Starting a pet shop or grooming salon: how do you obtain the First-Category Animal-Handling Business registration?

In short: to run a pet shop, grooming salon, pet hotel, training school and the like as a business, before you start operating you obtain a First-Category Animal-Handling Business registration from the prefectural governor with jurisdiction over the business site (the mayor in designated or core cities that have a public health centre). The basis is the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals (Act No. 105 of 1 October 1973), Article 10, paragraph 1. Registration requires appointing an animal-handling manager for each business site and category (Article 22 of the same Act) and that the keeping facilities meet the standards. This article is general information organising the requirements and flow; whether registration is granted is decided by the registering municipality, and our office does not guarantee it.

What is a First-Category Animal-Handling Business, and which categories require registration?

Article 10, paragraph 1 of the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals (the "Animal Welfare Act") requires anyone who handles animals (mammals, birds and reptiles, excluding those used in livestock farming, testing, research and the manufacture of biological preparations) for profit on a repeated and continuous basis to obtain registration from the prefectural governor, etc. This is a First-Category Animal-Handling Business. It is a separate scheme from the "Second-Category Animal-Handling Business" (a notification system) for non-profit handling of many animals; the line is drawn by whether there is profit-making that is repeated and continuous.

There are seven categories subject to registration. Even in the same shop, you register by identifying the category for each activity you carry out. For example, if you combine sales with grooming (keeping), you need registration in both categories.

Category	Main examples
Sales	Pet shops, breeders (including breeding and import for sale)
Keeping	Pet hotels, grooming salons (where you take custody of a customer's animal), pet sitters
Lending	Lending out animals for filming, events or rental
Training	Training schools, on-site training, boarding training
Display	Animal cafés, petting facilities, mobile zoos
Auction brokerage	Brokerage of animal auctions
Received-keeping	Keeping animals received for a fee, such as retirement homes for old dogs and cats

Grooming usually falls under "keeping" because you take custody of the customer's animal during the service. Handling only your own animals, or giving an animal to a friend for free, is normally not repeated, continuous profit-making; but the final judgement on whether an activity is covered is confirmed with the municipality at the planned site by showing what you intend to do.

What qualifications and practical experience does the animal-handling manager need?

Article 22 of the Animal Welfare Act requires a First-Category Animal-Handling Business to appoint an "animal-handling manager" for each business site to carry out the business properly. The manager is chosen from full-time staff dedicated to that site. If the opener meets the requirements, the opener may also serve as the manager.

The requirements to be a manager were tightened by the amendment that took effect on 1 June 2020 (Reiwa 2). Under the current Regulation for Enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, you must meet one of the following. Merely holding a qualification, or merely having experience, is not enough; the scheme combines "practical experience" with "a qualification or education."

Route	Requirement to be met
By qualification	Holding a veterinarian's licence
By qualification	Holding a certified care worker for animals (aigan dobutsu kangoshi) licence
By experience plus qualification/education	Having half a year or more of practical experience in the category to be run (limited to service as a full-time employee), etc., and having passed a prescribed qualification examination or graduated from a school or other educational institution that teaches for one year or more

In place of practical experience, "one year or more of keeping experience recognised as equivalent" for each kind of animal to be handled is also accepted; but keeping as a personal hobby is not included, and what counts as "equivalent" is a discretionary judgement of the municipality, so prior individual consultation is needed. The manager must also not fall under the disqualifications in each item of Article 12, paragraph 1 of the Animal Welfare Act (such as not having passed a set period after a sentence of imprisonment or a fine for violating animal-related laws). After appointment, there is a duty to have the manager take animal-handling-manager training once a year or more (Article 22 of the same Act).

How far do the facility standards (cages, lighting, soundproofing, etc.) go?

For the structure and scale of keeping facilities, the amendment that took effect on 1 June 2021 (Reiwa 3) introduced the so-called numerical standards in stages. The amendment to the Regulation for Enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act sets concrete standards for the size of cages, securing sleeping and exercise space, floor and wall materials, lighting, ventilation and soundproofing, and the disposal of waste and sewage.

Item	Main content
Cage size	Numerical standards for minimum area and height for dogs and cats, based on body length and height
Exercise space	Standards differ where the sleeping/rest place and the exercise space are separated versus integrated
Cap on animals kept per employee	Up to 20 dogs per person (of which 15 breeding dogs); up to 30 cats per person (of which 25 breeding cats)
Breeding limits	Upper limits on the age and lifetime number of births for dogs and cats used for breeding
Environmental control	Temperature and humidity control, securing brightness, prevention of odour and pests, etc.

Caps such as the number of animals kept per employee had transitional measures for existing businesses operating at the time of the amendment, and for First-Category Animal-Handling Businesses they took full effect on 1 June 2024 (Reiwa 6). Because the specific dimensions of cages and the details of application depend on the enforcement regulation, notifications and the municipality's operation, confirm the appropriateness of figures in the guide of the municipality at the planned site. Here we do not assert nationwide uniform dimensions.

From application to opening, in what order does it proceed?

Registration proceeds by submitting the application form with attachments to the municipality's counter, undergoing an on-site inspection of the keeping facilities, and receiving the registration certificate. You may begin operating only after registration; a signboard must be displayed at the shop and name tags on the staff. The registration is valid for five years and must be renewed every five years (Article 13 of the Animal Welfare Act).

