BUSINESS GUIDE
How to start a dog grooming business in 2026
The real version, written for a groomer going out on their own: a home salon, a storefront or a van, the equipment, the licenses a few states require, what it costs, what a groom pays — and how to fill a book of regulars who come back every few weeks.
Free to build · Pay when you publish · No credit card
172,000+pet-care businesses in the US, 2023 — groomers, boarders and sitters (Census)
$14.3BAmericans spent on pet services such as grooming and boarding in 2025 (APPA)
$35,360median pay for animal caretakers, the occupation groomers are counted in, May 2025 (BLS)
No codeto get online
See it in action
See what your grooming website could look like
This is a real Zarla template for a dog groomer. Describe your business — salon or mobile, the services you offer, the area you cover — and you'll have a site like this, with your services, room for before-and-after photos and a way for pet parents to get in touch, in about a minute.
- Professional design — not a generic template
- Looks great on desktop and mobile
- Content written for your industry
Build the website
Start your grooming website now
Add your town and your business name to the sentence, and Zarla builds the site: your grooming services, the area you cover, an inquiry form and a map. Add your prices by size, your vaccination rules and online booking in chat, and publish.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.
Is a dog grooming business worth starting?
The demand is steady and it comes back every few weeks. Americans spent $14.3 billion on pet services such as boarding, grooming, training and pet sitting in 2025, out of $158 billion spent on pets in all (American Pet Products Association). The Census Bureau counted 25,551 pet-care businesses with employees in 2023 — groomers, boarders, sitters and trainers — and 146,763 more run by one person with no staff (County Business Patterns 2023, Nonemployer Statistics 2023, industry 812910). The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects animal care and service jobs to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
The hard part is the body and the book. Owners describe salons booked months out because there aren't enough groomers, and the work itself as very physical — the reason to protect your back with the right table from day one. Most solo pet-care businesses are small: the 146,763 of them took in about $24,700 each on average in 2023, and 72% took in under $25,000, so many are part time (Census, 2023). Equipment is not cheap — a professional stainless tub runs about $730 to $1,850 on sale (Flying Pig, 2026), with premium walk-in tubs to about $4,100 (PetLift), and a hydraulic or electric table $1,229 to $2,195 (PetLift). A mobile business is the costly route: one startup guide puts a van with its build-out at $25,000 to $100,000 (Teddy, September 2026), and a new turnkey grooming van starts at around $115,000 (Hanvey).
On the other side, the price of a groom is real money. The average US groom costs about $85 — about $62 for a small dog, $77 for a medium one, $95 for a large one and $120 for a giant breed (Bark, 2026) — and mobile groomers typically charge $15 to $25 more than a salon (PetCareBooker, January 2025). Insurance is modest: Insureon's median for pet groomers is $50 a month for general liability, or $598 a year — $65 a month for mobile groomers, whose commercial auto runs about $245 a month at the median (Insureon, Insureon mobile) — and one specialist pet-care insurer starts at about $295 a year (Pet Care Insurance). For comparison, the median animal caretaker earned $35,360 in May 2025 — more in the District of Columbia ($44,210), Washington ($40,570), Hawaii ($40,130) and Massachusetts ($39,650) (BLS) — roughly what you'd pay a bather or a groomer on staff.
So it's worth starting if you can groom any coat and calm any dog, your body can take the work, and you'll treat rebooking as the business — which is what the rest of this guide sets up.
How to start a dog grooming business, in plain English
In the US there's no federal grooming license and no state license for the groomer. What's regulated is the place you groom, by a few states and by your city. Four examples of the state layer:
- Connecticut requires a grooming facility license from its Department of Agriculture — $200, good until the second December 31 after it's issued, with the town's zoning sign-off — and since 2024 the definition of a grooming facility includes “any vehicle or trailer,” so vans need one too (Conn. Gen. Stat. §22-327 and §22-344).
- Colorado licenses grooming facilities under its Pet Animal Care Facilities Act, mobile groomers included: $400 a year for a facility, $350 for an independent-contractor groomer, renewed between January 1 and March 1 (Colorado Department of Agriculture).
