Animal welfare licences

You need different licences around breeding, keeping and selling animals. You will need a licence to keep dangerous animals, to run a pet shop, to breed dogs and to board animals.

Legislation summary

On 1 October 2018, the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 came into force. These regulations replace some existing pieces of existing legislation, set to be repealed at the end of 2018. They will provide a new single licensing regime for a number of animal licensing activities.

Applying for a new licence

Those undertaking the following activities will need to be licensed under the new regime:

• selling animals as pets
• providing or arranging for the provision of boarding for cats or dogs (including day care)
• hiring out horses
• breeding dogs
• keeping or training animals for exhibition

Apply online

The regulations will set nationally applicable conditions that licence holders must comply with. A ratings system will be introduced whereby licence holders will be given a rating dependent on specified criteria.

Guidance documents

You can view all the guidance documents on the CFSG website.

Zoos and Dangerous and Wild Animals will continue to be licensed under existing legislation.

Fees

Note. Where separate application and compliance fees are listed applicants will still need to pay both fees before the licence is issued for use, the total fee can be paid at the time of application.

Applicants who wish to pay the fees separately can do so, the application fee is paid at the time the application is submitted and the compliance fee paid after licence is granted prior to issue.

Page last updated: 16 April 2024