Anyone planning on boarding dogs at a domestic premises needs to apply for a Licence under the Animal Boarding Establishment Act 1963. No person may board dogs without first obtaining a licence from the local authority.
Home Boarding is defined as the boarding of dogs, that are not your own, in your home in exchange for any form of payment. In order to do this you must have a licence through the local authority.
return it via email or to the address on the application form; and
pay the appropriate fee[107KB] online at 'Pay for it' - select 'Trading Standards' then 'Animal Welfare Licence'. Please contact us to obtain your reference number.
Upon application for a licence, which has not previously been granted, the premises must be inspected by a veterinary surgeon and a local authority officer. For subsequent applications the local authority has discretion as to whether the inspection is carried out by a veterinary surgeon or a local authority officer or both. A report following inspection shall be considered by the local authority before determining whether or not to grant a licence.
A separate invoice will be issued to cover the vets costs once the inspection has taken place. On receipt of this being paid and the licence conditions being met your new licence will be sent out.
Once issued, licences will run until the 31st December of that year. Licences run from 1st January - 31st December of any one year.
Licence renewal applications should be submitted as soon as possible after receiving a renewal reminder.
Eligibility Criteria
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
Waste Management at Animal Welfare Licensed Premises
