Pet shop licences

Pet shops are licensed by the council. Licenses for pet shops may be issued provided the applicant is not disqualified under any of the following Acts:

The Pet Animals Act 1951
The Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963
The Protection of Animals (Amendment ) Act 1954
The Protection of Animals (Cruelty to Dogs) (Scotland) Act 1934

There is an application fee (currently £205.50), which must be paid at the time of application.

Where a licence is granted that licence and any subsequent licence will expire on the anniversary of its issue and must be renewed before that date if the premises are to continue as a pet shop.

Council duties

Before being granted a licence the applicant must be able to demonstrate to the council's environmental health officer that:

They are suitably qualified to keep animals with regard to the type and number proposed to be kept
The animals will be kept in accommodation that is suitable in respect of construction, size, temperature, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness
Animals will be adequately supplied with suitable food, drink and bedding materials and (so far as is necessary) visited at suitable intervals
Mammals will not be sold at too early an age
All reasonable precautions will be taken to prevent the spread of infectious disease amongst the animals
Appropriate steps will be taken to protect the animals in the case of fire or other emergency, including the provision of suitable fire fighting equipment
A register containing a description of any animal received on the premises, the animals age and sex, the date of acquisition and departure and the source from which the animals are received, and that the register will be available for inspection at all times by an environmental health officer or by a veterinary surgeon or veterinary practitioner authorised by the council
No animal will be sold to a child under the age of 12 years.

A licence may be refused or withheld on other grounds if those grounds are such that conditions are not suitable for the keeping of animals.

Each licence is subject to standard conditions that are imposed on all pet shops licensed by the council.

In addition to the standard conditions a licence may also contain special conditions that are only applicable to your premises. The council’s standard conditions can be viewed by downloading the attached form.

Your right of appeal

If you’re unhappy about not being granted a licence, or by any conditions to which a licence is subject may appeal to the magistrate’s court and they may give such directions regarding the licence or its conditions as they think proper.

Offences and penalties

The following offences and penalties apply to the pet shops:

Any person found guilty of keeping a pet shop without a licence may be subject to a fine not exceeding £500 or to three months imprisonment or both
Any person found guilty of failing to comply with their licence conditions may be subject to a fine not exceeding £500 or to three months imprisonment or both
Any person found guilty of obstructing or delaying an inspector, or authorised veterinary surgeon or veterinary practitioner in the exercising of their powers of entry may be fined up to a maximum of £500
If found guilty under this Act, the defendant's licence may be cancelled and they may be disqualified from keeping a pet shop for such length of time as the court thinks fit.

Further information

A copy of the The Pet Animals Act 1951 can be obtained from Office of Public Sector Information, or a copy can be inspected at the council offices where you may also obtain details of the fee, an application form and further help or advice.

You can also download a copy of the application form(pdf, 325 kb) or apply online through the Businesslink website.

You will be contacted in writing on receipt of the application form and a site visit arranged.

Contact us

Environmental Health Commercial Team – Health and Safety

Mulberry Place (AH)
PO Box 55739
5 Clove Crescent
London E14 1BY

Opening hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday

Tel: 020 7364 5008
Fax: 020 7364 6901