Calvert County, MD Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Section 7-3-301 requires every commercial animal establishment, breeding facility, grooming facility, nonprofit rescue organization and animal fancier operating in Calvert County to hold a license issued by the Board of County Commissioners through Animal Services, renewed annually, with a separate license needed for each residence or business where animals are housed. Section 7-3-302 lists what a grooming facility must submit: on initial issuance, evidence of an approved Planning and Zoning permit or a certification that the property follows the county's Zoning Ordinance as a permitted use; a continuation-of-operations plan naming two emergency contacts; proof of all required state licenses; and the owner's certification that they have not been found guilty of animal cruelty in any jurisdiction and have no open cruelty case pending.

Section 7-11-102 sets the grooming facility license fee at $125 for a one-year license. The license must be displayed conspicuously and is not transferable, and § 7-3-304 lets an Animal Control Officer inspect the facility on demand during business hours to check compliance or respond to a complaint of inhumane treatment or an unsanitary facility; refusing that inspection is itself unlawful. Under § 7-3-305, a license can be suspended up to 30 days for a civil conviction, up to 60 days or revoked for a criminal conviction, and must be revoked if the application contained false or withheld information, with any denial or revocation appealable to the Animal Matters Hearing Board.