How to Start a Dog Grooming Business from Home in Australia (2026)

General information only. This guide isn’t legal, tax or financial advice. The rules depend on your state or territory, your council, your water utility and the services you offer, so check your own situation with the official sources linked here, your council or a registered tax agent or adviser.

Grooming from home keeps your costs low while you build a client list, and a mobile van lets you go to the dogs instead. Either way, three things trip people up: council approval, wash water and the welfare rules for animals in your care. Here’s what to check, in order.

Can I run a dog grooming business from home?

Often, yes, but you may need council approval first. business.gov.au says “you may need approval from your local government or council”, for example if:

• regular visits from clients will create more vehicle traffic;
• you plan to install signs or modify your home for the business;
• your business will create noise that could disturb neighbours;
• your business will produce significant waste or use high levels of water.

Barking dogs, extra cars and a lot of water use are all on that list, so ask your council early (business.gov.au: home-based businesses). Some councils have a page just for this: the City of Cockburn in Western Australia, for example, says a home-based dog grooming business needs health pre-approval and, where required, planning approval, which is advertised, before any fit-out (City of Cockburn). Your council’s process may be different.

Two more points from business.gov.au: if you rent, tell your landlord, and if you own your home, tell your home insurer, because standard home policies often don’t cover business activities.

Dog grooming rules by state and territory

We found no state that licenses dog groomers. Two have a code of practice written for grooming businesses. This is a summary of the official pages as they read on 19 October 2026.

Animal welfare laws apply everywhere, whether or not there’s a grooming code, and a code doesn’t replace council rules.

Where does the wash water go?

Not the stormwater drain. The ACT EPA’s fact sheet for mobile pet groomers says “the stormwater system is for rainwater only. No products are allowed to enter the stormwater system, including environmentally friendly products.” It says sudsy water should go to the sewer through the client’s outside gully trap or laundry, with Icon Water’s approval, or into a container on your vehicle for disposal to sewer elsewhere. Flea rinses are pesticides and shouldn’t go to stormwater or the garden (Access Canberra: mobile pet grooming businesses).

• Sydney Water lists “Dog groomer” as a deemed trade waste process: an in-floor bucket trap, and no organophosphate pesticides to the sewer (Sydney Water).
• Icon Water (ACT) requires hair traps in sinks in animal wash areas, and says this also applies to mobile grooming vans (Icon Water trade waste guide).
• Everywhere else: ask your water utility about trade waste before you connect a grooming tub to the sewer.

What do I need to start a dog grooming business?

1. An ABN It’s free to apply (business.gov.au: register for an ABN).
2. A business name Needed if you trade under any name other than your own: $47 for 1 year or $108 for 3 years (business.gov.au: register your business name).
3. Council approval For a home salon, a shed or granny flat conversion, or anything that changes how your home is used.
4. Insurance business.gov.au notes you may need public liability insurance if clients come to your home. Ask insurers about cover for the animals in your care and your equipment (business.gov.au: types of business insurance).
5. A safe, cleanable space A stable non-slip table, a tub with hot and cold water, a drying area, secure areas for waiting dogs, and a cleaning routine.
6. Records Owner contact details and notes for each dog: coat, temperament, health issues and what you did last time.
7. Prices and bookings A clear menu by dog size and service, and an easy way for owners to book.

Health and safety

WorkSafe WA notes that zoonoses, diseases passed between animals and people, can spread through contact with animals such as dogs, and through contaminated items including animal hair. It recommends hand washing facilities and laundering contaminated clothing (WorkSafe WA: workplace zoonoses). Plan for bites, lifting heavy dogs, noise from dryers, and keeping clippers and blades clean.

Tax basics for a home salon

Register for GST once your GST turnover reaches $75,000 or more (ATO: registering for GST). For home expenses, the ATO separates running expenses (such as electricity and cleaning for the area you work in), which you can claim even without a dedicated place of business, from occupancy expenses (rent or mortgage interest, council rates, land tax and house insurance), which you can only claim if the area has the character of a place of business. Claiming them can affect capital gains tax when you sell your home (ATO: home-based business expenses). A registered tax agent can tell you what applies to you.

Pricing and taking bookings

Price each service from its real time, including bathing and drying, plus products, water and your hourly target. A large double-coated dog takes far longer than a small short-coated one, so price by size and coat rather than one flat rate. Then make booking easy. With your own booking page:

• Each service has its own time and price, for example “Full groom, small dog” and “Full groom, large dog”, so the right amount of time is blocked out.
• Owners book themselves 24/7 into times that are genuinely free, with no double bookings.
• Your hours, breaks and days off are respected, so you choose when you work.
• The booking notes hold the dog’s name, breed and anything you should know (and the address, if you’re mobile).
• Owners agree to your cancellation policy before they book, and can cancel online.

It doesn’t handle payments or reminder messages, and there are no pet profiles, so keep your grooming records alongside it. Put your booking link on Instagram and your Google profile: see how to add a Book now button to Instagram and Google, how to keep your home address off Google and how to get your first 10 customers. Try the live booking demo to see what owners would see.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources checked on 19 October 2026. Rules, fees and thresholds change; confirm current details on the linked government pages and with your council and water utility.