Animal Welfare Licences

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The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019

New legislation was introduced in April 2020 to tackle the low-welfare, high volume supply of puppies and kittens, by banning their commercial third-party sale in England.

'Lucy's Law' means that anyone wanting to get a new puppy or kitten in England must now buy direct from a breeder, or consider adopting from a rescue centre instead. Licensed dog breeders are required to show puppies interacting with their mothers in their place of birth. If a business sells puppies or kittens without a licence, they could receive an unlimited fine or be sent to prison for up to six months.

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018

These regulations provide a single licensing regime for a number of animal activities.

The following activities need to be licensed:

• Selling animals as pets
• Providing or arranging for the provision of boarding for cats and dogs (including day care)
• Hiring out horses
• Breeding dogs
• Keeping or training animals for exhibition

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

The Regulations and further guidance can be found in the related downloads section on this page.

An application form can be downloaded here  Application Form [314kb]

The fees for animal licences can be viewed here  Table of Fees 2020-21 [13kb]

A list of existing animal activity licences can be viewed on our public register page  Public Registers

If you have a licence for "hiring of horses" and wish to change the schedule of animals please complete this form  Application to vary schedule [165kb] 

Dangerous Wild Animal and Zoo Licensing

You can view the current schedule of Dangerous Wild Animals as classified by DEFRA here  DWA Schedule [65kb]

An application form for a licence to keep Dangerous Wild Animals can be downloaded from here  DWA Application Form [227kb]

If you wish to apply for a Zoo Licence please contact the Licensing Team to discuss your proposals. Before starting up a new zoo you must give the local authority at least two months written notice before applying for a licence.