Animal welfare

Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, anyone carrying out one or more of the activities listed below needs to apply for an animal activity licence. Please see relevant application forms at the bottom of this page.

• Selling animals as pets
• Boarding cats or dogs
• Providing boarding kennels for dogs
• Providing home boarding (including day care) for dogs
• Breeding dogs
• Keeping or training animals for exhibition

Conditions for animal activity licences are determined by national legislation and must be complied with. Businesses will be assessed before a licence is granted.

More information is available via the Government website:

• Animal licensing legislation
• Conditions for animal activity licences

Application process

Once the application and payment have been received and checked we will instruct an officer to arrange an inspection.

The officer is required to apply a star rating which will determine the duration of the licence and frequency of inspections. This will form part of the licence which must be publicly displayed.

Fees are payable when submitting a licence application and are non-refundable. View the fees

Application forms

• Application for Dog Breeding
• Application for Animal Boarding and Daycare (Cats or Dogs)
• Application for Selling Animals as Pets
• Application for Hiring Out Horses

Additional information

Veterinary inspections and reports are required for riding establishments, zoos, dangerous wild animals and dog breeding establishments (new applications only for dog breeding).

Please note that licensing arrangements for dangerous wild animals and zoos are not altered by the 2018 regulations.

Animal boarding establishments