Animal Boarding Establishments

The Animal Boarding Establishment Act 1964 controls kennels and catteries.

 

 

 

 

The Act defines the keeping of a boarding establishment for animals as the carrying on at premises of any nature (including a private dwelling) of a business or providing accommodation for other peoples' animals.

 

'Animals' means any dog or cat.

 

No person may keep a pet shop unless they have first obtained a licence from their local authority.  You can download an application form for an animal boarding establishment licence at the bottom of the page.

 

An animal boarding establishment licence will not be issued if the applicant has been disqualified under any of the following Acts:

 

 

You can download the conditions that must be adhered to by commercial premises (kennels and catteries) at the bottom of the page. 

 

 

The Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963 covers "premises of any nature", therefore  private dwellings must also be licensed.

 

You can download the conditions that must be adhered to by home boarding establishments  at the bottom of the page. 

 

Please note: it is the view of both DEFRA (Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs) and the Feline Advisory Bureau that the home boarding of cats should not be encouraged. Sheffield City Council therefore, will only consider applications for the home boarding of dogs.

 

 

The fee for a new application is currently £191 and must be submitted on application.

 

The renewal fee for an animal boarding establishment licence is £171.

 

Please note that there is no difference in the licence fee whether you propose to run a commercial kennel or cattery or whether you propose to use your private dwelling to board dogs.

 

 

It is advisable to submit your application to the Licensing General Section as soon as possible as your application could take up to two months to be administered.

 

Once your application is submitted, a copy is sent to the Animal Control and Enforcement Section who will arrange to inspect your premises. During busy times, for example at the end of the year when there are a large number of renewals of licences, it is not guaranteed that an appointment will be made straight away. Therefore, the earlier your application is submitted, the more likely you are to have your licence issued for when your premises opens or when your previous licence expires.

 

 

Where a licence is granted, that licence and any subsequent licence will expire on 31st December of the year to which it relates and must be renewed before that date if the premises are to continue as an animal boarding establishment.