---
title: "Opening a Dog Boarding Kennel in Georgia | DogServ"
description: "Opening a dog boarding kennel in Georgia: zoning, the GDA kennel license, in-home boarding, daycare, unclaimed dogs and the emergency plan before you open."
url: "https://dogserv.com/opening-a-dog-boarding-kennel-in-georgia/"
lang: "en"
published: "2026-10-08"
image: "https://dogserv.com/og/blog-opening-a-dog-boarding-kennel-in-georgia.jpg"
alternates:
  es: "https://dogserv.com/es/abrir-una-guarderia-canina-en-georgia.md"
---

# Opening a Dog Boarding Kennel in Georgia: Zoning, Kennel License, Daycare and In-Home Boarding

By [Cal Hewitt](https://dogserv.com/authors/calvin-hewitt/) · Published October 8, 2026

![Golden retriever and a mixed breed dog resting on cots in a fenced grassy daycare yard with shade trees and a covered porch](https://dogserv.com/blog/opening-a-dog-boarding-kennel-in-georgia/featured.jpg)

Before you sign a lease or take your first dog, confirm the address with the local zoning office and decide whether your service fits Georgia's kennel definition. The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) covers establishments where dogs are kept for boarding, holding, training or similar purposes for a fee.

A covered establishment needs a GDA kennel license, but that license does not replace local zoning, building, fire, occupancy or business approvals. Paid boarding in your own home can raise both a state kennel question and a local home-occupation question. Sitting in a client's home is a different situation.

### Key takeaways

- Georgia Rule 40-13-13 defines a kennel as an establishment where dogs are kept for boarding, holding, training or similar purposes for a fee.
- Paid overnight boarding in your own home may fit that definition, and your city or county decides whether the house can be used for it.
- The GDA kennel license requires a pre-inspection that must be passed before approval, runs one year, and does not override local ordinances.
- The statute sets the annual license fee between $50 and $400, and a late renewal carries a 100 percent late fee.
- If a boarded dog is never picked up, O.C.G.A. 44-14-491 requires a written demand and a ten-day period before anything else happens.
- Write the emergency plan before opening, with a pet-capable destination, because most public shelters cannot take pets.

I'm a website and marketing person for dog businesses, not a lawyer, accountant, insurance agent or vet. Use this as a map for the questions to put to the offices that decide, and get a ruling from them in writing.

## Which kind of dog business are you actually opening?

There are four common models, and they land in different places under Georgia rules. [Sitting in a client's home](https://dogserv.com/starting-a-dog-walking-business-in-georgia/) means the dogs stay where they live. Paid in-home boarding means the dogs stay at your house. Daycare means daytime group care at a location you operate. [Commercial boarding](https://dogserv.com/how-to-start-a-dog-boarding-business/) means overnight care in a building set up for it.

The state definition turns on the place where the dogs are kept. Rule 40-13-13 describes a kennel as "any establishment, other than an animal shelter, where dogs or cats are maintained for boarding, holding, training, or similar purposes for a fee or compensation." Your dogs-in-your-building models (boarding, daycare, a commercial kennel) are the ones to test against that sentence. Sitting in the client's home is the one that stays outside the establishment test, though you still need local business registration and insurance.

Decide the model first. Every other answer in this post depends on it.

## Is it legal to watch dogs in my home in Georgia?

Two separate questions are packed into that one. The first is state law. Paid overnight boarding in your own home may fit the kennel definition, because dogs are being kept there for pay. The [GDA kennel license page](https://www.agr.georgia.gov/kennel-licenses) uses the same test: boarding, holding, training or similar services for compensation. A paid home operation should not be treated as ordinary pet sitting.

The second question is local. Whether your residence may be used for that work is a zoning and home-occupation question, and the state definition does not answer it. GDA also says cities and counties may limit how many animals live on a property, and there is no single statewide home dog-count rule to rely on. Check your HOA covenants and your lease too, since either can prohibit commercial animal care on its own.

So, a spare bedroom and a few overnight guests is not a simple yes or no. Ask the zoning office for a written use determination, then ask GDA whether your setup needs the kennel license.

