Starting a Petting Zoo Business: First Things to Do

Starting a Petting Zoo Business

A petting zoo business gives visitors a controlled place to see, touch, feed, or learn about live animals. At a fixed venue, people come to your property, so the startup process involves far more than buying animals.

You need the right site, safe visitor flow, handwashing areas, animal housing, staff coverage, records, insurance, and local approvals. You also need the right temperament for the daily tasks. Does this kind of business suit your patience, lifestyle, and risk tolerance?

A petting zoo can look simple from the outside. Families arrive, children smile, and animals become the center of the experience. Behind that experience are chores, cleaning, animal health checks, visitor rules, safety decisions, and pressure when the venue is busy.

Before you commit, think honestly about whether you’re passionate about owning this business—not just attracted to the idea of animals and happy guests. Are you moving toward something or running away from something? Don’t start only because you dislike your current job, feel financial pressure, or want a business that looks fun from the outside.

You also need room in your life for the early stage. Startup costs, personal living expenses, household support, income uncertainty, and the chance of failure should all be discussed before you commit to land, animals, or build-out.

If you want a broader view of the startup process, this guide can be paired with a general overview of startup steps. The sections below focus on the specific path for a facility-based petting zoo business.

Fit, Motivation, and Owner Conversations

A petting zoo business needs an owner who can stay calm around children, parents, staff, animals, and rules. The job can involve manure, weather, odors, sick animals, broken gates, crowded paths, and visitors who need reminders.

Ask yourself a few direct questions before you move forward:

Can you handle daily animal care even when the weather is bad?
Are you comfortable correcting unsafe visitor behavior?
Can you stay patient with children and parents during busy periods?
Do you have enough risk tolerance for a public animal-contact venue?
Can your household handle the time, financial stress, and early uncertainty?

You should also speak with experienced owners before you start. Talk only with petting zoo, farm attraction, or animal exhibit owners you won’t be competing against. Look in another city, region, or market area.

Prepare questions before those conversations. Ask about animal choices, staffing, insurance, zoning, handwashing setup, seasonality, veterinary costs, and what they wish they had verified before opening.

Those owners have firsthand experience. Their path won’t match yours exactly, but their insight can show you what day-to-day ownership really feels like. For more perspective, review advice from real business owners before you commit.

Red Flags Before You Start

Some warning signs should make you pause, change the model, or walk away before you spend serious money. These are not small setup tasks. They affect whether the business should start at all.

Zoning does not support the use: If the property can’t legally operate as a public animal attraction, don’t buy or lease it.
USDA or state animal rules are unclear: Verify animal exhibitor status and animal movement rules before buying animals.
No veterinarian will support the operation: A petting zoo needs reliable animal health support from the start.
Insurance is unavailable or excludes major risks: Animal bites, rides, field trips, and illness claims can change the whole decision.
The site lacks water, restrooms, handwashing, or waste handling: Price out upgrades before you commit.
You want exotic animals without understanding the rules: Exotic or wild animals can add permits, special housing, safety issues, and insurance problems.
Your pricing only works with constant high attendance: Weather, school calendars, seasonality, and local competition can make attendance uneven.
You dislike cleaning, chores, or public supervision: Those tasks are part of the business, not side issues.
Local demand is weak or already served: Recheck the location, pricing, and model before signing anything.

A strong fit matters here. If the numbers only work on paper—or only work if every day is busy and trouble-free—the model may not suit your resources.

Step 1: Check Your Fit Before Investing

Start with the owner decision. A petting zoo business can be rewarding, but it’s also physical, public-facing, and risk-aware. You need to enjoy animals, but you also need to handle cleaning, rules, supervision, and pressure.

Think about your normal day. You may feed animals, check water, inspect gates, clean pens, restock handwashing supplies, answer visitor questions, and respond to incidents. Does that lifestyle fit you?

This is also the time to think through personal finances. You may need to cover living expenses while the business is being approved, built, stocked, and tested. Startup delays can happen if zoning, inspections, animal documents, or insurance take longer than expected.

Don’t skip this step because it feels basic. Fit is not a soft issue in a petting zoo. If you dislike repetitive chores, public correction, or animal-care routines, the business may wear you down quickly.

Step 2: Learn From Non-Competing Owners

After your own fit check, talk to people who already run similar venues. Choose owners outside your target area so the conversation doesn’t create a competitive concern.

