🎯 The business: bounce houses, tents, tables and chairs delivered, set up and picked up for birthday parties, backyard weddings, school fairs and church picnics. Families book online, weekends are full from spring to fall, and the same gear rents again and again. The two things that sink rental companies are wind and paperwork, so this page spends time on both.
At a glance
| Money to start | ≈ $14,700 for two inflatables, one tent, 10 tables, 100 chairs and a trailer |
| Time to the first booking | 3 to 6 weeks, mostly insurance and any state inspection |
| Hours | Friday to Sunday, early mornings and evenings; light in winter |
| Skills that matter most | Safe setup and anchoring, reading the weather, keeping gear clean, booking systems |
| What a busy month can pay | About $7,250 before tax in peak season (worked below), much less in winter |
Is this for you?
It suits someone with a truck, a strong back, a free weekend calendar and a liking for logistics. The work is loading, driving, staking, inflating, and coming back to do it in reverse. Most bookings come online, so being organized matters more than being a salesperson.
It is a poor fit if you cannot work weekends or will be tempted to set up in bad weather to save a booking. An inflatable that lifts in the wind can injure children. Cancelling and refunding is part of the job.
Who pays, and what
Parents booking backyard birthdays, couples planning backyard weddings and graduations, schools, churches, HOAs, and companies holding summer picnics. A standard bounce house often rents for $175 to $250 a day in many areas, a combo with a slide for more, and a 20 x 20 tent installed for $400 to $600. Tables and chairs add on at a few dollars each.
Schools, churches and companies book every year once they trust you, and they often book several items at once. Those repeat bookings are where the profit is.
What it takes to start
| Two commercial-grade inflatables with blowers, stakes and tarps | $4,000 |
| 20 x 20 frame tent with sidewalls, flame-resistance label | $2,500 |
| 10 folding tables and 100 folding chairs | $2,700 |
| Used enclosed or utility trailer | $2,500 |
| LLC, license, liability insurance covering inflatables (first payment) | $2,000 |
| Sandbags, extension cords with GFCI protection, hand truck, wind meter | $500 |
| Website with online booking and deposits | $500 |
| All-in | ≈ $14,700 |
Buy commercial-grade inflatables from a maker that states the product meets ASTM F2374 and gives you the manual with its anchoring and wind limits. Cheap residential bounce houses are not built for rental use and are hard or impossible to insure.
Start to finish: the steps
1. Check your state’s amusement ride rules. Some states regulate rental inflatables as amusement rides. Texas, for example, requires annual inspection, liability insurance and a compliance sticker on each inflatable. Find your state’s agency (often labor, agriculture or insurance) before you buy anything.
2. Get an insurance quote before you buy gear. Many general liability carriers exclude inflatables. Get a quote from a broker who writes party rental policies, and ask what the carrier requires: certain makers, staking, written rules, an attendant for some items.
3. Buy a small, popular inventory. Two inflatables that suit ages 3 to 10, one tent, tables and chairs. Pick colors and themes that photograph well. Add items only after you see which ones are booked out.
4. Make it legal. Form an LLC, get the business license, open a business bank account, and charge sales tax on rentals if your state requires it. See Choosing a legal structure.
5. Write the rental agreement and safety rules. Who supervises, how many children at once, no shoes or sharp objects, when to get off (wind, rain, power loss), damage and cleaning fees, and the cancellation policy for weather. Have a lawyer read it once. See Leases and contracts.
6. Set up online booking with a deposit. A booking site that shows live availability, takes a deposit and sends reminders. Most customers book at night from a phone.
7. Practice setup at home. Set up every item at least three times, timed. Learn the anchoring in the manual for grass, and what to do on concrete (sandbags or water weights of the weight the maker specifies).
8. Run your first ten bookings for reviews. Ask for a photo and a Google review the evening after the party. Photos of a happy party sell the next booking.
9. Sell to schools, churches and companies. Email school PTA leaders and church event coordinators in January with a package price for spring and fall events. Provide a certificate of insurance naming them when asked.
10. Grow by what is booked out. If the combo bouncer is booked every Saturday, buy a second. Add concession machines, a dunk tank or a larger tent only when demand is clear, and hire a weekend helper on payroll.
Pricing
| Standard bounce house, one day | $200 |
| Combo bounce house with slide | $275 |
| 20 x 20 tent, installed | $500 |
| Folding table / chair | $10 / $2.50 |
| Delivery outside your free area | $2 a mile or a zone fee |
| Deposit | 25 to 50 percent at booking, refunded or moved for weather cancellations |
These are example prices. Check three local companies’ websites and price near the middle. Most rental companies bundle a bounce house with a table and chair package; bundles fill a trailer and raise the average order.
