Animal boarding establishments

• Animal boarding establishments application form
• Providing home boarding for dogs self-assessment form
• Providing boarding for dogs in kennels self-assessment form
• Providing commercial day care for dogs self-assessment form
• Providing boarding for cats in catteries self-assessment form

Dog breeding establishments

• Apply for a licence to operate a dog breeding establishment
• Submit a dog breeding self-assessment

Hiring out of horses

• Hiring out of horses application form
• Hiring out of horses self-assessment form

Keeping or training animals for exhibition

• Keeping or training animals for exhibition application form
• Keeping or training animals for exhibition self-assessment form

Selling animals as pets

• Selling animals as pets application form
• Selling animals as pets self-assessment form

Licensing rating appeal form

• Licensing rating appeal application form

Licensing re-inspection request form

• Licensing re-inspection request application form

Variation to a licence request form

• Variation to a licence application form

Fees and Charges

• Animal Welfare licensing fees

List of licenced star rated establishments

• The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 - Star Ratings

Animal Licence Activity Star Rating System

Every licenced boarding kennel, cattery, dog home boarding, dog day care, pet sales, dog breeding and riding establishment is given a star rating ranging from 1 to 5 stars. The licence for keeping or training animals for exhibition is not included in the rating system.

The star rating is determined by a risk-based scoring system. It takes into account both the animal welfare standards adopted by the business and their level of risk. This is based on elements such as past compliance.

In order to calculate the length of the licence and associated star rating the following questions are addressed based on the inspection and on records of past compliance:

1. Does the business meet the minimum standards (licence conditions)?
2. Does the business meet the higher standards?
3. Is the business low or higher risk?

Scoring matrix

Risk	Minor welfare failings (existing businesses failing to meet minimum standards)	Minimum welfare standards	Higher welfare standards
Low	1 star 1 year licence	3 stars 2 year licence	5 stars 3 year licence
Higher	1 star 1 year licence	2 stars 1 year licence	4 stars 2 year licence

The welfare standards are those set out in the regulations and guidance to the regulations. All businesses should meet the minimum standards to get a licence and therefore receive a 2 or 3 rating. However, minor failings that do not compromise the welfare of animals, e.g. administrative issues, may allow for a licence but with a rating of 1 star.

The guidance to the Regulations are specific to the type of activity and include a number of higher standards which businesses may aspire to in order to receive a higher standard rating as these are not mandatory in order to obtain a licence. The higher standards are divided into required and optional, a business needs to meet all the required higher standards and a minimum of 50% of the optional higher standards to qualify as meeting the higher standards.

All new and current businesses without three years previous compliance history with a local authority will be automatically rated high risk.

List of licenced star rated establishments

• The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 - Star Ratings