You need to get a licence if your business sells animals:
You still need a licence if your business is based at home or you sell animals online.
You cannot:
You do not need a licence to sell a small number of offspring of pets that you’ve bred. However, if you do this often or with many animals you may be classed as a business and may need a licence. If you don't know if you need an licence, please contact us.
Any activities relating to the same business that operate at different locations will require individual licences. If you already have a licence and you want to start an activity at an additional location from that stated on your existing licence, a new premises application and full fee must be submitted.
You will not get a licence if you’ve committed animal welfare offences or if you have been banned from:
You may not get a licence if you’ve committed other offences.
| Type of licence | Administration and inspection fee | Licence fee | Total fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selling animals as pets | £480 | £58.50 | £538.50 |
| Minor variation, for example, amend animals on licence | £26 per animal up to a maximum of 4 animals | Not applicable | £26 per animal up to a maximum of 4 animals |
| Substantial variation, for example, significant licence change | £180 | Not applicable | £180 |
| Re-assessment of star rating | £86 per hour | Not applicable | £86 per hour |
A licence will not be granted until fees are paid in full. If no licence is granted only the licence fee will be refunded.
In the circumstance where an applicant withdraws their application, the time spent by the officer to process the application will be charged at the hourly rate.
Where two activities are undertaken, fees payable will be the highest total fee plus 50% of any subsequent activity. This does not apply where the activity is a zoo or dangerous wild animal application.
We will inspect your premises before giving you a licence. We may carry out additional inspections any time after it’s granted.
You must prove that you can meet the following licence conditions:
You’ll also need to:
The star rating shows how well a business meets animal welfare standards and how reliably it’s run. A higher rating (up to 5 stars) means better welfare and lower risk, and it allows for a longer licence period.
After inspection, your business will be awarded a star rating from 1 to 5, based on:
Higher ratings (4 or 5 stars) mean:
Lower ratings (1 or 2 stars) may result from minor failings or being a new applicant with no compliance history.
If you're unhappy with your rating, you can appeal. Start by contacting the inspecting officer to see if the matter can be resolved informally. If you're still unhappy with the outcome, you can send a formal appeal by email to Environmental Health. You must do this within 21 days of getting your licence. Your appeal will be looked at by someone who wasn’t involved in your original inspection or rating.
If you've made improvements and want a new rating, you can ask for a re-inspection. Just email Environmental Health and include:
There’s a fee for this service, and the re-inspection should happen within 3 months. Keep in mind that your new rating could be higher or lower.
You should read the:
You will need the following to complete this application:
You will need to register for an account on our licencing website before you can apply.
If you already have an account, you can login and apply.
Once you have submitted your application:
There are 2 types of variation applications, minor variations and substantial variations.
Minor variations involve small changes to your licence, for example adding an animal. You can add up to 4 animals for a minor variation. Any more than 4 is a substantial variation.
The fee applies per change, for example, if you were to add 5 animals to your licence, each animals would count as one change.
These changes require an inspection to ensure welfare standards, trained staff, and facilities remain appropriate. For example, adding more than 5 animals to your licence or structural changes to your stables or accommodation.
| Minor variation | £26 per animal up to a maximum of 4 animals |
| Substantial variation | £180 |
You will need the following to complete this application:
