How to Start a Dog Kennel, Breeder or Pet Shop in Kansas: KDA Pet Animal Act Licenses and Fees
How to Start a Dog Kennel, Breeder or Pet Shop in Kansas: KDA Pet Animal Act Licenses and Fees
If you are trying to figure out how to start a pet boarding business in Kansas, your first state requirement will almost certainly be a license from the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) under the Kansas Pet Animal Act (K.S.A. 47-1701 et seq.). The same Act covers hobby breeders, retail breeders, pet shops and distributors. Kansas does not issue a general statewide business license. Instead, the Act sorts operators into specific license categories, and each category carries its own fee. This guide covers those categories, the fees, the steps that come before and after the license, and the mistakes that cost new operators time and money.
Materials and information you need before you apply
Gather these items before you contact any agency. Most delays come from one missing piece.
- A written description of what you will do: boarding, training, breeding, selling, or a mix. The license category follows the activity, not the business name on your sign.
- Your best estimate of how many dogs or cats you will keep for a fee in any given week, and how many litters and animals you expect to sell each year.
- The address of the premises, plus a zoning answer from the city or county where that address sits.
- Your legal name, mailing address, and the ownership structure you plan to use: sole proprietorship, LLC, or corporation.
- If you form an LLC or corporation, a Kansas street address for your resident agent. Kansas calls this agent the resident agent, and the registered office must be a Kansas street address where that agent can regularly be present. A PO box does not qualify.
- A payment method for the Secretary of State, Kansas Department of Revenue, and KDA fees.
Step 1: Match your plan to a Pet Animal Act license category
Choose the category that describes what you actually do today and what you will do in the first license year. Fees are set by category, and operating under a cheaper category than your activity requires puts you out of compliance with the Act. Two definitions do most of the sorting for home-based and small operations:
- Hobby breeder: 3 to 5 litters a year and under 30 animals sold.
- Boarding or training kennel: 4 or more dogs or cats in any week for a fee.
The counting rule is where most people get caught. If you take in other owners' dogs and your count reaches four in any single week, you are in the boarding or training kennel category, even if you think of the work as a side job. Keep a simple weekly count from day one so you can prove what you did.
The full fee schedule is set by K.A.R. 9-18-6 (effective 2017). The fees most relevant to starting a pet business in Kansas are below.
| License category | License fee |
|---|---|
| Hobby breeder | $95 |
| Boarding or training kennel operator | $95 |
| Pet shop operator | $405 |
| Retail breeder, not federally licensed | $405 |
| Federally licensed retail breeder | $200 |
| Animal distributor | $200 |
| Out-of-state distributor permit | $650 |
| Temporary pet shop, 1 to 7 sale days | $200 |
| Temporary pet shop, 8 to 12 sale days | $350 |
Groomers are not named in the Pet Animal Act. If grooming is part of your plan, ask KDA in writing whether grooming alone requires a license before you open, because the answer changes whether you need one at all.
Step 2: Clear zoning and local rules before you sign a lease
Kansas has 105 counties and 624 cities. Every incorporated place is legally a city, so there are no towns or villages to sort out. Whether a kennel can operate at a given address is decided locally: the city's zoning rules apply inside city limits, and the county's rules apply outside them. This is the step most new operators skip, and it is the one that can kill a location after you have already paid for a lease, equipment, and a license.
Call the planning or zoning office before you sign anything and ask four questions:
- Is a kennel or animal boarding use allowed at this address?
- What setback, noise, odor, and waste rules apply to outdoor runs and exercise areas?
- Do I need a special use or conditional use approval, and how long does that approval take?
- Are there any building permits required for the work I plan to do inside the space?
Get the answers in writing when you can. If the office says no, you have saved the money you would have spent on the wrong building.
If your site is in the Kansas City area, confirm which Kansas City you mean. Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri are different cities in different states. Only Kansas City, Missouri has a city earnings tax, so an address in Kansas City, Kansas is handled under different local tax rules.
Step 3: Choose and form your business entity
A sole proprietorship needs no formation filing with the Kansas Secretary of State. Kansas also has no state-level DBA filing, so if you plan to operate under a name other than your own, you handle that through city and county rules and, if you want protection for the name, through a Secretary of State trademark or service mark registration.
Many kennel owners form an LLC to separate personal and business liability. If you do, follow these steps:
- Check the name. Under K.S.A. 17-7920, the name must contain L.L.C., L.C., LLC, LC, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, or LIMITED COMPANY. Search the Secretary of State's business entity database first. If a similar name is already registered, you must include a Consent to Use of Similar Business Name (Form CN) under K.S.A. 17-7918 with your formation document.
- Reserve the name if you need time. A name reservation costs $35 and holds the name for 120 days.
- File Articles of Organization. The formation document is the Articles of Organization, Domestic (Kansas) Limited Liability Company (Form DL). The filing fee is $85. Online filings are processed within minutes, and the certified copy can be printed immediately.
- Name your resident agent. The agent must be an individual, a business registered in Kansas, or the entity itself, with a Kansas street address.
A corporation follows the same pattern with the Articles of Incorporation, Domestic (Kansas) Corporation (Form AI), also at $85.
Both entity types have a recurring filing. The Information Report is due every two years by April 15, and it costs $90. Businesses formed in an even year report in each succeeding even year, and businesses formed in an odd year report in each succeeding odd year. An LLC formed in 2026, for example, would first file its report by April 15, 2028. A three-month delinquency window follows the due date before the entity faces forfeiture, but you should not plan around that window.
