Guides
Pet sitting business insurance: what liability and care policies cost and exclude
Pet sitting insurance prices by program, what general liability and care, custody and control cover, the exclusions to read, and the checks to run before signing.
What to take away
- Two insurance policies do most of the work for a pet sitting business: general liability for damage you cause, and care, custody and control for animals in your hands.
- Care, custody and control is the line that pays when a dog is lost, hurt or dies in your care. General liability usually excludes it.
- Premiums are priced on visit volume, overnight stays, staff count, services offered and claims history, so no two quotes match.
- Exclusions to read firstbiting, pre-existing illness, transport in your own vehicle, and work done by subcontractors.
- Ask for the certificate before the first booking and re-check it at renewal.
- Solo sitters typically pay $200 to $500 a year. Boarding and daycare operations typically pay $600 to $2,500 or more.
Pet sitting insurance is not one product. It is a stack of policies, and the gaps between them are where owners get hurt.
This is general business information, not insurance advice. Coverage terms vary by carrier, state and province. Confirm your own policy wording with a licensed broker.
General liability, care, custody and control, and commercial auto
General liability pays a third party when your business causes property damage or bodily injury. A walker trips a client on the front step. A leash knocks over a lamp. It does not cover the animal itself.
Which policy covers what
General liability
- Covers
- Third-party injury
- Typical limit
- $1M per occurrence
- Typical cost
- Varies by program
- Key exclusion
- The animal itself
Care, custody and control
- Covers
- Animals in your care
- Typical limit
- $10K-$25K sublimit
- Typical cost
- $250-$500 deductible
- Key exclusion
- Pre-existing conditions
Commercial auto
- Covers
- Pets in your vehicle
- Typical limit
- Business-use endorsement
- Typical cost
- $1,200-$2,500 a year
- Key exclusion
- Personal auto policies
Limits are usually written as $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Client contracts and apartment leases often ask for that level, with a certificate naming them as additional insured.
Care, custody and control covers animals in your possession. It pays if a dog escapes, is injured on your watch, or dies. Most general liability policies exclude this outright, which is why the second policy exists.
Programs commonly sublimit it at $10,000 to $25,000, and a few reach $50,000. Deductibles on those claims usually run $250 to $500.
A third line, commercial auto, matters if you drive pets. Personal auto policies commonly exclude business use, so a dog injured in a crash may fall outside both. A business-use endorsement or a separate commercial policy typically costs $1,200 to $2,500 a year per vehicle.
If staff hold client keys, add an employee dishonesty bond. Small operations typically pay $100 to $250 a year for $10,000 of cover.
What pet sitting insurance costs, and what moves your quote
What pet sitting insurance costs
Who it fits
- Pet Sitters Associates (Eau Claire, Wisconsin)
- Membership program with general liability and care, custody and control for solo sitters and small teams
- Pet Care Insurance (petcareins.com)
- Online quotes and same-day certificates for walkers and sitters
- Kennel Pro
- Boarding, daycare and kennel operations, the class carriers rate highest
- Next Insurance
- Month-to-month general liability in many states
- Thimble
- Short-term cover for seasonal or one-off bookings
- Employee dishonesty bond
- Staff who enter client homes
Typical cost, as of 2026
- Pet Sitters Associates (Eau Claire, Wisconsin)
- $200 to $400 a year for a solo sitter, more with staff or overnights
- Pet Care Insurance (petcareins.com)
- $200 to $500 a year for a solo walker, higher limits cost more
- Kennel Pro
- $600 to $2,500 and up, set by capacity and revenue
- Next Insurance
- Rates commonly $20 to $50 a month
- Thimble
- $20 to $60 a month
- Employee dishonesty bond
- $100 to $250 a year for $10,000
Price the same limits across programs. A $200 policy with a $10,000 care, custody and control sublimit is not the same product as a $450 policy at $25,000.
Carriers then price your business on the same handful of variables. Ask how each one moves your quote.
What moves your quote
| Rating factor | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Annual visit count | More visits, more chances of a claim |
| Overnight stays | Higher exposure than a 30-minute drop-in |
| Number of staff | Each walker is a separate risk |
| Services offered | Boarding and transport cost more than walking |
| Claims history | One paid claim follows you for years |
| Revenue band | Sets the base rate before factors apply |
Illustrative arithmetic, not a quote: if your carrier rates a walking-only operation at $X per $1,000 of revenue and adds $Y per overnight booking, your annual premium is roughly (revenue / 1,000 × X) + (overnights × Y). Substitute your own figures and ask the broker to show the same breakdown.
Exclusions that catch owners
- Bites.Many policies exclude dog bites entirely, or require a separate rider. Check before you take a breed your carrier lists as restricted.
- Pre-existing conditions.An animal already under veterinary care for a condition is usually excluded from care, custody and control.
- Transport.Driving pets in your own vehicle is often excluded unless you hold commercial auto.
- Subcontractors.Work performed by someone you did not list on the policy may not be covered. This is the exclusion that bites hardest as you grow, and it is one reason to hire reliable staff rather than casual fill-ins.
- Communicable disease.Illness spreading between animals in a boarding setting is frequently excluded.
One more line to read in the wording: damage a pet does inside the client's home often falls outside general liability, because the property sat in your care, custody and control. Ask whether the care policy extends to furniture, rugs and screens.
Exclusions to check
- Dog bites excluded or need rider
- Pre-existing conditions excluded
- Transport excluded without commercial auto
- Unlisted subcontractors not covered
- Communicable disease often excluded
- Pet damage inside client home
Before you sign
Ask the broker for the certificate and read the exclusions page, not the summary. Confirm the policy names every service you actually sell, including overnight stays and transport.
Before you sign
- Read exclusions page, not summary
- Confirm policy names every service
- Check local permit or license rules
- Ask about additional insured fees
- Review BLS injury data
- Review CDC zoonotic risk
- Review ADA access duties
Check whether your jurisdiction requires a permit or license before you operate. Requirements differ by state and province, and the permit conditions sometimes set their own insurance minimums. See what licences a pet sitting business needs for the questions to put to your local authority.
Adding a landlord or a client as additional insured is usually free or carries a small fee, sometimes $25 to $50 per certificate. Ask before a property manager demands it on a Friday.
For exposure data on the work itself, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Animal Care and Service Workers records the injury and illness rates for animal-care occupations.
For zoonotic risk, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Healthy Pets, Healthy People covers how disease passes between animals and people.
If you serve clients with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Justice: ADA Guide for Small Businesses explains the access duties that apply to your premises and your booking process.
Common questions
Does general liability cover the pets?
No. General liability covers injury or property damage you cause to other people. The animal in your care is a separate exposure, handled by care, custody and control cover. Buy both, and check that the second one is not written as a sublimit on the first.
How much does pet sitting insurance cost?
Typical prices as of 2026: $200 to $500 a year for a solo sitter or walker, and $600 to $2,500 or more for boarding, daycare or a multi-walker team.
Monthly programs such as Next Insurance and Thimble quote $20 to $60 a month. Carriers price on visit volume, overnights, staff, services and claims history. Ask three brokers for the same coverage schedule and compare the exclusions, not just the premium.
What happens if a walker is bitten?
Treatment is a matter for a licensed veterinarian, and the incident may need reporting to local animal control. Whether the policy pays depends on your bite exclusion and whether the walker was listed. Report it to the carrier promptly, whatever the answer.
Does the policy cover subcontractors?
Only if they are named. Most policies cover employees you disclosed at underwriting and exclude anyone else. If you use contract walkers, tell the broker before the first booking and confirm the wording in writing.