Go in with prepared questions. Ask what surprised them during startup, which animals worked best for public contact, what insurance questions came up, and what they would change if they started again.

Useful topics include:

Animal mix and temperament.
Visitor flow during peak times.
Staffing needed for safe supervision.
Handwashing and restroom layout.
Seasonal demand and weather limits.
Veterinary costs and animal health records.
Permit, zoning, and inspection issues.

This step can save you from building a business around assumptions. It can also help you decide whether to start small, buy an existing venue, or rethink the idea entirely.

Step 3: Choose the Petting Zoo Model

A facility-based petting zoo means customers come to your site. That makes your property, layout, capacity, and guest experience central startup decisions.

You need to decide what the venue will actually offer. A simple animal-contact area has different needs than a petting zoo with pony rides, school visits, birthday reservations, animal feeding, seasonal farm activities, or food sales.

Common model choices include:

A standalone petting zoo.
A farm-based attraction with animal contact.
A petting zoo with school or camp visits.
A venue with birthday or private event blocks.
A barrier-viewing setup instead of direct-touch animal contact.
A petting zoo with controlled feed cups.

Each choice changes the setup. Direct contact may require more staff, stronger handwashing flow, clearer signs, and tighter visitor control. Animal rides can raise insurance and safety questions. Food service can trigger separate health department rules.

Ask yourself whether you want a simple animal experience or a larger venue with more moving parts. More features can mean more complexity before you ever open.

Step 4: Decide Whether to Start or Buy an Existing Venue

You can start a petting zoo business from scratch or buy an existing venue. Each path has a different risk profile.

Starting from scratch gives you more control. You choose the site, animals, layout, and experience. It also means you must verify zoning, build the facility, source animals, set up records, and prepare the venue from the ground up.

Buying an existing petting zoo or farm attraction may reduce some setup uncertainty. Still, you need to check licenses, zoning, animal records, inspection history, facility condition, insurance, and whether the customer base is real.

A franchise is not the usual path for a fixed petting zoo. The venue’s success still depends on local property approval, animal-care systems, visitor safety, insurance, staffing, and your own operating judgment.

The right path depends on your budget, timeline, need for support, desire for control, and risk tolerance. A deeper look at whether to start from scratch or buy can help you compare those options.

Step 5: Validate Local Demand Before Major Commitments

A petting zoo business needs enough local demand to support animal care, staffing, facility costs, insurance, and slow periods. Don’t assume people will pay simply because they like animals.

Look at the area around the possible site. Think about families, schools, camps, childcare centers, tourists, birthday venues, parks, farms, fairs, children’s museums, and existing animal attractions.

You’re trying to answer a simple question: can this location support a paid animal-contact venue?

Check factors such as:

Nearby family population.
School and camp access.
Seasonal tourism.
Weather patterns.
Existing zoos, farms, fairs, and free attractions.
Parking and travel convenience.
What local customers already pay for similar experiences.

Demand validation is also a fit issue. If your market is thin, you may feel pressure to add more features, lower prices, or take on events that stretch the facility. Study local supply and demand before making large commitments.

Business Plan

Your business plan should turn the startup decisions into a clear path. It shouldn’t be a generic document—it should help you decide what must be in place before a petting zoo can open safely and legally.

Use the plan to connect your model, site, animals, costs, pricing, funding, compliance checks, staffing, and opening-readiness tasks. If a lender, landlord, insurer, or local office asks questions, your plan should show that you’ve thought through the real setup.

Include practical details such as:

Animal species and animal count.
Direct-contact or barrier-contact rules.
Visitor capacity and traffic flow.
Handwashing station layout.
Food-free animal areas.
Staff roles and coverage.
Veterinary relationship and animal health records.
Quarantine or isolation space.
Manure and waste handling.
Emergency and incident response.
Permit, zoning, and inspection steps.
Startup cost categories.
Pricing and payment decisions.
Soft opening or test-run plan.

Keep the plan practical. The point isn’t to sound impressive—it’s to make better decisions before you sign, buy, build, or open. A guide to writing a business plan can help you organize the details.

Step 6: Verify Federal Animal Exhibitor Status

Before you buy animals, contact USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Animal Care or review the agency’s licensing guidance. Some public animal exhibitors need an Animal Welfare Act exhibitor license.

This depends on the species, the type of public display, whether visitors pay, who owns the animals, and whether an exemption applies. Don’t guess.

