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Statutory guidance

Animal activities licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

Guidance for local authority inspectors on licensing activities involving animals.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published:
6 December 2018
Last updated:
1 June 2026
Show all updates

  1. Removed link for online reporting form, as the reporting period has closed for this year.

  2. Added a link to the new online form to report animal activity licences and fees to the Secretary of State.

  3. Updated the attachment 'Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities'. The 2024 to 2025 reporting period is now closed. The deadline was 31 May 2025.

  4. Updated ‘Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities’. Added a link to the reporting form and details of the current reporting period.

  5. Updated the attachment 'Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities'. The 2023 to 2024 reporting period is now closed.

  6. In attachment 'Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities', notes added to highlight that the Kennel Club’s UKAS accreditation expired on 30 May 2024 and explain the implications of this.

  7. Updated ‘Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities’. Added a link to the reporting form and details of the current reporting period.

  8. Updated the attachment ‘Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities’. Removed a bullet point under ‘Appoint an inspector’ about completing a course before 1 October 2023. This is now out of date.

  9. Updated the attachment 'Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities' as the 2022 to 2023 reporting period is now closed.

  10. Updated the 'Report animal activity licences and fees to the Secretary of State' in the attachment 'Animal activity licensing process'. Added a link to the reporting form and added details of the current reporting period.

  11. Updated 'Appoint an inspector' in 'Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities'. A Level 3 certificate qualification or equivalent must be completed by 1 October 2023.

  12. Updated the section 'Appoint an inspector' in 'Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities'. A Level 3 certificate qualification or equivalent must be completed and granted by 1 April 2023.

  13. Updated 'Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities' to remove the date for enrolling on a course leading to a Level 3 certificate qualification or equivalent. Inspectors do not need to complete a training course by 1 October 2022.

  14. The 2021 to 2022 reporting period for animal activity licences has closed.

  15. Clarified the exercise and toileting requirements for dog kennel boarding licensing, conditions 5.4 and 7.6.

  16. We've updated the dog day care licensing guidance to specify sleeping and rest area requirements (section 5.2). We've updated the dog breeding licensing guidance relating to pet shop keepers in Wales (part B, section 1.1).

  17. Updated the statutory guidance for local authorities. They must report animal activity licences and fees to the Secretary of State by 31 May 2022.

  18. Clarification of regulation that an inspector must be appointed under.

  19. We have updated the dog breeding licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities.

  20. Update to guidance on hiring horses - updated optional higher standard for diet from weekly to monthly body condition scoring.

  21. Updated to clarify drafting errors in guidance notes and to replace PDFs with HTML documents.

  22. Updated the guidance for selling animals as pets and dog breeding.

  23. First published.

Documents

Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities

HTML

Dog day care licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

HTML

Dog breeding licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

HTML

Home boarding for dogs licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

HTML

Dog kennel boarding licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

HTML

Selling animals as pets licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

HTML

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

HTML

Cat boarding licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

HTML

Hiring out horses licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

HTML

Details

Guidance for local authority inspectors in England on licensing activities involving animals. The guidance explains the conditions that businesses need to meet in order to receive an animal activities licence.

This guidance covers:

  • dog breeding
  • pet selling
  • hiring out horses
  • boarding for dogs and cats
  • home boarding for dogs
  • dog day care
  • keeping or training animals for exhibition

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