Collection

Class licences for wildlife management

Register to use a class licence for activities that need specific skill or experience to avoid risk to the conservation or welfare of a protected species.

Published 1 January 2015
Last updated 1 January 2016 — see all updates

• From: Natural England

If you plan to act under the authority of a class licence you:

• must be registered to use most class licences
• need to apply to be registered for each licence you use
• remain eligible to use the licence(s) for as long as you remain registered
• meet the recording and reporting requirement for each licence

You should use a general licence for activities that have a lower risk for conservation or the welfare of a protected species.

For further information see Wildlife licences: when you need to apply.

Amphibians

1. Great crested newts: survey or research level 1 licence (CL08)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
2. Great crested newts: survey or research level 2 licence (CL09)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form

Birds

1. Barn owls: licence to survey them to guide future development work (CL29)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
2. Birds: licence to catch them on food premises (CL03)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
3. Birds: licence to kill or take them for air safety purposes (CL12)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
4. Hen harriers: licence to feed them on grouse moors (CL25)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form

Invertebrates

1. Bumblebees: licence for emergency release of non-native species for pollination or research (CL28)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
2. Bumblebees: licence to release non-native species in commercial premises for research (CL34)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
3. Little whirlpool ramshorn snails: licence to do ditch maintenance (CL14)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
4. White-clawed crayfish: licence to catch them to carry out maintenance (CL23)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
5. White-clawed crayfish: survey or research licence (CL11)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form

Mammals

1. Badgers: licence for internal drainage boards to interfere with setts for drainage operations (CL27)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
2. Badgers: licence for the Forestry Commission to interfere with setts for forestry operations (CL26)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
3. Badgers: licence to interfere with setts (CL35)
   • 9 April 2018
   • Form
4. Bats: mitigation class licence to allow low impact work on bat roosts (CL21)
   • 23 April 2019
   • Guidance
5. Bats: survey class licence for volunteer bat roost visitors (level 1) (CL15)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
6. Bats: survey class licence for volunteer bat roost visitors (level 2) (CL16)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
7. Bats: survey or research licence (level 1) (CL17)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
8. Bats: survey or research licence (level 2) (CL18)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
9. Bats: survey or research licence (level 3) (CL19)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
10. Bats: survey or research licence (level 4) (CL20)
    • 1 January 2020
    • Form
11. Edible dormice: licence to trap them (CL02)
    • 13 January 2020
    • Form
12. Hazel dormice: survey or research licence (level 1) (CL10a)
    • 1 January 2020
    • Form
13. Hazel dormice: survey or research licence (level 2) (CL10b)
    • 1 January 2020
    • Form
14. Otters: licence to capture and transport those trapped in fisheries to prevent damage (CL36)
    • 22 January 2020
    • Form
15. Water voles: licence to displace them for development projects (CL31)
    • 1 January 2020
    • Form
16. Water voles: licence to displace them for work on flood defences, water courses or drainage systems (CL24)
    • 1 January 2020
    • Form

Other

1. Licence for police forces to interfere with protected species during crime investigations (CL30)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
2. Licence to possess plants and animals for scientific purposes (CL01)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
3. Licence to sell animal specimens taken before October 1981 (CL07)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form
4. Wild animals: licence for individuals to possess specimens (CL06)
   • 1 January 2020
   • Form

Published 1 January 2015
Last updated 1 January 2016 + show all updates

1. 1 January 2016

   Page updated for new licences issued on 1 January 2016.

2. 1 January 2015

   First published.