How to start a pet sitting business in California (2026)

1Pet sitting demand in California

About 53% of California households own at least one pet. California's sitting demand follows its airports and its jobs. Travelers flying out of LAX, SFO, San Diego and San Jose book overnights around every school break, and tech and entertainment workers travel often enough to want a recurring sitter. San Diego County has a large military population around Naval Base San Diego and Camp Pendleton, where deployments and training create multi-week stays. Apartments in the Bay Area and central Los Angeles skew toward cats, which means twice-a-day visits rather than walks.

The biggest markets: Los Angeles, San Francisco / Bay Area, San Diego, Sacramento.

2Can you board pets at home in California?

Sitting in the client's home needs no special state permit. Boarding at your own home is different. Under Health and Safety Code section 122380, any premises where four or more dogs, cats or other pets are boarded for pay counts as a pet boarding facility, and the sections that follow set standards for enclosures, daily care, written owner disclosures and fire safety (a monitored fire alarm or a sprinkler system). There is no state license, but local rules sit on top. The City of Los Angeles caps the number of dogs a household may keep (three for years, with a 2024 council move to raise it to four) and requires a kennel permit above that. Zoning, HOAs and leases often rule boarding out, so check with your city's planning and animal services offices first.

3Set up your business in California

• File an LLC. $70 one-time filing with the California Secretary of State (bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov). It separates your personal assets from the business, which matters when you hold clients' keys.
• Recurring entity cost: $800/year, minimum annual franchise tax owed to the California Franchise Tax Board, regardless of revenue or profit.
• Get an EIN from the IRS. It is free and takes about 10 minutes online.
• City or county business license: typically $25-100/year. Check your city's revenue or business services site.

California-specific: The $800 franchise tax is the single biggest cost-of-doing-business surprise in California. It's owed by every LLC every year, even one that earned $0. The temporary first-year-$0 waiver under AB 85 only applied to LLCs formed in tax years 2021-2023 and has expired — every new California LLC now owes the $800 from year one.

4Taxes for California pet sitters

Sales tax: California generally doesn't tax services, so a 30-minute walk is not subject to sales tax. If you sell tangible products (treats, leashes, branded merch), those are taxable and you'd need a CDTFA seller's permit.

State income tax: Progressive state income tax.

Other taxes worth knowing: California has the highest state income tax in the country (up to 13.3%). Factor this into your take-home math when comparing to no-income-tax states.

Official source: California Department of Tax and Fee Administration →

5Insurance and bonding in California

Look for a pet sitter policy that pairs general liability with care, custody and control coverage, which pays for injury to the pets in your care, plus key or lockout coverage for lost client keys and a janitorial-style bond if clients ask about theft. California adds wildfire to the plan. Write an evacuation clause into your contract: where carriers and leashes are kept, who can take the pets, and permission to leave with them when an evacuation order is issued.

• General liability with care, custody and control covers harm to the pets in your care and damage in the client's home.
• Key and lockout coverage pays to rekey a home if you lose a client's key.
• A bond covers theft claims and is a cheap way to reassure new clients.

Workers' comp once you hire: Workers' compensation is required for any employer with at least one employee — even part-time. Solo operators with no employees are exempt. If you bring on a 1099 sitter who is later reclassified under California's strict ABC test (AB-5), you owe back coverage. California Division of Workers' Compensation →

6What to charge in California

Typical California bands for 2026:

• Drop-in visit (30 min): $25 to $40
• Overnight in the client's home: $85 to $135 per night
• Additional pet: +$5-10 per visit

Overnights and peak dates: California overnights typically run about $85 to $135 a night, with the top of the range in the Bay Area and on the Los Angeles west side. The heaviest demand lands on Thanksgiving, the Christmas to New Year stretch, spring break and summer weekends. Many sitters add a holiday surcharge on those dates and set a minimum stay for peak weeks so a single night does not block a full booking.

Check your numbers with the pet sitter rates calculator and the holiday rate calculator.

7Hiring sitters in California

California enforces the strict ABC test for worker classification (AB-5). Treating sitters as 1099 contractors is risky if you direct their schedules, set their prices, or supply equipment. Most multi-sitter operations in California end up running W-2 from the start to stay clean.

Misclassifying a California sitter under AB-5 is the single most expensive mistake you can make. The EDD can claw back unemployment, disability, and payroll taxes for up to three years, plus penalties — a single audit can wipe out a year of profit.

8FAQ