Am I eligible?
An applicant must not be disqualified from any of the following at the time of the application:
- keeping an animal boarding establishment
- keeping a pet shop under the Pet Animals Act 1951
- keeping animals under the Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1954
- owning, keeping, being involved in the keeping or being entitled to control or influence the keeping of animals, dealing in animals or transporting or being involved in the transportation of animals under the Animals Welfare Act 2006
Application Process
The following criteria will be considered when the application is being evaluated:
- That the animals will be kept in suitable accommodation at all times. Suitable accommodation takes into account the construction and size of the accommodation, the number of animals to be housed in it, facilities for exercising the animals, cleanliness and temperature, lighting and ventilation provisions.
- That suitable food, drink and bedding materials will be provided and that the animals are exercised and visited regularly.
- That steps are taken to prevent and control the spread of disease among the animals and that isolation facilities are in place.
- That adequate protection is provided to the animals in the case of fire and other emergencies.
- That a register is kept. The register should contain a description of all animals received, their arrival and departure date and the name and address of the owner. The register should be available to be inspected at any time by a local authority officer, veterinary surgeon or practitioner.
There is an application fee which must be paid at the time an application is made. Full details are available on our fees and charges page.
Receipt of your completed application form and the appropriate fee will be confirmed in writing, and an inspection of the premises will be arranged by an Officer from the Council's Business Compliance Section. Once a satisfactory inspection has taken place a licence can be issued.
It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted.
Where a licence is granted, that licence will expire on the 31st December of the year to which the licence relates and must be renewed annually before that date if the premises are to continue as an animal boarding establishment.
Licence Conditions
What happens if you fail to comply?
If you do not have a licence or do not comply with any of the conditions, you may be prosecuted, fined up to £5000 and/or imprisoned for up to 3 months, or both.
What if I have been refused a licence or do not agree with the licence conditions imposed?
Any person aggrieved by a refusal to be granted a licence or by any conditions to which a licence is subject may appeal to the Magistrates Courts who may give such directions regarding the licence or its conditions as it thinks proper.
Is there a public register available?
No. The legislation does not require a register of all animal boarding establishment licences to be kept.
This page was last reviewed by the Licensing Section on 8 February 2010.
