Open binder, pen and closed laptop on a wooden desk, How to Start a Pet Grooming Business in Nevada

How to Start a Pet Grooming Business in Nevada

Last verified: November 5, 2026

We found no state license for pet groomers in the Nevada Revised Statutes chapter list or in NRS chapter 638 (veterinary medicine), which would make this one of the easier service businesses to open, but it is not unregulated, so check with the state veterinary board and your county before you open. The state business license, county animal rules in Clark County and a few lines drawn by the veterinary practice act decide whether you open cleanly. This guide is for someone opening a shop or a mobile van in Nevada, and it says plainly where we could not verify something.

Step 1: Choose Your Business Structure

The structure decision is about liability more than permission. Our recommendation: form an LLC if you will handle other people's dogs in a shop or van, and stay a sole proprietor only while you are testing the idea part-time with a few regular clients.

Sole proprietorship: No formation filing, but you are not exempt from the state business license. Under NRS 76 (76.020), a natural person who files a Schedule C is a "business", and the only home-business exclusion is for net earnings at or below 66 2/3 percent of the state average annual wage. Above that, the $200 state business license applies. If you use a trade name, you also file a fictitious firm name certificate with the county clerk (NRS 602; the Clark County Clerk fee schedule lists $25 for a new certificate).

LLC: It keeps a bite or injury claim against the business from reaching your savings, as long as you keep the company's money separate and carry insurance. State cost under NRS 86 and NRS 76: $75 to file articles (NRS 86.561), a $150 initial list (NRS 86.263) and a $200 state business license, so $425 in year one and $350 a year after that. Expedited filing is capped by statute at $125 for 24 hours (NRS 225.140); the Secretary of State sets the actual price, so check it when you file. An LLC protects you from business debts and customer claims, not from your own negligence, which is why Step 7 matters as much as the filing.

For the full filing walk-through, see our Nevada LLC guide, and to compare filing services see best LLC services in Nevada.

Step 2: Choose and Reserve Your Business Name

A Nevada LLC name must contain Limited-Liability Company, Limited Liability Company, Limited Company or Limited, or an abbreviation such as LLC, L.L.C., LC or Ltd., and must be distinguishable from every name on file (NRS 86 86.171). Search first in the Nevada Secretary of State entity search. A name reservation is $25 for 90 days, which is worth it only if you need weeks to line up a van or lease.

Step 3: File Articles of Organization

File through the Nevada SilverFlume business portal. You need the company name, a registered agent with a physical Nevada street address (NRS 77 77.300 and 77.320), and manager or member names. You can be your own agent if you have a Nevada street address and are reachable there during business hours; a groomer working from a van all day should think about that before listing a home address that is public record.

Step 4: Get an EIN

Apply for a free EIN through the IRS online EIN application. The IRS warns about paid sites that charge for the same number. You need one for an LLC with employees or one taxed as a partnership or corporation; a single-member LLC without employees can use your Social Security number for some purposes, but a separate EIN keeps it off customer and vendor paperwork.

Step 5: Decide Between a Shop, a Van or Both

The licensing question differs by model, so decide before you sign anything.

  • Shop: Zoning and the city or county business license come first. Confirm that the address allows animal services before you sign a lease.
  • Mobile van: No shop to zone, but you take on wastewater handling, a commercial auto policy and the license of the place where the business is based (Step 6).
  • Hybrid: A small base for drop-off and supplies plus a van doubles the insurance and the paperwork. Start with one model.

Step 6: Get Local Licenses and Know the Rules That Apply to Animals

The groomer rules we found are local, and they changed in 2026.

Clark County and Las Vegas

Clark County has six business licensing jurisdictions: unincorporated Clark County, Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City and Mesquite (Clark County business license guide). Your address decides which one licenses you. Clark County's code has a separate category for animal-related services that names mobile grooming (Clark County Code 6.12.080); confirm the category and fee with the county license office before you apply.

