Animal activity licences

From October 1, 2018 the following business activities operators must be licensed by the local authority whose area they are in, under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018:

Selling animals as pets

Providing or arranging for the provision of boarding for cats or dogs

Hiring out horses

Breeding dogs

Keeping or training animals for exhibition

Click on each animal activity above for further information. If you are unsure whether or not you are carrying out a business in relation to any of these categories, then you need to read through the specific guidance and / or speak to the licensing officer.

Existing licences under previous legislation are still valid until their expiry date, but any new or licence renewals from October 1, 2018 will be issued under the new regulations.

How to apply

If you wish to apply for an Animal Activity Licence then you need to download the application form and complete and return with the relevant application fee. All applicants need to complete Sections 1 to 4 and then the sections relevant to their application.

• Charnwood Animal Activity Licence Application Form (PDF Document, 0.33 Mb)

The fees associated with Animal Activity Licences are available below. There is an application fee that must accompany the application and then a licence fee which is paid once the licence is granted. There may also be separate veterinary inspection fees associated with certain animal activities.

• Animal Activity Licence Fees Summary (PDF Document, 0.19 Mb)

See our Animal Activity Licence FAQs for further information on how this new licensing scheme will work.

The following also require a licence under separate legislation:

• Dangerous wild animals
• Zoos

Further guidance can be found in the following documents:

Guidance for Animal Activity Licensing

• Defra Guidance Notes for Boarding Cats Nov 18 (PDF Document, 1.22 Mb)
• Defra Guidance notes for Breeding Dogs Nov 18 (PDF Document, 0.63 Mb)
• Defra Guidance Notes for Day Care for Dogs Nov 18 (PDF Document, 0.45 Mb)
• Defra Guidance Notes for Dog Boarding Kennels Nov 18 (PDF Document, 0.45 Mb)
• Defra Guidance Notes for Exhibiting Animals Oct 18 (PDF Document, 0.6 Mb)
• Defra Guidance Notes for Hiring Out Horses Nov 18 (PDF Document, 0.48 Mb)
• Defra Guidance Notes for Home Boarding Dogs Nov 18 (PDF Document, 0.55 Mb)
• Defra Guidance Notes for Selling Animals as Pets Nov 18 (PDF Document, 0.97 Mb)

The changes to the licences can be viewed in the log below:

• Changes to licences Log - November 2018 (PDF Document, 0.22 Mb)