A petting zoo with regulated animals may need licensing. Some domesticated farm animal exhibits may be exempt in certain situations. The details matter, so check before you build your animal list.

This step affects your timeline. If licensing applies, you may need to apply, prepare for inspection, and meet animal-care standards before opening.

Step 7: Verify State Animal Health and Movement Rules

A petting zoo business may need animal health documents before animals enter the state, move between states, or appear at public exhibitions. Requirements vary by species and state.

Check with the state veterinarian or state department of agriculture before buying or transporting animals. Ask about certificates of veterinary inspection, official identification, testing, import permits, rabies vaccination, and quarantine rules.

This is especially important if you plan to buy goats, sheep, cattle, swine, poultry, rabbits, horses, camelids, or exotic animals from outside your state.

Don’t let a seller’s confidence replace your own verification. As the buyer, you need to know whether each animal can legally and safely enter the business.

Step 8: Confirm Zoning Before You Commit to a Site

The site can make or break a petting zoo business. Before signing a lease or buying land, confirm that the property can legally operate as a public animal attraction.

Ask the local planning or zoning office about animal keeping, entertainment use, farm attraction use, parking, signage, traffic, restrooms, manure handling, noise, drainage, setbacks, and event activity.

You may also need a certificate of occupancy or a change-of-use approval if the property is being converted to a new use. When you speak with local offices, describe the exact planned use so they understand the full setup.

Don’t rely only on the fact that a property has land or a barn. A rural-looking property may still have restrictions. A good location must be legal, safe, accessible, and practical for guests.

Step 9: Design the Facility Around Animals and Visitors

A fixed petting zoo needs a layout that protects animals, guests, staff, and the business. The design should make safe behavior easy.

Start with zones. You need areas for animal housing, public contact, handwashing, feed storage, quarantine or isolation, staff-only access, manure handling, restrooms, parking, and visitor movement.

The venue should separate dining or snack areas from animal areas. Handwashing stations should sit where visitors naturally exit animal-contact spaces. Signs should be clear enough for both children and adults to understand at a glance.

Key layout items include:

Secure perimeter fencing.
Interior pens and stalls.
Gates with safe latches.
Barriers where direct contact is not allowed.
Marked visitor paths.
Staff-only areas.
Handwashing stations at exits.
Separate food and animal areas.
Restrooms and waste bins.
Emergency access.

Think about peak-time pressure. Can guests move without crowding? Can staff see the animal-contact areas? Could a child accidentally leave a pen open? Can visitors reach handwashing stations without passing through a food area?

Step 10: Set Up Veterinary Support and Animal Health Records

Before opening, line up a veterinarian who understands the species you plan to keep. This relationship matters for animal welfare, records, emergencies, and public trust.

Your animal health plan should cover vaccinations, parasite control, hoof care, routine health checks, injury response, quarantine, isolation, and species-specific care.

You also need records. Keep animal inventory, acquisition records, veterinary records, vaccination records, certificates of veterinary inspection, feed records, cleaning logs, staff training logs, and incident reports.

Good records keep you organized before opening and give you solid ground if a veterinarian, inspector, insurer, or health department asks questions.

Step 11: Plan Startup Costs Before Major Purchases

Don’t rely on a single rough estimate. Startup costs for a petting zoo depend on the site, animals, model, facility condition, permits, insurance, staffing, and local requirements.

Price out each major category before you buy animals or start construction. Get quotes where possible, especially for fencing, gates, shelters, restrooms, handwashing stations, parking, insurance, veterinary setup, and waste handling.

Cost planning should include:

Land purchase or lease.
Zoning and permit costs to verify locally.
Certificate of occupancy or change-of-use items if required.
Barns, shelters, pens, fencing, gates, and visitor paths.
Restrooms and handwashing stations.
Animal purchase or lease.
Feed, hay, bedding, and water systems.
Veterinary setup and health records.
Quarantine or isolation area.
Cleaning, sanitation, and manure handling.
Signs, notices, and safety materials.
Insurance.
Ticketing, booking, and payment systems.
Staff training and opening coverage.
Cash reserve for delays or slow periods.

Ask yourself whether the startup costs fit your real financial capacity. If the budget only works if nothing goes wrong, you may need to scale back the model or delay the launch.

Step 12: Register the Business and Set Up Payments

Once the model and site are realistic, set up the business properly. Choose a structure, register the business where required, and apply for an Employer Identification Number if needed.