The math
A busy summer month: 24 party bookings averaging $325 (a bounce house plus tables and chairs) is $7,800. Four tent installs at $500 add $2,000. Revenue: $9,800.
Monthly costs: a weekend helper for 60 hours at $20 including payroll costs is $1,200; truck and trailer fuel $400; ads and booking software $350; insurance $250; cleaning supplies and a repair fund $250; and replacing broken chairs and tables $100. That is $2,550, leaving $7,250 before tax.
Winter months may bring a few indoor events and little else, so set aside summer money for the slow season. At this pace the starting gear pays for itself in about two busy months. See Pricing and margins.
Getting customers
Most bookings start with a search, so a Google Business Profile with photos and reviews and a booking site that loads fast on a phone come first. Then: neighborhood Facebook groups and Nextdoor, school PTAs, churches, HOA event committees, and corporate event planners. Repeat customers get a small discount for booking next year’s date early.
Running it week to week
Monday to Thursday: confirm the weekend bookings, check the forecast, clean and inspect gear, and patch seams. Friday: load the trailer by route order. On each job, walk the setup spot with the customer, check for overhead wires and slopes, call 811 a few days ahead if you will drive stakes where buried lines might run, anchor every point the manual lists, and brief the adult who will supervise.
Check the wind before you leave and on site with a handheld meter. If the forecast passes the maker’s limit, move or cancel the booking under your weather policy. After pickup, dry everything before storage; mold ruins vinyl and tent fabric.
Rules to check
Inflatables. ASTM F2374 is the industry standard for the design, manufacture, operation and maintenance of inflatable amusement devices, including anchoring and wind limits. Some states write their own rules on top. Texas treats commercial inflatables as amusement rides that need an annual inspection, liability insurance and a Texas Amusement Ride Compliance sticker on each unit. Other states have their own inspection or registration programs; ask your state’s labor, agriculture or insurance department.
Tents. Most cities adopt the International Fire Code, which requires a permit for tents larger than 400 square feet, with an exception in many codes for tents up to 700 square feet that are open on all sides and spaced away from buildings and other tents. A 20 x 20 tent is exactly 400 square feet; two together need a permit. Tent fabric must carry a flame-resistance label. Local codes vary, so call the fire marshal’s office.
Everything else. Sales tax on rentals in many states, a local business license, and the venue’s rules; parks and schools often require a certificate of insurance and may ban stakes.
What goes wrong
Wind is the serious risk. Inflatables have lifted and blown away with children inside, in the U.S. and abroad. Follow the maker’s wind limit, anchor every point, and take it down when the wind picks up, even with a party in progress. Put that rule in the contract so the customer expects it.
The everyday problems are damage (a torn seam, a tent leg bent by a car), late pickups that ruin your Sunday route, and rainouts. A damage fee in the agreement, a repair kit on the trailer, and a clear weather policy cover most of it.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a party rental business?
About $14,700 for a small starter set: two commercial inflatables, a 20 x 20 tent, 10 tables, 100 chairs, a used trailer, insurance and a booking website. Starting with tables and chairs only costs much less.
Do I need a license or permit to rent bounce houses?
You need a business license, and some states regulate inflatables as amusement rides. Texas, for example, requires annual inspection, insurance and a compliance sticker on each unit. Check your state’s amusement ride agency.
Do I need a permit to put up a party tent?
In most places that follow the International Fire Code, a tent larger than 400 square feet needs a fire permit, with exceptions for some open-sided tents up to 700 square feet. Ask your local fire marshal.
How much wind is too much for a bounce house?
Follow the maker’s limit in the manual, which can be well under 25 mph, and measure on site with a wind meter. If the limit is in doubt, deflate.
How much can a party rental business make?
A busy summer month with 24 parties and 4 tent installs can leave about $7,250 before tax, as worked above. Winter months earn far less.
Free help
SCORE mentors and your local Small Business Development Center help with a plan, pricing and equipment loans. Your state amusement ride agency, where one exists, explains inspection and insurance rules. Your local fire marshal’s office explains tent permits. Call 811 is free before you stake into the ground. More in Business insurance.
Amusement ride and tent rules differ by state and city; check your state agency and fire marshal before your first booking and each spring. Prices are examples. Facts checked November 2026.