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

1Pet sitting demand in Oregon

About 63% of Oregon households own at least one pet. Portland has many cat owners in apartments in the Pearl District, Northwest and inner Southeast, so cat drop-ins are steady work all year. Oregonians travel within the state constantly: coast weekends in Cannon Beach and Newport, Mount Hood ski trips, and summer camping. Bend residents and second-home owners book long overnight stays around ski and summer seasons. Around Beaverton and Hillsboro, employees of Nike, Intel and other tech firms travel for work and need reliable drop-ins while they are away.

The biggest markets: Portland, Portland's west and south suburbs, Eugene / Springfield, Bend.

2Can you board pets at home in Oregon?

Oregon has no statewide kennel or pet sitter license that we found, so care in the client's home is generally covered by your normal business registration. Boarding at your own home is set by county and city rules. Multnomah County Animal Services, which covers Portland, licenses and inspects animal facilities used for boarding or training, including doggie daycares, and says land use approval is a separate step. In Portland, a home business where customers come to the site is a Type B home occupation, which needs a permit and allows up to 15 customers a day between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Client drop-offs would likely count. Other counties set their own rules, so check before you host.

3Set up your business in Oregon

• File an LLC. $100 one-time filing with the Oregon Secretary of State (Corporation Division, Business Registry). It separates your personal assets from the business, which matters when you hold clients' keys.
• Recurring entity cost: $100/year, annual report and renewal filed with the Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division.
• Get an EIN from the IRS. It is free and takes about 10 minutes online.
• City or county business license: Oregon has no statewide general business license, and city rules vary, so check with your city. Portland is the one that matters most: the city and Multnomah County business taxes are run by the Portland Revenue Division, so contact them about registration and filing even if your receipts are under the exemption. If you plan to board or run day care, check your county too; Multnomah County, for example, licenses and inspects animal facilities that board dogs, and land use approval is a separate step.

Oregon-specific: Oregon's LLC costs are among the lowest on the West Coast, but watch your mail: the Secretary of State warns that private companies send look-alike annual report notices that charge far more than the $100 state fee. File your renewal directly on sos.oregon.gov.

4Taxes for Oregon pet sitters

Sales tax: Oregon has no general sales tax, so nothing is charged on walks, drop-ins, pet sitting, boarding, or the treats and gear you sell. There is no seller's permit to register for.

State income tax: Progressive state income tax.

Other taxes worth knowing: State income tax runs from 4.75% to 9.9%, and the 9.9% rate starts at $125,000 of taxable income for single filers (2026), so it reaches many successful sole proprietors. The Corporate Activity Tax only applies above $1 million of Oregon commercial activity. In the Portland area, a self-employed walker inside the TriMet district owes the TriMet self-employment tax (0.8237% of net earnings in 2026; Lane Transit in Eugene-Springfield is 0.80%). Portland's Business License Tax (2.6% of net income) applies once gross receipts pass $75,000 (2026; $100,000 from 2027), and Multnomah County's Business Income Tax (2%) once they pass $100,000. Higher earners also pay Metro's 1% Supportive Housing Services tax and Multnomah County's Preschool for All tax. If you hire, you withhold the 0.1% statewide transit tax and Paid Leave Oregon contributions.

Official source: Oregon Department of Revenue →

5Insurance and bonding in Oregon

Ask for care, custody and control coverage, lost-key coverage, and a clear answer on whether the policy covers evacuating client pets. Late summer can bring wildfire smoke and evacuation orders in parts of Oregon, and winter ice storms can strand you in Portland. Put an evacuation plan in each client agreement: where carriers and records are, where the pets go, and how you will reach the owner. Add a bond once employees hold client keys, and workers' comp from your first hire.

• 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: Oregon requires workers' compensation as soon as you have one subject worker, part-time included. Solo owners with no employees don't need it, though an "if any" policy is available. An uninsured employer faces civil penalties and is responsible for all claim costs if an employee is hurt. Oregon DCBS Small Business Ombudsman for Workers' Compensation →

6What to charge in Oregon

Typical Oregon bands for 2026:

• Drop-in visit (30 min): $20 to $32
• Overnight in the client's home: $70 to $110 per night
• Additional pet: +$5-10 per visit

Overnights and peak dates: Oregon overnights run about $70-110 a night, with Portland and Bend at the top. Peak dates are Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break and summer, when Portland clients head to the coast or the mountains. Winter ski weekends keep Bend busy. Add a holiday surcharge for peak dates, and agree with clients on a plan if snow or ice makes the drive unsafe.

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

7Hiring sitters in Oregon

Oregon tax, unemployment, and workers' comp agencies use the ORS 670.600 test: a contractor must be free from your direction and control over how the work is done, and must run an independently established business (meeting 3 of 5 factors such as serving other clients, investing in their own business, and bearing risk of loss). Wage-and-hour claims at BOLI use a separate test. A sitter who works your schedule, your clients, and your prices usually fails, so most Oregon multi-sitter businesses hire W-2.

If the Employment Department or Workers' Compensation Division decides your 1099 sitters were employees, you owe back unemployment taxes and Paid Leave Oregon contributions, and an injured sitter becomes your claim as a noncomplying employer, with civil penalties on top of the full medical and wage costs. A single dog bite or slip on a wet sidewalk can cost more than years of payroll taxes.

8FAQ