Traveling pet sitter/house sitter - licensing question? (Los Angeles, San Francisco: sublet, live in)

[AnthonyJ34]

Hello,

I am a freelance writer who has been offering pet sitting/house sitting services for the past three years as a side business in both San Francisco and in So. Cal. It is something that I really enjoy, and my goal is to turn it into an actual business (sole proprietorship) to make everything official and above board (tax-wise). I am bonded and insured, and as of this coming Saturday, I will be certified in dog and cat first aid. But I am confused about a few things:

I currently live in So. Cal (Cerritos), and most of my clients are in my local area (Los Angeles County). I do, however, accept long-term house sitting/pet sitting assignments in San Francisco; I did two separate assignments in SF last year; one at Park Merced, the other in Bernal Heights. This is something that I would like to continue to do (my ultimate goal is to relocate to SF in the next year or two, but that's only tentative at this point). My question revolves around getting a business license for this business. Since I live in Los Angeles County (Cerritos), but plan on doing business in both my area and in San Francisco, do I need two separate business licenses? Is there a way to get licensed for the whole state?

All of my local clients live in Los Angeles County, but they live in different cities; only a few of them live in my city of Cerritos. I'm unsure of which type of business license I would need if my goal is to work in different cities, and in the case of San Francisco, a different city and different county?

I can't seem to get a straight answer from any agency I have called. I called the SBA and the Treasury Dept., but everyone I have talked to just said to try this or that number or try talking to such and such agency or department. I keep getting put on hold, bounced around to different numbers, and getting hung up on while on hold. Frustrating!
House sitting and pet sitting seem to be the types of businesses that are hard for the state/county to define or place in a delineated bracket.

I would appreciate input from anyone who might be able to offer any assistance.

Thank you

[California Vagabond]

You might find a resource or two over at nolo.com, for legal do-it-yourselfers:

Small Business: Free Legal Information - Nolo.com

That's all I can offer, I'm afraid. Good luck!

[AnthonyJ34]

Originally Posted by California Vagabond

You might find a resource or two over at nolo.com, for legal do-it-yourselfers:

Small Business: Free Legal Information - Nolo.com

That's all I can offer, I'm afraid. Good luck!

Thank you, CV. I appreciate your input. I will check out the link. I like your user name by the way; when I'm on house sitting assignments, I often feel sort of Vagabondish!!!

[eureka1]

Vagabond is right on. I don't think calling Federal agencies is going t be helpful when business licenses are administered by the counties. With housing as tight as it is in SF I think most people would sublet rather than pay a dog sitter but good luck to you.

[AnthonyJ34]

Originally Posted by eureka1

Vagabond is right on. I don't think calling Federal agencies is going t be helpful when business licenses are administered by the counties. With housing as tight as it is in SF I think most people would sublet rather than pay a dog sitter but good luck to you.

I think it just depends on the homeowner and what type of care/service he/she is expecting. I know a lot of people house-sit/pet-sit for free, but most of those people aren't insured and bonded or certified in pet first-aid, and many times they don't turn out to be all that reputable. But like many things in life, it's often luck of the draw. I notice a lot of the professional pet-sitting/house-sitting companies in San Francisco charging a lot of money for single night stays, and since there are so many of those businesses in operation, obviously many people are paying for that service.