- Illinois licenses animal-care facilities, which groomers generally fall under — a $350 application fee and an inspection before you open (Illinois Department of Agriculture); confirm with the state's animal welfare bureau.
- New Jersey has debated licensing groomers themselves since a Shih Tzu named Bijou died at a salon — “Bijou's Law” (New Jersey Senate, 2018) — and it has been reintroduced without passing.
Cities and counties set most of the rules you'll actually meet:
- New York City requires a Small Animal Grooming Establishment Permit — $30, or $15 if filed in the second half of the year, and more if animals stay overnight — and a manager who has passed an Animal Care and Handling Course before you open (NYC Business).
- Los Angeles County bans tethering dogs with nooses or prong collars, requires a dog in a cage dryer to be checked at least every 15 minutes, and won't let a groomer work unsupervised without certification, grooming school plus a year's experience, or a one-year apprenticeship (LA County Animal Care and Control).
- Home salons depend on zoning: Anne Arundel County, Maryland, made pet grooming a conditional home occupation in July 2025 (Anne Arundel County Council), while King County, Washington, says most pet businesses can't run as a home occupation at all (King County).
- Mobile groomers are cited most for wash water: cities in Santa Barbara County, California, require it to go to the sanitary sewer — never the street, the gutter or a storm drain (Santa Barbara County mobile groomer guide).
Two more rules worth knowing. In Virginia, a groomer must get emergency vet care for a dog hurt in their custody, and pay for it when the injury came from their care (Va. Code §3.2-6518). And a few states tax pet grooming itself as a service — Iowa lists it among its taxable services (Iowa Department of Revenue). The EIN from the IRS is free (IRS). Certification is voluntary — IPG's first Certified Professional Groomer package is $425, or $225 down and $200 six weeks later (IPG) — and grooming school runs from $2,058 for an 8-week Missouri program (MidMo Dogs) to $6,998 for a 4-week school in Pennsylvania (Dog Grooming School of Pennsylvania).
From there the order is the same everywhere: get the skill, choose your model, check your state and city, set up and insure the business, fit out the space or the van, write your prices and policies, and get found. Our free dog grooming business plan lays out every startup line with typical costs, the dog grooming website templates and dog grooming website examples show what a good site looks like, and Zarla's dog groomer website builder is how pet parents find you.
What dog groomers actually say
None of this is our opinion about grooming. It comes from salon and mobile owners speaking to reporters and the trade press. Three things come up again and again, and only one of them is about scissors.
There aren't enough groomers, so regulars rebook. Paula Phillips, who owns Shamrock Dog Grooming in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, books three to four months ahead, with clients rebooking at the end of each visit: “The reason they do that is because they know that if they don't, the chance is they won't get in for a long time.” And: “I have a business that could have two or three groomers, but I can't find anybody” (The Berkshire Edge, June 2025). Carol Terry of Hair of the Dog Pet Grooming, in the same county: “Grooming is a very hard thing to do, it's very hard on the body, and people feel it, a lot” (The Berkshire Edge).
“We usually groom about four to five dogs per day per groomer… It's not about doing as many as possible, it's about doing it right.” — Andrea of Jazzy Pawz, a cage-free salon in Atlanta that she started in her apartment, speaking to Groomer to Groomer in June 2026
Mobile is one dog at a time — and one van. Donielle Hart, who has run a storefront and a home salon, now runs Pawsh Paws Mobile Spa in Shiawassee County, Michigan: “There's no interruptions… For me, this was kind of a no-brainer in being able to give those types of dogs peace of mind and truly have that one-on-one experience.” She is blunt about the trade's open door: “Anybody can pick up a pair of clippers and say they're a groomer, and I find that's a problem” (The Argus-Press, August 2026). Robin Mallory of Wash & Wag in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, started with a van: “Everybody thought we had a fleet, but it was just one van” — until a costly mechanical problem sent them looking for another option, and Wash & Wag is a storefront today (The Berkshire Edge).
