Apply for a licence to breed dogs

Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, if you run a business that breeds and sells dogs, you must have a licence. This applies whether you run it from a commercial property or your own home.

How much a licence costs

Licence type	Fees to pay
First application	£162.02 to apply which is non-refundable, and a further £200.90 if the licence is granted.
Renewals	£149.06 to apply which is non-refundable, and a further £181.46 if the licence is granted.

You'll also need to pay any vet bills for the licence.

A plan of the premises - this doesn't need to be to scale, but should show how it's laid out. It also needs to show dimensions for all areas used for the activity, counting kennels and whelping.
A copy of relevant insurance policies.
A preventative healthcare plan signed by the business' vet.
A copy of the training policy and training certificates held by any staff.
A copy of the cleaning procedures.
A copy of the immature animals policy (for cats or dogs under a year old).
A copy of the separating or grouping of animals policy.
A copy of the feeding policy.
A copy of the biosecurity/disease control and prevention policy.
A copy of the transport policy.
A copy of the monitoring and ensuring health policy.
A copy of the isolation policy.
A copy of the death and escape policy.
A copy of the emergency policy.
A copy of the repair and maintenance programme.
A copy of the enrichment plan.
A copy of the difficult dogs policy.
A copy of the introduction of new dogs policy.
A copy of the habituation and socialising plan for puppies.
A copy of the puppy contract.
A list of the information and contents in the puppy pack.
A copy of the individual feeding plans for each dog.
A copy of the noise management plan (this is optional).

To see what needs to be in the documents, you should check the dog breeding supporting documents guidance.

You must check the documents list to make sure you submit the right evidence.

You need to email your application form and the documents to envhealth@canterbury.gov.uk.

Once you've submitted your application we'll send you an invoice to pay. However, you can choose to pay by: