Animal Boarding Establishments

Last updated: 28/12/2012 Add to My Bookmarks Subscribe

Animal Boarding Establishments

To run a boarding kennel or cattery, you need a licence from the local authority. A licence is required to ensure good standards of animal welfare. The number of animals that may be accommodated will be specified on the licence along with other specific conditions.

The fee for this licence in Cornwall is currently £145.00.

Eligibility Criteria

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 animals 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. In Scotland an applicant must also not be disqualified from working with, using, driving or riding animals, providing services to animals that would involve taking possession of them, taking possession of an animal to carry out any of the activities listed or taking charge of animals for any other purpose.

Applicants must pay the required application fee and comply with any conditions attached to the licence.

Regulations Summary

Follow this link to view the Animal Boarding Act 1963.

Licences are valid from the date of issue to the 31 December of that same year.

Application Evaluation Process

Once the application is received by the Council it will be forwarded to an appropriate officer to inspect the premises. The premises, facilities and management will be inspected to ensure they comply with the current animal boarding licence conditions.

Applications are then either approved, approved with additional licence conditions or refused.

The following criteria will be considered when the application is being evaluated:

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 any time by a local authority officer, veterinary surgeon or practitioner.

Additional conditions can be attached to a licence to ensure that the above are complied with.

Tacit consent

We will aim to have your application determined within 28 days of receipt of a valid and complete application. However if we have been unable to determine your application in this time a licence wil not be automatically granted due to animal welfare implications and therefore tacit consent does not apply. This means you must wait for the council to determine the application before any animal boarding activities can take place.

How to apply

To apply online or download an application form please click on the relevant link below:

Apply for a new Animal Boarding Establishment licence

Apply to renew an Animal Boarding Establishment licence

Apply to change an Animal Boarding Establishment licence

Failed Application Redress

Please contact us in the first instance if you have any concerns or issues.

If your licence has been refused or you object to a condition attached to it then you may appeal to the local Magistrates court.

Licence Holder Complaints

Please contact us in the first instance if you have any concerns or issues.

If you wish to make a formal complaint please follow this link to access the council's complaints policy.

If you object to a condition attached to your licence then you may appeal to the local Magistrates court.