Fort Lauderdale, FL Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Grooming tax
- $73.50 flat (Sec. 15-57)
- Boarding
- requires separate Pet Boarding classification
- Boarding standards
- Code Sec. 47-18.25
- Veterinary clinic tax
- $157.50 per licensed veterinarian
- Receipt cycle
- Aug. 1 sale, Sept. 30 due, annual
- No-receipt penalty
- 25% of tax due
Summary
Fort Lauderdale taxes pet grooming shops under a flat $73.50 Animal Grooming Service classification in Code Sec. 15-57, and that classification bars any onsite boarding of animals. A groomer that also boards pets overnight must get the separate Pet Boarding classification instead.
ANIMAL GROOMING SERVICE (This category prohibits boarding of any animals. For boarding of domestic animals see Pet Boarding, which is a separate classification, and which has specific requirements found in section 47-18.25 of this Code.) $73.50
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67 Update 1 | Unified Land Development Code: Supplement 58 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Sec. " A business that wants to board pets, rather than just wash, clip or style them, has to obtain the separate Pet Boarding classification, which the schedule notes carries its own requirements at Code Sec. 25. 50 per licensed veterinarian, with their own use standards referenced at Code Sec. 35, so a grooming-only business pays a fraction of what a veterinary practice pays under the tax schedule. As with every classification in Sec. 15-57, Sec. 15-33 requires a groomer to hold a separate receipt for grooming and, if applicable, a second receipt for boarding, since the two are distinct classifications even if run from the same storefront.
Sec. 15-40 requires the Business Tax Division to confirm through Development Services that the grooming shop's proposed location is zoning-compliant before it issues the receipt, and continued compliance is a condition of keeping it; premises with unresolved building code or zoning violations cannot operate regardless of whether the tax has been paid. Receipts follow the same annual cycle as every other classification: sold from August 1, due September 30, renewed yearly.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 15-43(b) penalizes operating a grooming or boarding business without the required receipt at 25 percent of the tax due, in addition to the underlying tax. Sec. 15-43(a) adds a 10 percent penalty for receipts unrenewed by September 30, plus 5 percent for each further month of delinquency, capped at 25 percent of the tax, and Sec. 15-27 separately treats operating without displaying a required receipt as an offense under the article.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Fort Lauderdale's business tax for a pet grooming shop?
Can a groomer also board pets overnight under the same tax receipt?
Does a veterinary clinic pay the same grooming tax?
What if a grooming business never gets a tax receipt?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Lauderdale
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Fort Lauderdale to another location·View the Florida animal ordinances overview
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