Pet care · United States
How to Start a Dog Grooming Business (Costs, Permits, and What One Dog Pays)
Price the dog, the drive, and the tub’s drain before you book a second table.
- 25,551NAICS 812910 establishments, Census 2023
- 57.7%of those have fewer than 5 employees (14,744 ÷ 25,551)
- $50/mogeneral liability in the Insureon groomer sample
- $100Clark County grooming license, per year
Decision summary
- Census County Business Patterns 2023, U.S. total, legal form
-, NAICS 812910: 25,551 establishments and 175,116 employees. The employment cell carries noise flag G. Read from cbp23us.zip on November 6, 2026. - Of those establishments, 14,744 have fewer than 5 employees. That works out to 57.7% (14,744 ÷ 25,551).
- The 2022 NAICS index file lists pet grooming and also boarding, training, walking, sitting, and animal shelters under 812910. Treat 25,551 as the whole code.
- Insureon’s groomer page, updated July 10, 2025 and read November 6, 2026, says customers pay on average $50 a month for general liability. Insureon. The method note uses the median of applicants.
On this page
0. One tub
- Pick dogs you can finish in one place: a shop tub or a van. Do not mix boarding into the same price.
- Name the drain. Soap and flea product are not stormwater.
- Read the license line for a parlor and for a mobile groomer before you buy the van.
Dog grooming startup costs
A national startup total is not on this page. An Andis clipper page returned HTTP 404 on November 6, 2026, so no tool price is printed. A table, a tub, and a van are separate quotes you type into the month’s fixed costs once you have them.
| Line | Figure | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|
| General liability, monthly average | $50 | Insureon pet and dog groomers. Page updated July 10, 2025. The page also prints $598 a year. Method note: median of applicants. |
| Business owner’s policy, monthly average | $80 | Same page, which also prints $962 a year. A separate policy. Do not add it to the $50. |
| Workers’ compensation, monthly average | $88 | Same page. Errors and omissions is a separate $88 on that page. |
| Commercial auto, monthly average | $245 | Same page, which also prints $2,942 a year. Relevant if the business owns the van. |
| Clark County, Washington, grooming | $100 / year | Grooming parlor or mobile grooming, both in the county schedule and in the Vancouver schedule. License is one year, with an annual inspection. |
| Palm Beach County, mobile groomer | $225 | Operational permit application. A stationary grooming parlor on the same form is $400 and needs zoning approval. |
Licenses
These are two official fee pages plus one city’s wash-water sheet. Every other state is Not yet researched.
| Place | What the page says | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Clark County, Washington | A facility license covers a grooming parlor, including mobile grooming. Vancouver lists that fee at $100. The county lists the same $100. Fees are paid before inspection. The license is good for one year, and the facility is inspected to renew. Animal hospitals that only keep animals for treatment by a licensed veterinarian are outside this list. Land-use approval is a separate step. | County page, November 6, 2026. |
| Palm Beach County, Florida | A grooming parlor is a stationary place for bathing, clipping, dipping, or pedicuring, not breeding, dentistry, or overnight boarding. The permit fee is $400 and zoning approval is required. A mobile groomer, defined the same way but mobile, is $225. The form says no one operates or advertises an animal establishment without the operational permit. | Animal Care and Control application PDF, November 6, 2026. |
| San Diego | The mobile-business sheet names pet grooming. It says wash water can carry bacteria, soap, fur, and flea products. A polluted discharge to the storm system can cost up to $10,000 per day per incident under Municipal Code §43.0304. Smaller animals can be washed in a sink that goes to the sanitary sewer. Larger animals can be washed on a lawn only if the soil absorbs the water without runoff. | City fact sheet, read November 6, 2026. |
| Other states | Not yet researched. Do not copy the $100, the $225, or the $400 onto another map. | Not opened. |
Insurance
Insureon’s groomer page lists general liability at $50 a month, a business owner’s policy at $80, workers’ compensation at $88, and commercial auto at $245. Updated July 10, 2025. The method note says the figures are the median of groomers who apply for quotes; the headings say average. The same page says a care, custody, and control exclusion leaves pet injuries uncovered, and that animal bailee coverage can be added to general liability. Get that endorsement, or its absence, in writing before the first dog.
Does the dog pay?
Profit on one dog is the price minus paid minutes minus shampoo. Profit for the month also has to clear rent or the van, the license, and insurance once you know those bills. The industry count does not set the price. No average weekly income was opened. If you groom in a shop and the drive is zero, type zero. Empty is not zero.