A petting zoo business may also need state tax registration if it sells taxable admissions, feed cups, merchandise, concessions, or event packages. These rules vary, so verify them with your state revenue department.

Set up a business bank account before opening. Keep business transactions separate from personal ones from the start. You can also review how to open a business bank account if this is new to you.

Payment setup should match the venue. You may need a card reader, point-of-sale system, reservation tool, receipt process, sales tax tracking, deposit rules for private events, and a refund or cancellation policy.

Step 13: Handle Legal and Local Compliance Checks

Legal setup for a petting zoo business is location-specific. Don’t treat one city or state rule as universal. Verify the rules that apply to your exact site, animal list, and customer experience.

At the federal level, check whether Animal Welfare Act exhibitor licensing applies. Also review federal employer requirements if you hire staff, and public-access rules that may affect service animals at the venue.

At the state level, verify entity formation, sales tax, employer accounts, animal health documents, animal movement rules, exotic or wildlife permits, and food service rules if you sell or serve food.

At the city or county level, verify:

General business license.
Zoning approval.
Certificate of occupancy.
Public health expectations for animal contact.
Sign permits.
Waste, manure, drainage, odor, and nuisance rules.
Fire or building review if required.

Use simple, direct questions when you contact local offices. Ask whether the property can operate as a public animal attraction, whether the use requires occupancy approval, and whether the health department inspects animal-contact exhibits.

For general guidance on permits, review business licenses and permits, but always confirm the final answer locally.

Step 14: Secure Insurance and Risk Controls

Insurance isn’t just another startup expense for a petting zoo business—it can determine whether the model is realistic at all.

Speak with an insurance agent who understands animal attractions, farm venues, or public recreation businesses. Ask direct questions about exclusions for bites, scratches, kicks, animal rides, field trips, zoonotic illness, private events, volunteers, and special activities.

Coverage to discuss may include:

General liability.
Commercial property.
Animal-related coverage where available.
Commercial auto if vehicles are used.
Workers’ compensation if employees are hired.
Umbrella liability.
Event coverage.
Coverage related to working with children, if advised by the insurer.

Workers’ compensation may be required when employees are hired, depending on the state. Other coverage may be part of risk planning, lender requirements, lease terms, or sound startup judgment.

Step 15: Prepare Equipment, Supplies, and Systems

The equipment for a petting zoo business should support animal welfare, safe visitor flow, sanitation, records, and payment—not just animals and pens.

For animal housing, you may need barns, shelters, shade, stalls, paddocks, secure fencing, gates, water systems, feed bins, hay racks, bedding storage, and a quarantine or isolation area.

For visitor areas, plan the entrance, exit, handwashing stations, paths, barriers, benches, restrooms, trash bins, signs, and food-free animal zones.

For sanitation and safety, prepare:

Manure forks, shovels, brooms, hoses, and wheelbarrows.
Animal-safe disinfectants.
Separate cleaning tools by zone where needed.
Waste bins and manure storage.
First-aid kits.
Bite or scratch response supplies.
Fire extinguishers where required.
Staff phones or radios.
Incident report forms.

For administration, prepare a point-of-sale system, card reader, booking or reservation software if needed, business phone, business email, computer or tablet, and basic bookkeeping setup.

Step 16: Train Staff and Write Procedures

If the petting zoo will have employees, volunteers, or helpers, training must happen before guests arrive. A facility with animals and children can’t rely on common sense alone.

Train staff on animal handling, visitor rules, handwashing reminders, bite and scratch response, animal stress signs, manure cleanup, gate control, emergency shutdown, and incident reporting.

Written procedures should cover:

Opening checks.
Animal health checks.
Feeding rules.
Guest feeding rules.
Cleaning routines.
Handwashing station restocking.
Animal escape response.
Sick or stressed animal response.
Visitor injury response.
Closing checks.

This is also a lifestyle question. Are you ready to supervise people who supervise animals and guests? Understaffing can turn a good idea into a risky opening.

Step 17: Set Pricing and Opening Payment Rules

Pricing for a petting zoo business should reflect capacity, staff coverage, animal care, cleaning time, insurance, seasonality, and local customer expectations.

Decide what customers pay for before opening. Admission-only pricing is different from admission plus feed cups, pony rides, private event blocks, birthday reservations, or school group visits.

