Animal activity licences

Licensing activities involving animals

Since October 2018, you have to have a licence issued by your local authority to carry on any of the following activities:

• Selling animals as pets
• Providing or arranging for the provision of boarding for cats or dogs (including day care)
• Hiring out horses
• Breeding dogs (more than 3 or more litters in any year and/or advertising as a business selling dogs)
• Keeping or training animals for exhibition (for educational or entertainment purposes)

These are called the 'licensable activities' and are often referred to as 'animal activities'.

The licensing of these activities is required by the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.

The Government Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has published guidance for local authorities licensing animal activities. These are specific to each animal activity and links to each of the guidance pages is included below:

Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities

Selling animals as pets licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

Dog kennel boarding licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

Home boarding for dogs licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

Dog day care licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

Cat boarding licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

Hiring out horses licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

Dog breeding licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

Keeping or training animals for exhibition licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

(PDF versions of the guidance are available from the Canine and Feline Sector Group website here: Legislation and Guidance - CFSG. Please be aware that these may not be the most current versions of the guidance. You should always refer back to the DEFRA pages for confirmation.)