Animal handler training: If you operate in unincorporated Clark County, Clark County Code 10.30.190 requires the owner of a business that grooms, trains, boards or sells animals to complete the county's course before obtaining or renewing a business license. Existing owners must finish before their next renewal or by February 4, 2027, whichever comes first. Employees with direct animal contact must complete it within six months of hire (existing employees by February 4, 2027). The course is free, online and renewed every two years. See the Clark County Animal Protection Services course page. The county page says businesses in other jurisdictions must meet those jurisdictions' requirements, so ask the City of Las Vegas or Henderson whether they have their own animal-handler rule.

Reno and Washoe County

Reno licenses businesses inside the city under its business license guide; fees are quoted by phone at 775-334-2090. We did not find a Reno or Washoe animal-handler requirement like Clark County's, so ask when you call.

Kennels and boarding

Under NRS 574 574.280, a kennel is a place that keeps at least 10 dogs aged six months or older for boarding, training or breeding for sale. Grooming is not in that definition, so a grooming-only shop is not a state kennel by our reading. If you add day boarding or overnight stays, count your dogs and ask your county or city animal services office what permit applies. Clark County's permit page lists only breeder, foster, exotic and temporary puppy permits, with no grooming or kennel permit, so call Animal Protection Services at 702-455-7710.

Zoning

Residential zones often limit customer visits and animals. If you want to run a shop from home or park a van there, get a written answer from the planning department of the city or county that licenses you. See our Nevada city guides for the main licensing offices.

Step 7: Know What You May Not Do, and Get Insured

Stay out of veterinary medicine. NRS 638 638.008 defines the practice of veterinary medicine to include dentistry, giving drugs or anesthetic, surgery, and advising on those. That means no sedation, no scaling teeth under the name of teeth cleaning, no lancing a hot spot, and no recommending medication. Refer the owner to a veterinarian, and note the referral in your record.

Insurance. The state does not require groomer insurance. We recommend three policies, as reasoning rather than a legal requirement: general liability for customers and property, care, custody and control coverage for the animals you hold (many general liability policies exclude animals in your care, so ask your agent in writing), and commercial auto if you run a van, because personal auto policies commonly exclude business use. Get quotes from at least two agents and compare the care, custody and control limit, not just the premium.

Step 8: Register for Sales Tax if You Sell Products

Grooming labor is a service and is not taxed as a retail sale; sales of shampoos, treats and flea products are. If you sell products, register with the Nevada Department of Taxation; the permit is $15 per location. The state base rate is 6.85 percent, and your total rate depends on the county and city where the sale happens, so use the Department's sales and use tax rate publications to find yours. If you sell nothing, you do not need a permit for grooming alone (Nevada sales tax FAQs).

Step 9: Set Up Your Books and Taxes

Nevada has no personal or corporate income tax, but you still owe federal income and self-employment tax. The Commerce Tax applies only above $4 million of Nevada gross revenue (NRS 363C), which a groomer is unlikely to reach; below it you file nothing. If you hire, you register with the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, which also registers you for the Modified Business Tax (Department of Taxation). Open a separate business bank account with your EIN. Talk to a CPA before choosing S corporation treatment.

Step 10: Plan Mobile Wash Water Before You Buy a Van

This is the Nevada-specific question most guides skip. We found no Nevada or Clark County rule written for mobile groomers, so what follows is reasoning from rules that exist. The Las Vegas Valley Water District water waste rules treat water leaving a property as a violation, with fees starting at $80 for a first violation. Clark County's stormwater FAQ allows residential vehicle washing under Clark County Code 24.40 and does not address commercial or mobile washing. So plan for a holding tank, never let wash water reach a street or gutter, and ask the Clark County Water Reclamation District where you may legally empty it. Get the answer in writing before you buy the van, because it affects tank size and route.

Where This Page Is Thin

We did not verify local business license fees for Las Vegas, Henderson, Reno or Clark County, local sales tax rates by city, equipment prices, or what groomers charge, and we have left out figures we could not source. Confirm fees with the licensing office that covers your address.

Next Steps

  • This week: Pick shop, van or both, and call your city or county license office with your address.
  • Before opening: Finish the Clark County course if it applies, get insurance quotes, and file your LLC.
  • Related: home-based business rules if you work from home.

Sources

Disclaimer

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Fees and local rules change; confirm with the agency named for each step and consult a Nevada-licensed attorney and a CPA for your situation.

Keep exploring: related Nevada guides