Build pricing around real limits. A venue can only hold so many guests safely. Animals can only handle so much contact. Staff can only supervise so many areas at once.

Also decide how you’ll handle deposits, refunds, cancellations, taxes, cash, card payments, receipts, and group reservations.

If pricing feels tight, pause and revisit the model. You may need fewer features, a smaller opening, different animals, stronger cost controls, or a different site.

Step 18: Run a Controlled Pre-Opening Test

Before opening to the public, run a small test with invited guests. Do this only after approvals, insurance, handwashing stations, signs, staff training, animal health checks, and payment systems are all in place.

Watch how the venue performs with real people. Look for crowding, confused paths, slow handwashing, stressed animals, gate problems, restroom issues, staff blind spots, and payment delays.

A test run should answer practical questions:

Can guests find the entrance and exit?
Do children reach the handwashing stations easily?
Can staff see animal-contact areas?
Do guests understand the rules?
Are animals calm with visitor contact?
Does cleanup take longer than expected?
Does the payment process work smoothly?

Fix problems before a full opening. A delayed opening is better than inviting the public into a venue that isn’t ready.

Opening-Day Readiness Checklist

Use this checklist before the first public opening. It covers safety, compliance, facility, and guest readiness.

Federal animal exhibitor status has been verified.
State animal movement and health rules have been checked by species.
Local zoning approval is confirmed.
Certificate of occupancy or change-of-use approval is complete if required.
Business registration and tax setup are complete where required.
Insurance is active before guests enter.
Veterinary support is in place.
Animal health records are organized.
Quarantine or isolation space is ready.
Fencing, gates, pens, and shelters have been inspected.
Visitor routes are marked.
Handwashing stations are stocked.
Food and animal areas are separated.
Rules and safety signs are posted.
Restrooms are ready.
Waste and manure handling is ready.
Feed storage is secure.
Cleaning supplies are stocked.
Incident forms are ready.
Staff have been trained.
Payment systems have been tested.
A soft opening or test run has been completed.

If anything important is missing, stop. A petting zoo business depends on trust, and opening before the facility is ready can damage that trust on day one.

Opening-Day Red Flags

These warning signs mean the venue may not be ready to open. They are separate from the larger start-or-stop concerns covered earlier.

Handwashing stations are missing, hard to find, or not stocked: Delay opening until guests can clean their hands after animal contact.
Food and animal areas are not separated: Redesign the flow before inviting visitors.
Staff cannot see key animal-contact areas: Add coverage or reduce capacity.
Animals appear stressed, sick, or unsuitable for contact: Remove them from public access and call the veterinarian when needed.
Gates, fences, or latches are not secure: Fix containment before opening.
Rules signs are unclear or missing: Post simple visitor instructions before guests arrive.
Payment systems have not been tested: Test them before the first transaction.
Cleaning and manure routines are not ready: Don’t open until staff know exactly what to do.
Insurance is not active: Do not allow public access.

If several of these issues show up at once, the problem isn’t one missing item. The facility likely needs another test run before opening.

Daily Reality Snapshot

A short look at the day can help you decide whether this business fits you. This is not a full operations guide—it’s a lifestyle check.

You or your staff may arrive early, check each animal, clean pens, confirm feed and water, inspect gates, review staff assignments, restock handwashing stations, and open visitor paths.

During visitor hours, the team monitors animal-contact areas, reminds guests to wash hands, answers questions, watches for animal stress, cleans as needed, and responds to incidents.

After closing, the team cleans again, secures animals, updates records, restocks supplies, checks gates, and prepares for the next day.

If that day sounds satisfying, the business may suit you. If it sounds draining before you even start, listen to that reaction.

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions focus on startup decisions for a future petting zoo owner.

Is a petting zoo business a good fit for a first-time owner?

It can be, but only if you’re ready to learn animal care, safety, sanitation, staff supervision, and local rules. A first-time owner should keep the model simple and get strong professional support.

What should I verify before spending money?

Verify zoning, certificate of occupancy requirements, federal animal exhibitor status, state animal movement rules, local health department expectations, insurance availability, veterinary support, and local demand.

Does every petting zoo need a USDA license?

No. Licensing depends on the animals, the activity, public exhibition, payment, ownership, and possible exemptions. Check directly with USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service before buying animals.

What animals are usually simpler for a starter petting zoo?