![Cavalier King Charles spaniel curled on a washable dog bed in a tidy spare bedroom with a pale quilt and window onto a dogwood tree](https://dogserv.com/blog/opening-a-dog-boarding-kennel-in-georgia/home-boarding.jpg)

## Do I need a license to be a pet sitter or dog walker in Georgia?

Georgia has no single statewide occupational license that covers every pet sitter or dog sitter. The [SBA's Georgia guidance](https://legacy.sba.gov/district/georgia/doing-business-georgia-district) says licensing is handled by a mix of state and local departments, and it points owners to the local business-license office. For sitting in the client's home, plan on these steps:

- A local occupational tax certificate or business license from your city or county.
- A zoning check if you use your home as an office or dispatch base.
- Registration with the [Georgia Secretary of State](https://sos.ga.gov/how-to-guide/how-guide-register-domestic-entity) if you form an LLC, corporation or partnership.
- An IRS employer identification number (EIN) and the right worker classification if you hire help, following the [IRS rules for businesses with employees](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/businesses-with-employees).
- Insurance that covers pets in your care, custody and control.

The GDA kennel license is a different track. It applies to an establishment where dogs are kept for compensation, so it comes into play when you board at your own home or in a commercial building. Local zoning, building, fire, occupancy and animal-control rules can apply on top of it.

If a local office tells you something different from what you read here, the office wins. Our [Georgia dog business license requirements](https://dogserv.com/georgia-dog-business-license-requirements/) post covers the state, county and city registrations in one place.

## What do DeKalb, Gwinnett, Chatham and Cobb counties say about home dog care?

Home-occupation rules were written with a home office or a tutoring business in mind. Dog boarding strains them, and each county draws the line in a different place.

**DeKalb County.** The county's home-occupation form separates two types. A Type I occupation has no customer contact and can get administrative approval. A Type II occupation, with customer contact, needs a special land-use permit. Either one is limited to 25 percent of the dwelling or 500 square feet, whichever is less. The form bars detectable noise, odor, vibration or glare beyond the dwelling, limits work at the location to residents, and prohibits nuisance conditions. A boarding operation with several dogs, overnight care, noise and drop-offs may not fit the simplest Type I model.

**Gwinnett County.** The signed home-based disclosure under UDO 210.140.9 and 212.50.2 limits a customary home occupation to residents. Personal services are capped at two clients at a time and five clients a day, between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., with no group assembly. The use can take up no more than 25 percent of the dwelling, and equipment and traffic are restricted. Overnight boarding may need a different approval or may not fit the customary home-occupation category at all.

**Chatham County.** A home occupation can use no more than 25 percent of the gross livable area, only resident family members, customary household equipment and no signs, and generally no on-site storage of business equipment or materials. [Chatham's home-occupation page](https://buildingsafety.chathamcountyga.gov/ZoningAdministration/HomeOccupations) also says that paying the business tax or license fee does not by itself make a home occupation legal. Its list of activities includes boarding of no more than two non-transient guests, which is about people, not dogs, so do not read it as permission to board dogs.

**Cobb County.** Ask Cobb County's zoning and building offices whether a home-based dog-care use needs a certificate of occupancy or any other approval before you accept dogs.

In every county, the number that matters is the one on your parcel. Call before you buy supplies.

![Cardigan Welsh corgi lying on the brick front steps of a suburban Georgia ranch house with azaleas and a closed front door](https://dogserv.com/blog/opening-a-dog-boarding-kennel-in-georgia/county-home-rules.jpg)

## In what order do Atlanta, Columbus and Macon-Bibb approve a commercial kennel or daycare?

If you want a building instead of a spare room, the order matters more than any single permit. Confirm each step with the locality before you sign a lease:

1.  Confirm zoning and permitted use with the city or county planning and zoning office.
2.  Ask whether a special-use, site-development, land-disturbance or animal-use approval applies.
3.  Submit building plans and obtain building and trade permits.
4.  Complete fire and life-safety review.
5.  Finish construction and the required inspections.
6.  Obtain the certificate of occupancy or equivalent occupancy approval.
7.  Apply for the local occupational tax certificate or business license.
8.  Pass the GDA pre-inspection and finish the GDA kennel license before opening.

**Atlanta.** The offices to contact are the Department of City Planning, the Office of Buildings, Fire Rescue or the Fire Marshal, and the business-license office. Ask for a written use determination for your parcel and the current permit and occupancy sequence from the building office.