Taxes differ by structure. Kansas has no LLC franchise tax. An LLC is a pass-through entity for state income tax, so members report Kansas income on personal returns at 5.2 percent on Kansas taxable income up to $23,000 for single filers or $46,000 for married filing jointly, and 5.58 percent above those thresholds. An LLC that elects corporate treatment pays the 3.5 percent corporate normal tax plus a 3 percent surtax on Kansas taxable income over $50,000. Which structure saves you money depends on your profit, your owners, and your plans for the business, so a CPA should run the numbers before you choose.
Step 4: Register for Kansas taxes with the Department of Revenue
Kansas issues no general business license, so your state tax registration is the step where the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) comes in. KDOR business tax registration is free. Register for the taxes that apply to your operation, such as sales tax if you sell taxable items. The Kansas state sales tax rate is 6.5 percent. Sales tax registration is completed through the KDOR Customer Service Center.
Do not assume how KDOR treats your boarding fees, grooming, training, or animal sales. Whether each of those is taxable is a question to put to KDOR directly or to a CPA, and you should have the answer before your first customer pays.
Step 5: Apply for your KDA Pet Animal Act license
This is the license that makes the business a legal pet operation under the Act. Work through it in this order:
- Confirm your category using the definitions in Step 1 and the fee table.
- Get the current application from KDA. Ask whether it is filed online or on paper, and ask for KDA's current processing time. This guide does not state a processing time, so get it from the agency before you plan your opening date.
- Pay the correct fee. If your premises needs more than one category, you pay the highest category fee plus $50 for each extra license. For example, a premises needing a retail breeder license ($405) and a boarding kennel license would total $405 plus $50, or $455. Ask KDA to confirm the total before you send payment.
- Plan around the license year. The license year ends September 30. A late fee of $70 applies to renewals filed after that date under K.S.A. 47-1721. Put the renewal on your calendar well before September 30 each year.
- Prepare for inspection. KDA's Animal Facilities Inspection Program covers licensed facilities. Ask KDA which standards its inspectors check, when inspections happen, and what records you should keep on site before the first inspection, not after it.
Step 6: Hire licensed trades for the build-out
Kansas has no statewide general contractor, electrician, plumber, or HVAC license. Cities and counties license those trades instead. If you are remodeling a space into a kennel, which usually means ventilation, drainage, electrical service, and runs, verify each contractor's local license and confirm with your city or county which building permits the work needs. An unlicensed or unpermitted build-out can delay your opening, your inspection, or both.
Step 7: Get insurance and talk to a professional
This guide does not set insurance requirements. Talk to an insurance agent about general liability coverage and about whether the policy covers animals in your care, including boarded animals and animals on your premises that are not yours. Ask an attorney to review your lease, your entity documents, and your customer boarding agreement before you accept your first booking.
Key dates and fees at a glance
| Item | Amount or deadline |
|---|---|
| Name reservation (Secretary of State) | $35, holds the name for 120 days |
| LLC Articles of Organization (Form DL) | $85 |
| Corporation Articles of Incorporation (Form AI) | $85 |
| Information Report, LLC or corporation (biennial) | $90, due April 15 every two years |
| KDA Pet Animal Act license | $95 to $650, depending on category |
| KDA license year end | September 30 |
| KDA late fee on renewals after September 30 | $70 |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Counting only the animals you have today. The boarding threshold is 4 or more dogs or cats in any week for a fee, so count every week.
- Picking the cheapest category. A lower fee does not help if your activity falls under a higher category.
- Assuming a state license settles zoning. KDA's license does not replace city or county approval for the use.
- Using a PO box as the resident agent's address. Kansas requires a Kansas street address where the agent can regularly be present.
- Looking for a state DBA filing. Kansas has none, so a trade name needs local handling and possibly a trademark.
- Confusing the two Kansas Cities. Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri are different cities with different tax rules.
- Missing the Information Report. The report costs $90 every two years and is due April 15.
- Letting the KDA renewal slip past September 30. The $70 late fee is avoidable.
- Hiring unlicensed trades. Cities and counties license the trades, so check local licenses before work starts.
What to expect after you apply
A complete application, the correct category, and written zoning approval may help your opening move on a predictable schedule. Filing online with the Secretary of State is fast, but the KDA license, local approvals, and any inspection each run on their own timeline, and this guide does not promise a specific one. Results depend on your location, your animal count, how you run the facility, and local demand, so treat any revenue expectation as a planning assumption to test, not a forecast.
Holding a license tells customers that you completed the state filings. It does not replace your own standards for animal care, cleaning, and record keeping, and it should not be presented to customers as a guarantee of any outcome for their animals.
Official Kansas resources
- Kansas Secretary of State, business services: sos.ks.gov/business/business.html
- Secretary of State business entity search: sos.ks.gov business entity search
- Secretary of State online filing (Customer Login): online filing login
- Kansas Department of Revenue, business: ksrevenue.gov/business.html
- KDOR sales tax permit registration: ksrevenue.gov/busregistration.html
- Kansas Small Business Development Center: kansassbdc.net
- Kansas Department of Agriculture, Pet Animal Act: this guide does not list a KDA web address. Find the Pet Animal Act page through the KDA website or contact the agency directly to confirm current forms, fees, and inspection standards.
Disclaimer: This article is informational only. It is not legal, tax, or veterinary advice. Fees, thresholds, and deadlines can change, so confirm each one with the agency before you file or pay. For a complex entity structure, a lease with a zoning question, or the tax treatment of your services and animal sales, talk with a qualified attorney or CPA.