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Animal Boarding Establishment Licence

• Licence Summary

• Regulation Summary

• Application Process

• How To Apply

• Tacit Consent

• Licence Holder Redress

• Consumer Complaint

Licence Summary

To run a boarding kennel or cattery, you need a licence from your local authority.  The number of dogs and cats that may be accommodated will be specified on the licence along with other specific conditions.

The local authority may authorise an Officer, Veterinary Surgeon or practitioner to inspect licensed premises.

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 animal 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

• owning, keeping, dealing in or transporting animals under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. 

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Regulation Summary

Copies of the relevant legislation can be found at this external website

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Application Process

A fee of £82.00 will be payable for both a new grant and a renewal applications and conditions may be attached.  If the application is rejected the enforcement element of the fee will be refunded. 

To ensure that the premises meets the requirements of the Act we authorise a veterinary surgeon to inspect the premises. The fee for this is not included in the application fee and will be invoiced separately.

The following are some of the criteria that will be considered during the inspection:

• that the animals will be kept in suitable accommodation at all times.  Suitable accommodation takes into account the construction and size of the accommodation, the number of animals to be housed in it, facilities for exercising the animals, cleanliness and temperature, lighting and ventilation provisions.

• that suitable food, drink and bedding materials will be provided and that the animals are exercised and visited regularly.

• that steps are taken to prevent and control the spread of disease among the animals and that isolation facilities are in place.

• that adequate protection is provided to the animals in the case of fire and other emergencies.

• That a register is kept.  the register should contain a description of all animals received, their arrival and departure date and the name and address of the owner.  The register should be available to be inspected at anytime by an officer or veterinary surgeon.

it is our aim to complete the application process within 30 working days (subject to a satisfactory veterinary inspection within this period).

If your application is successful your licence will run until the end of the calendar year in which it is granted.  You will then need to apply to renew it for another twelve months.

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How To Apply

To apply for an Animal Boarding Establishment Licence please complete the appropriate form below.  If downloading and posting the application form it should be returned to the address below.

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Will Tacit Consent Apply?

Tacit consent means that if we have not dealt with applications within the target period then the application can be deemed to have been granted/approved.

Please note that tacit consent does not apply in respect of this application. It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from the local authority within a reasonable period, please contact it. You can do this online if you applied through the UK Welcomes service or use the contact details below.

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Licence Holder Redress

Any applicant who is refused a licence can appeal to their local Magistrates Court.  Please contact us in the first instance.

Any licence holder who wishes to appeal against a condition attached to their licence can appeal to their local Magistrates Court.

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Consumer Complaint

We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first contact is made with the trader by you, preferably in the form of a letter (with proof of delivery).  If that has not worked, if you are located in the UK, visit our Consumer pages or DirectGov for advice.  From outside of the UK contact the UK European Consumer Centre.

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Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Trading Standards & Licensing Service,

PO Box 232, 16 Church Road, Stockton on Tees. TS18 1XD.

Telephone: 01642 526560  Fax: 01642 526584

Electronic Mail: Trading Standards or Licensing Administration

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