Oak Park, IL Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- State of Illinois AND Village of Oak Park license
- Covered activities
- Buying, selling, grooming, training, dealing in pets
- Issuing office
- Village Clerk, after Public Health inspection
- Fee
- Set by Village Code Chapter 8
- Compliance condition
- Must comply with Illinois Animal Welfare Act
- Code location
- Village Code §§ 5-6-1, 5-6-2
Summary
Oak Park requires anyone who grooms, buys, sells, trains, or deals in household pets to hold both a State of Illinois and a Village of Oak Park license before opening for business. The Village Clerk issues the license only after the Director of Public Health inspects the premises for fitness, and the business must post the certificate where customers can see it.
5-6-1: LICENSE REQUIRED: ... No person shall engage in the business of buying, selling, grooming, training or dealing in animals used as household pets or for domestic purposes without first obtaining a State and Village license. ... It shall be the duty of the Director of Public Health and other appropriate inspection personnel of the Village to cause an investigation of the premises named and described in such application for the purpose of determining the fitness and suitability of such premises for such business. Upon recommendation of the Director of Public Health and other appropriate personnel, and upon payment by such applicant to the Village Clerk of the license fee as set out in Chapter 8 of this Code, on licenses, the Village Clerk shall issue or cause to be issued to such applicant a license. A valid license certificate shall be posted in a conspicuous place in such place of business.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-9: Code current through: Ord. 26-159, passed - -2026).
Full Breakdown
Village Code § 5-6-1, in Chapter 5's Article 6 on Dealers in Household Pets, bars any person from engaging in the business of buying, selling, grooming, training, or dealing in animals used as household pets or for domestic purposes without first obtaining both a State and a Village license. Section 5-6-2 lays out how to get one: the applicant files a written application with the Village Clerk naming the applicant, the applicant's residence, and the location and description of the premises where the business will operate.
The Director of Public Health, with other appropriate inspection personnel, must then investigate the premises to determine whether it is fit and suitable for the business. Only after the Director recommends approval, and only after the applicant pays the license fee set in Chapter 8 of the Village Code, will the Village Clerk issue the license. The certificate must be posted in a conspicuous place at the business. Section 5-6-2 further conditions issuance on compliance with the Animal Welfare Act of the State of Illinois, so a groomer or dealer who cannot show State compliance cannot obtain the local license either.
Because Article 6 covers grooming in the same sentence as buying, selling, training, and dealing, a stand-alone pet-grooming shop in Oak Park is licensed and inspected the same way a pet store or trainer would be, not treated as a separate, lighter-touch category.
Violations & Fines
Article 6 does not set its own fine, so operating a pet-grooming or pet-dealing business without the required State and Village license falls under the Village's general penalty, § 1-1-5: a fine of $20 to $750, with each day of unlicensed operation charged as a separate offense. The Village Clerk can also decline to issue or renew the license until the Director of Public Health's fitness investigation is satisfied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a home-based dog groomer in Oak Park need a license?
Who inspects a pet-grooming business before Oak Park issues a license?
What happens if a pet groomer operates in Oak Park without a license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oak Park
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