Domesticated farm-type animals are often more practical than exotic or wild animals. Simpler doesn’t mean risk-free—you still need safe handling, health records, housing, and rule verification.

Should visitors be allowed to feed animals?

Only if you can control the feed, supervise guests, use appropriate feed, and enforce handwashing. Visitor feeding should not be casual or unmanaged.

What belongs in the business plan before launch?

Include the animal list, facility layout, visitor capacity, staff roles, veterinary plan, sanitation setup, permits, insurance, startup costs, pricing, payment setup, and pre-opening test plan.

Is buying an existing petting zoo easier than starting from scratch?

It may be, if the site, approvals, facilities, records, and demand are sound. Still, verify zoning, inspection history, animal health records, insurance, equipment condition, and any unresolved code issues.

Are franchises common for this business?

Not usually for fixed petting zoo venues. The venue depends heavily on local property approval, animal rules, insurance, staff training, and site-specific setup.

What records should be ready before opening?

Prepare animal inventory, veterinary records, vaccination records, certificates of veterinary inspection, acquisition records, cleaning logs, staff training logs, incident forms, permits, licenses, and insurance documents.

Can a petting zoo sell food or drinks?

Yes, but food service can trigger health department rules and additional equipment requirements. Keep food and animal areas separate and verify permit requirements before selling or serving anything.

What is the biggest facility mistake to avoid?

Don’t commit to a property before verifying zoning, occupancy, parking, restrooms, water, waste handling, and animal-use approval. A good-looking site is not enough.

What staffing should be planned before opening?

Plan coverage for entry control, animal-contact supervision, cleaning, handwashing reminders, incident response, ticketing, and animal care. Direct animal contact should never be left unsupervised.

What is the safest way to design visitor contact?

Use clear routes, staff supervision, barriers where needed, separate entrance and exit flow, handwashing stations at exits, no food in animal areas, and simple signs that guests can understand quickly.

Insights From People in the Petting Zoo Business

Learning from people already in the business can help you see what the startup process looks like beyond the basic checklist.

These interviews, videos, podcasts, and owner-focused articles offer firsthand insight into animal care, visitor safety, staffing, customer flow, seasonal pressure, local approvals, and the daily reality of running a petting zoo, petting farm, or related farm attraction.

Zoomars Expands the Petting Zoo Sector — A Q&A with Carolyn Gonzalez, co-owner of Zoomars, covering repairs, city planning hurdles, safety, staff, birthday parties, and building a stronger visitor experience.
Starting a Petting Zoo Business — An article with practical owner input from Dianne Condarco of Rancho Condarco and Dave Erickson of Erickson’s Petting Zoo on zoning, location, animal choices, USDA licensing, setup, and services.
An Interview With Cara Young of Puffin Croft — A petting farm owner interview that gives a useful look at motivation, learning the animal side of the business, and building a farm-based visitor experience.
Horse Sense Training & Petting Zoo Interview — A small business award interview with the owner of Horse Sense Training & Petting Zoo, useful for hearing how an animal-focused business presents its mission and community role.
Meet Stacy Means of Herbert and Friends Mobile Petting Zoo — A mobile petting zoo owner interview that offers insight into family involvement, event demand, animal selection, scheduling pressure, and the owner’s day-to-day commitment.
Exploring Life & Business With Derek Hooley — An interview with the owner of Joy Journey Farms, a mobile petting farm, with useful notes on buying into an existing business, legal setup, events, pony rides, and family operation.
Vox Pops From the Farm Attractions Conference 2025 — A farm-attraction podcast episode with operators and industry leaders discussing the wider farm attraction sector, visitor expectations, attraction trends, and the business side of leisure farming.

Sources:

USDA APHIS: Animal Welfare License, AWA Licensing Guide, Interstate Animal Movement
CDC: Animal Exhibitor Resources, Healthy Animal Exhibits
NASPHV: Animal Contact Compendium
CFSPH: Agritourism Biosecurity
SBA: Choose Business Structure
IRS: Get an EIN
ADA.gov: Service Animal Rules
OSHA: Worker Safety Duties
U.S. Department of Labor: Small Business Labor
FDA: FDA Food Code
NYC Department of Buildings: Certificate of Occupancy
City of Austin: Small Business Permitting
National Agricultural Law Center: Agritourism Liability
New York Agriculture and Markets: Equine Movement Rules, Domestic Animal Permits

What to Plan First Before a Petting Zoo Business Opens