**[Columbus](https://dogserv.com/directory/dog-boarding/columbus-ga/).** The city's [commercial plan review process](https://resources.columbusga.gov/inscode/Forms/CommercialPlanReviewProcess.pdf) starts with site-development review through Engineering, then permit application and construction documents through Inspections and Code. Those documents are reviewed for building, fire, life safety, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas, zoning and UDO compliance. Construction inspections follow, then the certificate-of-occupancy application, and then the business-license application.

**Macon-Bibb.** Start with Planning and Zoning for zoning compliance, then Building and Permitting, Fire Prevention and the occupational-tax or business-license office. Ask Planning and Zoning for the use determination in writing and the building office for the current sequence.

The business license usually comes last in a commercial build. Signing a lease before step one is where owners lose the most money.

## What does Rule 40-13-13 require of the building, and what happens at the GDA pre-inspection?

The [GDA application process](https://www.agr.georgia.gov/kennel-licenses) has these stages: an application, review, a pre-inspection, secure-and-verifiable documentation, approval, payment and issuance of the license. GDA says you cannot move forward until the pre-inspection has passed and the application is approved. Plan your build-out, or your spare-room setup, around that visit.

[Rule 40-13-13](https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/40-13-13) requires licensed facilities to keep humane, safe and sanitary premises. The standards include:

- Compatible grouping and separation of animals, with individual housing for any animal showing a vicious disposition and separation of animals suspected of a communicable or infectious disease.
- Separate housing for rescue animals and boarding animals.
- Drainage that removes excess water quickly and prevents sewage backup.
- Clean, repaired premises free of trash, debris, weeds and places for vermin to hide.
- Moisture-resistant interior surfaces that can be cleaned and sanitized, and adequate lighting.
- Structural enclosures strong enough to contain animals and prevent injury.
- No grated or mesh bottoms in permanent dog or cat housing.
- Portable crates used only temporarily, generally for 24 hours or less, and not stacked.
- Safe removal of animal waste, food waste, bedding, debris and dead animals.
- Food and bedding stored so they do not spoil, get contaminated or draw pests.
- Ventilation and temperature that protect the animals' welfare.

The rule also calls for records and emergency planning. GDA's [kennel information sheet](https://agr.ga.gov/kennel-information-sheet) lists the records to keep. Keep them at the licensed premises.

![Black Labrador retriever lying on a raised cot in a clean indoor kennel run with sealed concrete floor, floor drain and steel water bowl](https://dogserv.com/blog/opening-a-dog-boarding-kennel-in-georgia/facility-standards.jpg)

## What can I do when a dog is not picked up or charges go unpaid?

Do not give the dog away on day two. Georgia has a process, and skipping it can hurt you.

Under [O.C.G.A. § 44-14-490](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-44/chapter-14/article-8/part-9/section-44-14-490/), a licensed operator of a boarding facility has a lien on the animal for unpaid charges and may keep the animal until the charges are paid. Under [O.C.G.A. § 44-14-491](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-44/chapter-14/article-8/part-9/section-44-14-491/), an animal is deemed abandoned if charges stay unpaid or the animal is not picked up within ten days after demand. The demand has to be made in person, or by registered or certified mail or statutory overnight delivery with return receipt requested, to the owner at the address given when the dog was dropped off. The ten days start on the date the demand is postmarked or made in person, and the date goes in the dog's file.

After that period, the statute allows public or private sale, giving the animal away, or turning it over to a humane society, shelter or other facility. On the day of disposal, you must notify the owner of the date and manner of disposal.

This only works if the paperwork was right on day one. A boarding contract should carry:

- The owner's name, address, phone, email and emergency contact.
- Authorized pickup persons.
- Boarding dates and charges.
- Late-pickup and unpaid-charge terms, payment method and deposit terms.
- Permission to contact the emergency person.
- Veterinary authorization and who pays for care.
- What happens after an escape, injury, illness or death.
- The owner's duty to keep contact information current.
- A statement that the statutory abandonment steps will be followed where they apply.

Have a Georgia attorney review the actual contract. The statute does not replace that.