Stage	Main content
Prior consultation	Bring the category and facility drawings and consult the municipality on whether the standards can be met
Filing the application	First-Category Animal-Handling Business registration application (per category and per site)
Main attachments	Documents proving the manager's qualification and experience, floor plan and vicinity map of the facility, business plan, certificate of registered matters for companies, etc.
On-site inspection	Confirmation that the keeping facilities meet the standards
Registration and issuance	Entry in the register, issuance of the certificate, display of signboard and name tags
Renewal	Valid for five years; apply for renewal before expiry

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The application fee, forms and the details of required documents differ by municipality. The standard processing period also varies, so working back from the planned opening date and starting from prior consultation is the safe route.

Premises and registration—who handles what, in what order?

If you sign a premises contract first, you may only later notice that the keeping facilities cannot meet the standards, or that the use zone or the building's management rules do not allow an animal-handling business. The safe order is: (1) viewing the premises and confirming the use → (2) confirming whether the facilities can meet the standards and prior consultation with the municipality → (3) the contract → (4) interior and equipment works → (5) filing the registration → (6) on-site inspection → (7) registration and start of operation. What the premises side needs is organised in Conditions for premises usable for an animal-handling business (real estate).

• Preparation of the First-Category Animal-Handling Business registration and support for prior consultation with the municipality → Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office (administrative scrivener)
• Selection, lease and important-matters explanation of the business premises, and checking the use zone and management rules → Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd.
• Confirmation application where the interior amounts to a large-scale change of use → an architect and the specified administrative agency
• Employees' working conditions, social insurance and work rules after opening → Yotsuba Labour and Social Security Attorney Office (labour and social security attorney)
• Accounting and tax → a tax accountant
• Individual legal judgement on rights, obligations and disputes → an attorney

Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office and Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. are separate businesses. Our office handles only support for the First-Category Animal-Handling Business registration as an independent business, and premises, labour and tax are contracted or consulted separately with each qualified professional and business. Our office receives no referral fee. For the whole picture of licensing, see Licensing and Permits; for the flow of engagement, see Engagement Flow; and for fees, see Fee Schedule. Whether registration is granted is decided by the municipality.

FAQ

Q. I will open my own grooming salon. Do I need an animal-handling business registration?
A. During the service you usually take custody of the customer's animal, which falls under the "keeping" category and requires a First-Category Animal-Handling Business registration (Animal Welfare Act, Article 10, paragraph 1). If you also sell, add the "sales" category. Confirm the final judgement on coverage with the municipality at the planned site by showing what you intend to do.

Q. If I have long experience at a pet shop, can I become an animal-handling manager?
A. Experience alone is not enough. After the amendment that took effect on 1 June 2020, you must hold a veterinarian's or certified animal care worker's licence, or combine half a year or more of practical experience with passing a prescribed qualification examination or graduating from an educational institution of one year or more (Regulation for Enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act). Confirm how the requirements apply with the municipality.

Q. Once I obtain registration, is it valid forever?
A. No. The registration is valid for five years and must be renewed every five years (Animal Welfare Act, Article 13). If the period passes without renewal, the registration lapses. Because the timing for accepting renewals differs by municipality, complete the procedure well before expiry.

Q. Is it fine to rent the premises first and then start preparing the registration?
A. Not recommended. If you rent premises whose keeping facilities cannot meet the standards, or where the use zone or management rules do not allow an animal-handling business, you tend to redo the interior or the contract. Doing the premises viewing, use confirmation and the facility-standard check first, and forming a prospect before the contract, is the safe route.

Sources (Primary Information)

• e-Gov Law Search, "Act on Welfare and Management of Animals" (Act No. 105 of 1 October 1973), Article 10 (First-Category Animal-Handling Business registration), Article 12 (refusal of registration / disqualifications), Article 13 (renewal of registration / five-year validity), Article 22 (appointment and training of the animal-handling manager) (accessed 2026-09-18)
• e-Gov Law Search, "Regulation for Enforcement of the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals" (Ordinance of the Ministry of the Environment No. 1 of 2006) (requirements for the animal-handling manager; standards for keeping facilities and keeping management; accessed 2026-09-18)
• Ministry of the Environment, "Regulation of First-Category Animal-Handling Businesses" (the seven categories subject to registration, the registration system, appointment of the animal-handling manager; accessed 2026-09-18)
• Ministry of the Environment, "Keeping management standards (the so-called numerical standards)" (in force from 1 June 2021; the cap on the number of dogs and cats kept took full effect for First-Category businesses on 1 June 2024; accessed 2026-09-18)
• Guides to First-Category Animal-Handling Business registration published by the prefecture, designated city or core city at the planned site (forms, fees, required documents, standard processing period; accessed 2026-09-18)

This article is general information and does not guarantee individual grant of registration, conformity with the manager requirements, conformity with the keeping-facility standards, or the result of an inspection. Registration, on-site inspection and renewal of a First-Category Animal-Handling Business are carried out by the municipality with jurisdiction over the business site (prefecture, designated city, core city, etc.). Confirm the specific numerical standards for keeping facilities, the forms and the required documents on that municipality's official page. Selection, lease and important-matters explanation of the business premises are handled by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd.; building confirmation where a large-scale change of use is involved by an architect and the specified administrative agency; employees' working conditions, social insurance and work rules after opening by Yotsuba Labour and Social Security Attorney Office; accounting and tax by a tax accountant; and individual legal judgement on rights, obligations and disputes by an attorney, each as an independent business under a separate contract or consultation. Our office receives no referral fee. Individual judgements are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu, administrative scrivener and licensed real estate broker.