Animal welfare licensing
Introduction
Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 came into force on 1 October 2018. Under the requirements of these regulations, animal boarding businesses (including home boarding and dog day care), dog breeders, pet shops, riding establishments and persons keeping or training animals for exhibition, are covered under a single type of licence. This is known as an 'animal activity licence', with nationally-set licence conditions for businesses providing animal-related services. Businesses operating with these activities need to comply with the conditions and will be assessed before the licence is granted to make sure they can meet them.
As of 6 April 2020, an amendment to the Animal Welfare (Licensing Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 means that puppies and kittens under the age of six months can no longer be sold by a pet shop, commercial dealer or anyone other than a licensed breeder. This includes puppies which are imported.
Anyone looking to buy or adopt a puppy or kitten under six months must either deal directly with the breeder or an animal re-homing centre.
DEFRA's procedural guidance notes for local authorities plus animal activity licence conditions cover the following activities:
- dog breeding
- pet selling
- hiring out horses
- boarding for dogs and cats
- home boarding for dogs
- dog day care
- keeping or training animals for exhibition
A risk-rating star system is in place for all businesses and local authorities will determine the star rating of a business based on welfare standards found during an inspection and on whether that business is deemed low or high risk. Businesses deemed low risk and meeting higher welfare standards will access the highest star ratings, which in turn is likely to lead to longer intervals between inspections and potentially lower fees.
Should you require further information regarding these new regulations, please contact Environmental Health.
Dog breeding
You must have a licence if you intend to breed dogs. To apply for a new or renewal licence please complete the dog breeding licence application form.
| Licence | Fee |
|---|---|
| Dog breeding application fee | £255.00 |
| One-year licence | £120.00 |
| Two-year licence | £180.00 |
| Three-year licence | £245.00 |
| Combination of activities - in addition to highest activity fee | £52.00 |
| Variation of licence / re-evaluation of rating | £100.00 (plus vets fees) |
| Variations to reduce the licensable activities or number of animals | £55.00 |
| Transfer of licence (on death of licence holder) | £55.00 |
| Change of name or business name (not transfer) | £32.00 |
| Copy of licence | £14.00 |
Fees are payable on application. Where a combination of activities are carried out (for example animal boarding and keeping a pet shop) the highest activity fee applies. Contact the Licensing Team for more details.
A Licensing Officer and a vet may visit your premises to make sure the animals are being adequately looked after.
The licence will give you a limit to the amount of litters each bitch can have, the age they can start to breed and will require you to keep a record of births and sales.
A licence will last one, two or three years depending on the star rating given. Make sure you renew your licence before the expiry date.
Catteries and kennels
You must have a licence if you run a cattery or kennel. To apply for a new or renewal licence please complete the online animal boarding licence application form.
| Licence | Fee |
|---|---|
| Animal boarding application fee | £190.00 |
| One-year licence | £120.00 |
| Two-year licence | £180.00 |
| Three-year licence | £245.00 |
| Combination of activities - in addition to highest activity fee | £52.00 |
| Variation to licence / re-evaluation of rating | £100.00 |
| Variations to reduce the licensable activities or number of animals | £55.00 |
| Transfer of licence (on death of licence holder) | £55.00 |
| Change of name or business name (not transfer) | £32.00 |
| Copy of licence | £14.00 |
Fees are payable on application. Where a combination of activities are carried out (for example animal boarding and keeping a pet shop) the highest activity fee applies. Contact the Environmental Health team for more details.
You will need to show that the accommodation for the animals and management of their welfare meets the necessary standards. An officer or vet may inspect licensed premises at any time we think necessary.
A licence will last one, two or three years depending on the star rating given. Make sure you renew your licence before the expiry date.
Pet shops
You must have a licence to run a pet shop or any business that sells pets. To apply for a new or renewal licence please complete the pet shop licence application form.
| Licence | Fee |
|---|---|
| Pet shop/sale of pets application fee | £190.00 |
| One-year licence | £120.00 |
| Two-year licence | £180.00 |
| Three-year licence | £245.00 |
| Combination of activities - in addition to highest activity fee | £52.00 |
| Variation to licence / re-evaluation of rating | £100.00 |
| Variations to reduce the licensable activities or number of animals | £55.00 |
| Transfer of licence (on death of licence holder) | £55.00 |
| Change of name or business name (not transfer) | £32.00 |
| Copy of licence | £14.00 |
Fees are payable on application. Where a combination of activities are carried out (for example animal boarding and keeping a pet shop), the highest activity fee applies. Contact the Environmental Health team for more details.
You will need to show that the accommodation for the animals and management of their welfare meets the necessary standards. An officer or vet may inspect licensed premises at any time we think necessary.
A licence will last one, two or three years depending on the star rating given. Make sure you renew your licence before the expiry date.
Riding schools
You must have a licence to operate a riding establishment or if you intend to hire out horses. To apply for a new or renewal licence please complete our riding establishment licence application form. You will need to provide details of all horses kept at your establishment when submitting the form. You can download a pro-forma spreadsheet (CSV) [648B] (opens new window) to list horses kept at your establishment.
| Licence | Fee |
|---|---|
| Riding establishment application fee | £255.00 |
| One-year licence | £120.00 |
| Two-year licence | £180.00 |
| Three-year licence | £245.00 |
| Combination of activities - in addition to highest activity fee | £52.00 |
| Variation of licence / re-evaluation of rating | £100.00 (plus vets fees) |
| Variations to reduce the licensable activities or number of animals | £55.00 |
| Transfer of licence (on death of licence holder) | £55.00 |
| Change of name or business name (not transfer) | £32.00 |
| Copy of licence | £14.00 |
Fees are payable on application. Contact the Licensing Team for more details.
We will arrange to inspect your premises, along with a vet. You will have to pay for the cost of the inspection. We will make sure the accommodation for the animals and the management of their welfare meets the necessary standards.
A licence will last one, two or three years depending on the star rating given. Make sure you renew your licence before the expiry date.
Keeping dangerous animals
You must have a licence if you want to keep some animals that are classed as dangerous wild animals. This is a list of dangerous wild animals (opens new window).
You can apply online for a licence by completing this form. A licence currently costs £269.00 and can be paid via our online payment system (select Other Payments / Environmental Health - Licenses / Dangerous Wild Animals Licence ). Alternatively you can print off and return a paper copy to us (PDF) [21KB] (opens new window) .
We will visit you with a vet to make sure you have taken measures to ensure:
- The welfare of the animal
- The animal poses no danger to the public
A licence lasts for two years. Make sure you renew your licence before the expiry date.
Contact the Environmental Health team for more details.
Zoo licensing
You must have a licence if you want to run a zoo (a place where wild animals are kept for exhibition to the public) that allows members of the public access on more than seven days in 12 months.
At least two months before you apply, you must publish notice of your intention in one local and one national newspaper and exhibit a copy of that notice. At the same time you must give us notice in writing. You should tell us:
- the zoo's location
- the types of animals and approximate numbers
- the approximate number of staff
- the approximate number of visitors and motor vehicles expected
- the approximate number and position of access points to the premises
- how conservation measures will be implemented at the zoo
Contact the Environmental Health team if you want to apply for a zoo licence.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Notice of intention to apply for a zoo licence | £135.00 |
| Application | £300.00 |
| Grant | £135.00 |
| Renewal | £430.00 |
| Special inspection | £135.00 |
| Periodic inspections (three year and renewal) | £230.00 |
| Informal inspections (annual) | £200.00 |
| Advice (hourly rate) | £65.00 |
Vet fees are recoverable.
We will visit the site with a vet and conduct a full inspection.
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