Price by the dog, and watch your costs. Kathryn Simard, a Missouri groomer, prices in units rather than breeds — “Six units: Doodles, no matter their size or coat” — and adds, “I like to do 14-20 units a day, but I'm old and expensive” (Groomer to Groomer, July 2023). Alli McDonough, who is closing one of her two Fido & Stitch locations in Michigan, describes the squeeze: “People are seeing us less, you know, we're getting less customers… They're starting to groom at home because of rising costs” (WOOD TV8, October 2026).
The through-line: the groomers who last protect their bodies, price every dog by the work it takes, rebook every client before they leave, and are easy for a new pet parent to find and trust.
THE STARTER KIT
What you need to start a dog grooming business
Grooming skill, learned under someone
Most groomers learn the trade under an experienced one, through a grooming school or an apprenticeship. Clients pay for the cut — and for a dog that comes home safe and calm.
A place to groom
A room at home where zoning allows, a rented room or salon suite, a small storefront, or a van. Each needs hot water, drainage with a hair trap and somewhere the wash water can legally go.
The tub, the table and the dryer
A professional tub, a sturdy table — a hydraulic or electric one saves your back — a high-velocity dryer, clippers, blades and shears, plus kennels once you're busy.
Insurance with animal bailee cover
General liability, plus animal bailee cover for the dogs in your care. A standard policy excludes them, and a cut ear or a fall from the table is the claim every groomer fears.
A price list and your policies
Prices by size and coat, a matting and behavior surcharge, vaccination rules, cancellations and late pickups — written down before the first dog.
A way for pet parents to find you
A website with your services, prices and photos, and a Google Business Profile with reviews — where a new client looks before they trust you with their dog.
THE PAPERWORK
Licenses, permits and insurance for a dog grooming business
| Typical cost | Time to get | Legally required? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| State license for the groomer | None exists | — | No — no US state licenses groomers |
| State grooming facility license | $200 (CT, 2 yrs); $400/yr (CO) | Weeks, with an inspection | In a few states — vans too in CT and CO |
| City business license or grooming permit | NYC permit $15–$70; varies | Days to weeks | In most cities |
| Home-occupation or zoning approval | Varies by city | Weeks | For a home salon, where allowed at all |
| Wash-water disposal (mobile) | Low | Days | Yes, where stormwater rules apply |
| EIN from the IRS | Free | Minutes online | If you hire or have partners; optional when solo |
| General liability with animal bailee cover | $50/month median ($65 mobile) | Same day | No — but it's the cover that pays for an injured dog |
| Commercial auto (mobile van) | About $245/month median | Days | Yes, for a business vehicle |
| Grooming certification | $425 (IPG, first step) | Weeks to months | No — voluntary, except LA County's supervision rule |
| Sales tax registration | Free in most states | Days | If you sell products, or your state taxes grooming |
THE STEPS
How to start a dog grooming business (step by step)
Seven steps from “I want my own clients” to a book of regulars.
01
Get the skill first
Learn under an experienced groomer, at a grooming school or through an apprenticeship, and groom for someone else long enough to handle any coat and any temperament.
02
Choose home, storefront or van
A home salon is cheapest where zoning allows it; a storefront or salon suite adds rent and room to hire; a van charges more per dog but grooms fewer and costs the most to start.
03
Check your state and your city
No US state licenses the groomer, but a few license the grooming shop or van, and your city sets the business license, the zoning and the wash-water rules.
Before you sign a lease04
Set up and insure the business
Register the business, get a free EIN from the IRS, open a business bank account, and buy liability insurance with animal bailee cover.
05
Fit out the space or the van
Install the tub with hot water and a hair trap, the table, the dryers and the kennels, and plan ventilation and washable floors.
06
Write your prices and policies
Price by size and coat, put the matting and behavior surcharge in writing, and set your vaccination, cancellation and pickup rules.
07
Get found and rebook everyone
Put your website and Google Business Profile live, introduce yourself to local vets, walkers and trainers, and book every client's next groom before they leave.
THE COSTS
How much does it cost to start a dog grooming business?
The total is our free dog grooming business plan's itemized US ranges for one groomer in a small salon: equipment, the space, insurance, licenses, opening supplies, registration, booking software, signage and a few months of working capital. A van replaces the space line. Equipment prices are Flying Pig's and PetLift's 2026 lists; van prices are Teddy's 2026 startup guide and Hanvey's turnkey prices.