## What should the emergency plan cover for tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, heat and power loss?

Georgia's emergency-management agency, GEMA, says most public shelters cannot accept pets. For a boarding business, that means the evacuation destination is yours to arrange before anything happens. [GEMA's Georgia Pets guidance](https://gema.georgia.gov/plan-prepare/ready-georgia/make-plan/georgia-pets) points to a Ready kit, shelter locations decided in advance, pet-friendly hotels or other arrangements, and [boarding facilities](https://dogserv.com/directory/dog-boarding/) or [animal hospitals](https://dogserv.com/directory/vets/) near your evacuation destination. Your local emergency-management or planning office can tell you about flood risk.

Write the plan down and cover these points:

- A shelter area in the building and an alternate one.
- A map showing crates, carriers, exits, shutoffs, fire extinguishers and supplies.
- A current list of every dog with owner, emergency contact, veterinarian, medication information and authorized pickup person.
- Enough labeled crates or carriers for your maximum capacity.
- Staff roles for monitoring warnings, moving dogs, records, transport, owner contact and headcounts.
- A backup person who can take over if you are unavailable.
- A pet-friendly evacuation destination, route and transport vehicle.
- A message template for owners.
- Backup power, or a plan for cooling, ventilation, water, access control and records during an outage.
- Tornado steps that use an interior room, hallway, basement or storm shelter away from windows ([GEMA on tornadoes](https://gema.georgia.gov/tornadoes)).
- Hurricane steps that account for evacuation timing ([GEMA on hurricanes](https://gema.georgia.gov/hurricanes)).
- Flood steps that move dogs to higher ground and never through contaminated or electrically charged water.
- [Heat steps](https://dogserv.com/heat-safety-for-dog-businesses/) that check cooling systems, limit strenuous activity, provide shade and water, and say when to escalate ([GEMA on extreme heat](https://gema.georgia.gov/plan-prepare/storms-disasters/extreme-heat)).

Practice it and update it. A plan nobody has rehearsed is a plan that fails at 2 a.m.

![Red Irish setter lying on a rubber mat in the interior hallway of a boarding building with an open crate and a flashlight on a shelf](https://dogserv.com/blog/opening-a-dog-boarding-kennel-in-georgia/emergency-plan.jpg)

## What does it cost to get licensed, and where do sitter rates fit?

Start-up paperwork is cheap compared with a lease. These are the dated figures:

Georgia licensing and registration figures

| Item | Figure | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ItemGDA kennel license term | FigureOne year from when payment is processed | Source [GDA](https://www.agr.georgia.gov/kennel-licenses), checked October 2026 |
| ItemStatutory annual kennel license range | Figure$50 to $400 | Source [O.C.G.A. § 4-11-3](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-4/chapter-11/article-1/section-4-11-3/), 2025 code text |
| ItemLate kennel license renewal | Figure100 percent late fee | Source [GDA](https://www.agr.georgia.gov/kennel-licenses), checked October 2026 |
| ItemGDA certificate mailing after payment | Figure1 to 7 business days | Source [GDA](https://www.agr.georgia.gov/kennel-licenses), checked October 2026 |
| ItemGeorgia LLC filing fee | Figure$110 | Source [Georgia Secretary of State](https://sos.ga.gov/how-to-guide/how-guide-register-domestic-entity), checked October 2026 |
| ItemGeorgia LLC annual registration | Figure$60, due January 1 through April 1 | Source [Georgia Secretary of State](https://sos.ga.gov/how-to-guide/how-guide-register-domestic-entity), checked October 2026 |

Your exact GDA fee depends on the class or capacity on your application, so confirm it with GDA before you budget. Local occupational tax and permit fees are set by your city or county, so ask the offices from the sections above.

Nightly rates are a separate question. They differ by city, dog size and service, so compare two or three local rates before you set yours. Our [Georgia dog service prices](https://dogserv.com/dog-service-prices-in-georgia/) post lists dated examples; read them as published prices, not averages.

## Questions about Georgia kennel licenses, insurance and sales tax

Four questions to settle with the offices before you open.

### Does a GDA kennel license override zoning?

No. GDA says applicants must comply with local ordinances and that the state license does not remove that duty. A passed pre-inspection and a certificate on the wall still leave the zoning, building, fire and occupancy approvals in the hands of your city or county.

