San Antonio, TX Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Sec. 5-110 makes it unlawful to operate any grooming shop, as defined in chapter 5, without first obtaining a license from Animal Care Services (ACS). Before approving a license, ACS considers the type of building construction, the applicant's regulatory compliance history on sanitation, health, and animal welfare, and whether the location meets zoning requirements; the department inspects and evaluates every applicant. Applications for an original or renewal license must be submitted to ACS, which investigates the applicant's qualifications and may deny or revoke a license based on a conviction for any violation of chapter 5.

A license is valid for one year, and the operator must apply before opening the shop or within 30 days of the renewal date; missing that deadline is itself a misdemeanor offense under Sec. 5-110(2). A licensed grooming shop has the right to require proof of vaccination against common diseases before accepting a dog or cat for grooming, per Sec. 5-110(b), though the ordinance does not spell out a required vaccine list. The grooming license structure mirrors two neighboring chapter 5 licenses: the pet shop license in Sec.

5-109, which uses the same building, compliance-history, and zoning review, and the commercial boarding facility license in Sec. 5-17, which additionally requires fenced or enclosed exteriors and current rabies and distemper vaccination records for boarded animals. Those parallel sections show ACS applies the same construction-and-compliance screening across every licensed commercial animal facility in the city, not just groomers.