$9k–$53kto open a one-groomer salon, all in — less in a home salon where zoning allows
$730–$1,850a professional stainless grooming tub; premium brands run to about $4,100
$25k–$100ka mobile grooming van with its build-out, in one 2026 startup guide; new turnkey vans start near $115k
$598/yrmedian general liability premium for a pet groomer; $780 for mobile groomers
WHAT WE'VE LEARNED
What actually makes a pet parent book a groom
Thousands of small business websites in, the pattern for pet services is clear: the owner is deciding who to trust with their dog. Three things on a page decide it.
Prices by size and coat
Small, medium, large and doodle, with the matting and behavior policy written down. Owners compare prices before they call, and a clear list saves an argument at pickup.
Before-and-after photos
Real dogs you've groomed, especially the breeds you're good with. A photo of a doodle with a round face does more than any sentence about your skills.
An easy way to book — and rebook
A clear way to ask for an appointment, your vaccination rules, and the next groom booked before the dog goes home. Regulars are the business.
THE UPSIDE
What a dog grooming business can earn
Groom prices from Bark's 2026 US price guide and PetCareBooker's January 2025 guide; dogs per day from a cage-free salon owner in the trade press; pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 figures for animal caretakers. Industry figures, not a promise — your prices, your dogs per day and how many clients rebook decide it.
$85average price of a dog groom in the US — $62 small to $120 giant
+$15–$25what mobile groomers typically charge on top of the salon price
4–5 dogsa day per groomer at a one-on-one salon that grooms them right
$35,360median pay for animal caretakers — what a bather or staff groomer expects
SEE IT WORK
Dog grooming website designs you can start from
All four are real Zarla templates. Open the one closest to your business — a friendly neighborhood salon, a mobile van, cage-free grooming or a doodle specialist — swap in your prices, your area and photos of dogs you've groomed, and publish.
GET FOUND
Get found by the pet parent searching with the dog in the car
A website plus a Google Business Profile is how a new client picks a groomer — and how a regular rebooks. Zarla builds the website, and once you connect your profile, your name, map location and reviews stay in step on both.
“Dog groomer near me”
Searched from the car, often with a matted dog in the back seat. Your services, your prices by size and the area you cover answer the first three questions before they call.
Google Business Profile
Your salon or service area, your hours, before-and-after photos and your reviews inside Google Maps. Free, an afternoon to set up, and where most local grooming searches end.
Reviews with a photo of the dog
A pet parent trusts other pet parents. Ask every happy client for a review with a photo of their dog — and answer every review, the bad one about a short cut most of all.
Google Search
Ttidytailsgrooming.com
Tidy Tails Grooming — Trusted Dog Grooming in Your AreaFull grooms, bath and brush-outs, nail trims and doodle cuts. Prices by size, one dog at a time. Book your next groom.← Your Zarla siteCcitydoggroomingservices.com
City Dog Grooming ServicesGoogle Maps
1
Tidy Tails Grooming
← You2
Metro Dog Grooming Co.
3
Quick Dog Grooming Services
AI assistants (ChatGPT / Perplexity)
For a calm one-on-one dog groomer in your area: Tidy Tails Grooming — a one-on-one dog grooming salon with prices by size, doodle and senior-dog grooms, and before-and-after photos.
YOUR LAUNCH PLAN
Your dog grooming business launch checklist
The whole guide as things to check off. Work through them in order and you'll be licensed where you need to be, insured, equipped and easy to book before your first dog.
- Pick your model — a home salon, a rented room, a storefront or a van.
- Check your state, city and zoning — a facility license where one applies, a business license, and where the wash water goes.
- Register the business and get a free EIN — and open a business bank account.
- Buy liability insurance with animal bailee cover — before the first dog is on the table.
- Fit out the space or the van — tub, hot water, hair trap, table, dryers and kennels.
- Write your price list by size and coat — with the matting and behavior surcharge, and your vaccination rules.
- Introduce yourself to local vets, walkers and trainers — they get asked where to go.
- Get found — website and Google Business Profile live, and every client rebooked before they leave.
