would not but my house at risk. I groom from home one day a week and I am NOT allowed. So I never got a business license from my city. SHAME on me!

[Dog Daze]

I would say if you start asking aout a license you may find you are not allowed to grrom from home? As for insurance I would say yes! Anything can happen and its best to be covered. I would not but my house at risk. I groom from home one day a week and I am NOT allowed. So I never got a business license from my city. SHAME on me!

That is true and then they have all of your contact information to check on you to see if you do it.

If you have nosey neighbors just be sure to keep it simple. Only have one car and one dog at your house at a time as to not draw attention or complaints

[A1Mobile]

There is no such thing as "working on the side". It doesn't matter if you're a groomer, bartender, babysitter..not reporting your income is a big no no to the IRS. Also, communities don't appreciate illegal business and the fines for doing so can be pretty huge.

Having insurance is a part of doing business. It is there for your protection and is very important. You won't be able to get the insurance you need without being a legal business.

[Particentral]

Let me get this straight. There are people here advocating NOT getting licenses or working without permits and insurance? Are you kidding me???? IF your local requires one, GET ONE. IF youa re not allowed THEN DON'T DO IT! Breaking those rules is not fair to those who follow the rules and pay the fees.
ANY BUSINESS that is required to have a license that doesn't have one is breaking the law. FInes and penalites when caught can be very very costly. They can actually come in and close you down immediatley and lock the doors.

[CurbsideCuties]

I do have a business licence, its that they are for other cities that I work in. But they do not know I work from home I day a week... I am mobile, but even still I am not allowed to "groom from home". I actually have a few for different cities that I work in... So I do pay taxes and whatnot.. and I am fully insured.

[petpalswi]

tricky

my first 'shop' was in my basement. our house was zoned for commercial use, years before we moved in there had been a bueaty salon in the basement. so there was plenty of room and the plumbing was already there. any who. wanting to do everything right and legal, we called the city for an operation permit, and were told the only way we could get one was to change the toilet, apparently there are certain toilets used solely in commercial locations, and we would need to raise the ceiling about 6 inches. now first of all, I am 4'8" tall myself, I'm hardly at risk of bumping my head, secondly, I was not going to have any two legged clients down there. they would be brought to my front door and picked up at my front door. long story short. no pun intended. we did not alter the space, we did not get a permit. I did groom but did almost no advertising. I only ran an ad in the yellow pages for one year. after that all clients were referrels, I averaged maybe 8 dogs a week. I did have insurance and I did pay taxes. we operated til we moved to a new house, almost 4 years. its true when you start inquiring about licenses and permits you open yourself up to scrutiny. I would never advocate breaking the law, but if you are grooming so few dogs....
now that I have a commercial location, of course all my permits are in place and I pay plenty of taxes, and get inspected regularly. I still have several clients I consider on the side. my parents dogs, brothers, sisters, some really special friends. I dont charge them any money though they usually give me something. my advice, dont be greedy, dont be careless. get insurance, pay your taxes, and respect your neighbors.

[furrybestjob]

Interesting question. I'm a mobile groomer too. I have a business license and zoning signed off on all the towns I groom in, including mine, but a home business would not be allowed. I wonder if I'm braking the law if I decide to do my neighbors dog in my house instead of in my van. For that matter, am I braking the law if I clip a dog's toe nails inside the person's house instead of taking the dog out to my van?

[A1Mobile]

I would say if you start asking aout a license you may find you are not allowed to grrom from home? As for insurance I would say yes! Anything can happen and its best to be covered. I would not but my house at risk. I groom from home one day a week and I am NOT allowed. So I never got a business license from my city. SHAME on me!

You are missing the point. Your city allowed you a permit to groom dogs in a mobile unit. If you decide to make your trailer permanent or sell it and groom out of your garage, your permit is void! Who cares if you groom a few dogs...family, your own, the neighbors..from your trailer. Why would you even think you would need a seperate license for this?? The OP is asking if she needs a permit for a shop because she is "only going to be grooming a few dogs". That was not a question I was asked when I applied for my permit..." Hi A1..if you groom less than 10 dogs a week, YOU DON"T need a permit!! Wow..who knew!

As far as "don't ask..you might not get the permit"... Just because your land/building is zoned commercial, doesn't mean you can open any business. Thanks to OSHA and other government bureaucracies (needed or not) there are alot of rules and regs that have to be followed for customer safety.

I don't get personally offended or think it's unfair to me if people are running a illegal business. You are not my competition, your clients are not my clients nor will they ever become my clients...personally, I am not interested in clients that are willing to sacrifice "something" for a cheap groom. Knock yourself out..but be prepared to take a big hit. Pleading ignorant doesn't get you out of trouble when troulbe finds you. But don't overkill the business license or describing grooming your parents dog as "on the side". That is misleading.

[PetsRus]

Bottom line is if your excepting money for a service you are providing you need to go through the proper channels....... Do you have any grooming experience?