Price one dog
Type the price, the minutes on the dog, the minutes driving, and what you spend on shampoo for that appointment. Empty stays unknown.
10. A second table
Add another table, or a van, when paid dogs already overflow the week and the contribution still covers the extra license, the product, and a wage. The section number is an outline label, not a headcount. Boarding is a different permit on the Palm Beach form and was not priced here. A Bureau of Labor Statistics wage page returned HTTP 403 on November 6, 2026, so no attendant wage is printed.
First 90 days
- Days 1–14: pick a tub or a van, and the drain that water will use.
- Days 15–45: price the local grooming license and insurance, including whether pet injuries are inside the policy. Clark County’s $100 and Palm Beach County’s $225 and $400 are three lines from two places.
- Days 46–90: time real dogs in the tool. Add a second table only after those appointments cover labor, product, and the month’s fixed costs.
When to stop
Stop selling a coat when the minutes and the shampoo use up the price, or when you cannot say where the water goes. The tool hides the break-even count in the first case. Overnight boarding stays off the offer until that permit and that price exist on their own.
Questions people ask
How do you start a dog grooming business?
Start with dogs you can bathe and clip in one place, and name where the wash water goes. Census County Business Patterns 2023 counts 25,551 employer establishments in NAICS 812910. That code includes grooming, boarding, training, pet sitting, and shelters, not grooming alone. A clipper shelf price was not opened on November 6, 2026.
How much does it cost to start dog grooming?
This page does not have a national startup total. Insureon’s pet-groomer page, updated July 10, 2025, says customers pay on average $50 a month for general liability. Clark County, Washington, lists a grooming parlor or mobile grooming license at $100. Palm Beach County, Florida, lists $400 for a stationary grooming parlor and $225 for a mobile groomer. A table or clipper price was not copied because no shelf page opened.
Is dog grooming profitable?
On this page, a dog pays when the price covers paid minutes and the shampoo for that appointment, and the month’s dogs cover the fixed costs you type. The tool prints a break-even count only when that contribution is positive. No national profit rate or average weekly income was opened.
How many dog grooming businesses are there?
Census County Business Patterns 2023 counts 25,551 employer establishments and 175,116 employees in NAICS 812910, Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services. The employment cell carries noise flag G. 14,744 of the establishments have fewer than 5 employees, which is 14,744 ÷ 25,551, or 57.7%. The 2022 NAICS index also lists boarding, training, walking, sitting, and shelters under that code, so 25,551 is the whole industry.
Do I need a dog grooming license?
Clark County, Washington, requires a facility license for a grooming parlor, including mobile grooming, at $100 in the county and $100 in Vancouver. The license is good for one year and the facility is inspected to renew. Palm Beach County lists a stationary grooming parlor at $400, which needs zoning approval, and a mobile groomer at $225. Veterinary clinics that only treat animals are outside Clark County’s facility list. Other states are not yet researched.
How much is dog grooming insurance?
Insureon’s pet and dog groomer page, updated July 10, 2025, says its customers pay on average $50 a month for general liability, $80 a month for a business owner’s policy, $88 a month for workers’ compensation, and $245 a month for commercial auto. The method note uses the median of people who apply for quotes. The page says a care, custody, and control exclusion means pet injuries are not covered, and that animal bailee coverage can be added. Do not add the monthly figures into one premium.
Where does grooming wash water go?
San Diego’s mobile-business sheet says pet grooming can put bacteria, soap, fur, and flea products into the water, and that a polluted discharge into the storm system can cost up to $10,000 per day per incident. It describes washing smaller animals in a sink that goes to the sanitary sewer, and washing larger animals on a lawn only if the soil absorbs the water without runoff. That is one city’s sheet.
How do you price one dog?
Type the price, the minutes on the dog, the paid drive minutes, a loaded hourly rate, and the shampoo for that appointment. Empty stays unknown. Break-even dogs appear only after you also type the month’s fixed costs and the contribution is still positive.
Should I groom from a van or a shop?
Palm Beach County prices them differently: $400 for a stationary parlor, with zoning approval, and $225 for a mobile groomer. Clark County uses the same $100 for a parlor and for mobile grooming, then inspects the facility. The tool prices the minutes and the drive. It does not price the van.
Still open
- 25,551 is all of NAICS 812910, including boarding, training, and shelters, not groomers alone.
- No clipper, table, or tub shelf price was opened.
- No 50-state license table. Clark County and Palm Beach County are the fee pages read. Other states are not yet researched.
- No Bureau of Labor Statistics wage was opened.