REAL CUSTOMERS
Small business owners who got online with Zarla
Verified reviews from real Zarla customers.
“Very reliable, professional, and fast results. I was able to get my business online in no time, and the ease of access made it so simple.”
“I had no idea how to set up a website for my business. Thanks to Zarla, they've helped me a lot.”
“Quickly built my website from scratch. No hiccups. Would highly recommend Zarla for someone with no experience who wants to start a polished business website.”
“Great professional website in less than a minute, with the use of AI and a few descriptive prompts. This has saved me bundles of time and research on web developers.”
Be the groomer a pet parent trusts with their dog
Add your town and your salon's or van's name, and Zarla builds the website from that one line — your services, the area you cover, an inquiry form and a map. Free to build; you pay when you publish.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a dog grooming business?
In the US, about $9,050 to $53,000 for a one-groomer salon in our dog grooming business plan's itemized ranges — equipment, the space, insurance, licenses, supplies, software and a few months of working capital. A home salon costs far less where zoning allows it. A mobile business swaps the space for a van: one startup guide puts a van with its build-out at $25,000 to $100,000, and new turnkey vans start around $115,000 to $130,000.
How profitable are dog groomers?
It depends on dogs per day and how many clients rebook. The average US groom costs about $85, and a careful one-on-one salon grooms about four to five dogs a day per groomer, so one groomer's book of regulars can gross well above a staff groomer's pay. Rent, insurance and supplies come out of that, and many solo pet-care businesses are part time — most took in under $25,000 in 2023.
How many dogs can a groomer groom in a day?
It depends on the dogs. A cage-free salon in Atlanta grooms about four to five dogs a day per groomer; some groomers count in units by breed — a Chihuahua is one, a doodle six — and aim for 14 to 20 units a day. Mobile groomers fit fewer around the driving.
What qualifications do I need to groom dogs?
None by law — no US state licenses groomers, though a few license the grooming shop or van. Most groomers learn under an experienced groomer, at a grooming school or through an apprenticeship, and many take a voluntary certification. Los Angeles County is an exception: a groomer can't work unsupervised there without certification, grooming school plus a year's experience, or a one-year apprenticeship.
How much do most dog groomers make?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts groomers among animal caretakers, whose median pay was $35,360 a year, or $17 an hour, in May 2025. That's employee pay. A groomer with their own book sets their own prices — about $85 for an average groom — and their own number of dogs a day.
Is mobile dog grooming a profitable business?
It can be: mobile groomers typically charge $15 to $25 more per dog than a salon and have no rent. But they groom fewer dogs a day around the driving, the van is the biggest cost — a new turnkey van starts around $115,000 — and a breakdown stops the income until it's fixed. Commercial auto insurance adds about $245 a month at the median.
What are the disadvantages of mobile pet grooming?
Fewer dogs a day, a large van payment, fuel, and a mechanical breakdown that cancels your whole day. You also need a legal place for the wash water — many cities require it to go to the sanitary sewer, never a storm drain — and in Connecticut and Colorado the van itself needs a grooming facility license.
Where do dog groomers make the most money?
Where prices and pay are highest. For animal caretakers, the occupation groomers are counted in, the highest state medians in May 2025 were in the District of Columbia ($44,210), Washington ($40,570), Hawaii ($40,130) and Massachusetts ($39,650). Big-city grooms also cost more than small-town ones — often a good deal more in places like New York City.
What is the most difficult dog to groom?
Curly and doodle coats, and any badly matted or anxious dog. Price guides put poodle and doodle grooms at the top of the range even for small dogs, and one Missouri groomer counts every doodle as her biggest booking, whatever its size. Behavior matters as much as coat — a small, nervous dog can take longer than a calm large one — so put the matting and behavior surcharge on your price list.
How do I get more dog grooming clients?
Rebook every client before they leave, and be easy for a new pet parent to find and trust: a Google Business Profile with photos and reviews, a website with your services, prices by size and the area you cover, and introductions to local vets, walkers and trainers. Zarla builds the website from one sentence, with your services, an inquiry form and a map, lets you add your prices and online booking in chat, and syncs your Google profile once you connect it.