### What does a Georgia kennel license cost?

O.C.G.A. § 4-11-3 sets the annual license range at $50 to $400. The amount for your operation depends on the class or capacity on the application, so confirm it with GDA. The license runs one year, and a late renewal carries a 100 percent late fee.

### Do I need insurance with care, custody and control coverage?

Professional pet-care standards from [Professional Pet Sitters International (PSI)](https://www.petsit.com/standards) treat general liability with care, custody and control coverage as its own item, separate from a contract or a license. If you hire employees, ask about workers' compensation too. Our [dog business insurance](https://dogserv.com/dog-business-insurance/) post explains the policy types, and an insurance professional can match them to your services.

### Is boarding subject to Georgia sales tax?

Ask the [Georgia Department of Revenue](https://dor.georgia.gov/taxes/sales-use-tax/what-subject-sales-use-tax). Most services are exempt, and tangible personal property and specified services are taxable. A provider of a nontaxable service who also sells tangible goods must collect and remit sales tax as applicable. Our [Georgia sales tax on pet services](https://dogserv.com/georgia-sales-tax-on-pet-services/) post goes through the service mix.

## What is the next step before you take a single dog?

Get a written use determination from the zoning office for the address, then start the GDA application and schedule the pre-inspection. Do both before you sign a lease, buy kennel runs or accept a booking.

If you board from home, add your HOA and lease to the list. If you open a building, keep the order from the commercial section and leave the business license for last. Then write the contract, the emergency plan and the insurance conversation into your week.

These guides cover the other pieces: [Georgia kennel license](https://dogserv.com/georgia-kennel-license/), [Georgia rabies law for dog businesses](https://dogserv.com/georgia-rabies-law-for-dog-businesses/), [Georgia dog business license requirements](https://dogserv.com/georgia-dog-business-license-requirements/) and [Georgia dog bite law for dog businesses](https://dogserv.com/georgia-dog-bite-law-for-dog-businesses/). When your paperwork is done, you can [list your business in the DogServ directory](https://dogserv.com/directory/) so local dog owners find you.

## Sources

- **agr.ga.gov**: [kennel information sheet](https://agr.ga.gov/kennel-information-sheet)
- **agr.georgia.gov**: [GDA kennel license page](https://www.agr.georgia.gov/kennel-licenses)
- **buildingsafety.chathamcountyga.gov**: [Chatham's home-occupation page](https://buildingsafety.chathamcountyga.gov/ZoningAdministration/HomeOccupations)
- **law.justia.com**: [O.C.G.A. § 44-14-490](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-44/chapter-14/article-8/part-9/section-44-14-490/)
- **dor.georgia.gov**: [Georgia Department of Revenue](https://dor.georgia.gov/taxes/sales-use-tax/what-subject-sales-use-tax)
- **gema.georgia.gov**: [GEMA on extreme heat](https://gema.georgia.gov/plan-prepare/storms-disasters/extreme-heat)
- **gema.georgia.gov**: [GEMA on hurricanes](https://gema.georgia.gov/hurricanes)
- **gema.georgia.gov**: [GEMA on tornadoes](https://gema.georgia.gov/tornadoes)
- **gema.georgia.gov**: [GEMA's Georgia Pets guidance](https://gema.georgia.gov/plan-prepare/ready-georgia/make-plan/georgia-pets)
- **irs.gov**: [IRS rules for businesses with employees](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/businesses-with-employees)
- **law.justia.com**: [O.C.G.A. § 4-11-3](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-4/chapter-11/article-1/section-4-11-3/)
- **law.justia.com**: [O.C.G.A. § 44-14-491](https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-44/chapter-14/article-8/part-9/section-44-14-491/)
- **legacy.sba.gov**: [SBA's Georgia guidance](https://legacy.sba.gov/district/georgia/doing-business-georgia-district)
- **petsit.com**: [Professional Pet Sitters International (PSI)](https://www.petsit.com/standards)
- **resources.columbusga.gov**: [commercial plan review process](https://resources.columbusga.gov/inscode/Forms/CommercialPlanReviewProcess.pdf)
- **rules.sos.ga.gov**: [Rule 40-13-13](https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/40-13-13)
- **sos.ga.gov**: [Georgia Secretary of State](https://sos.ga.gov/how-to-guide/how-guide-register-domestic-entity)