Small Animal Grooming Establishment Permit

A place where owners bring their pets for bathing, dipping, clipping, combing or cleaning for the purpose of improvement of the animal's appearance and/or wellbeing for a fee needs a permit. This permit is from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).

Required Documents

You need to send some documents with your application. Check the Required Documents Checklist to see what you need to submit.

Insurance Proof

You must show proof of Worker's Compensation and Disability Insurance. This includes:

• The insurance company's name
• Policy number
• Expiration date

If you are exempt: provide Form CE-200 stamped by the Worker's Compensation Board with the New York State-assigned Exemption Certificate Number. The certificate must list the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as the Certificate Holder. New York State Workers' Compensation

Sales Tax Certificate

You need a Certificate of Authority to Collect Sales Tax. The address on the certificate must match your application address. Learn more about Sales Tax Vendor Registration (Certificate of Authority).

Animal Care Certificate

Your grooming place must have a supervising manager who has passed an Animal Care and Handling Course. You need to show an Animal Care and Handling Certificate or proof of course registration when you apply. Certification is required before opening your business. Learn more about the Animal Care and Handling Course.

Pay Fines

Pay all outstanding fines for Health Code Violations before applying or renewing your permit. You can pay fines in person or online.
Pay ECB Fines Online

NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings
Hearings Division
66 John St., 10th floor
New York, NY 10038

Email Address

You need a valid email address if you are applying online.

Permit Fees

Payment Methods

Accepted payment methods:

• Personal check (in person only)
• Certified check (in person only)
• Money order (in person only)
• American Express
• Discover
• Mastercard
• Visa

• Getting a receipt:

  • If you apply online, you will get a receipt by email.
  • If you apply in person, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) will give you a receipt.
  • Your business cannot begin to operate until it passes an inspection and the supervising manager gets the Animal Care and Handling Certificate. Learn more about the Animal Care and Handling Course.

• Health Department processing:

  • The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) will process your application.
  • They will contact you if they need more information or documentation.

• Scheduling an inspection:

  • After you apply, call the DOHMH Bureau of Veterinary Public Health Services at 646-364-1783 to schedule an inspection.
  • Your business must pass this inspection to get a permit.

• Starting your business:

  • If you pass the inspection and the supervising manager has the Animal Care and Handling Certificate, you can operate your business.
  • You must post the inspection report and the Certificate where people can see them.
  • You will get your permit in the mail.

• Permit and certificate: Post the permit and the supervising manager's Animal Care and Handling Certificate where people can see them.
• Permit expiration: Permits expire on December 31 each year. You will get a renewal notice in the mail three months before the permit expires.

• Gather all required documents: make electronic versions of these documents. You can upload PDF, JPG, GIF, PNG, XLS, XLSX, DOC, DOCX, VSD and TXT files.
• Create an account with the NYC Online Licensing system. Have your credit or debit card ready for payment. You can save and return to your application later.
• Select the permit type: fill in the requested information. Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*). Upload your documents.
• Pay with a credit or debit card to complete the application.

1. Review the requirements: gather documents and complete an Application for Permit form. The fee depends on the time of year you apply.
   Application and Information to Apply for an Animal Care & Handling Facility (PDF)

2. File all documents and pay the fee in person at the DCWP Citywide Licensing Center.
   NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP)
   Address: Licensing Center, 42 Broadway, Lobby, New York, NY 10004
   Email: onlineappsdocs@dcwp.nyc.gov

3. If someone else submits the application, they need a completed Power of Attorney/Authority to Act form and an acceptable photo ID.
   Authority to Act Form (PDF)

• Applications for new permits are not accepted by mail.

• Online submission: You can renew online using the NYC Online Licensing system. You need to register first. You cannot renew if you have unpaid fines. Pay fines online before renewing.

• First-time renewal: To renew online for the first time, you need the Personal Identification Number (PIN) from your renewal notice. The PIN links your permits to one online account. Use the PIN once for each permit.

• PIN request: If you do not have your renewal notice, get your PIN by filling out an online PIN Request Form or by calling 311.

Note: If you need to upload documents, you will need to download the Microsoft Silverlight application.

• PIN Request Form