If you look after other people's dogs for money, in kennels, in your own home or in a daycare, you almost certainly need a licence. Which licence, who issues it and what it costs depends on which part of the UK you're in, and Ireland is different again. This guide covers each in turn, with the conditions inspectors check most often.
This is general information based on the legislation and official guidance as we read it in October 2026, not legal advice. Your local council (or DAERA in Northern Ireland) has the final say, so check with them before you start trading.
England: the 2018 regulations
In England, boarding is licensed under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, usually shortened to AAL. They came into force on 1 October 2018 and replaced the old Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963. Your local district, borough or unitary council issues the licence and inspects you.
Who needs a licence
The regulations cover providing, or arranging, accommodation for other people's cats or dogs as a business. There are four boarding activities:
- boarding for cats (catteries)
- boarding in kennels for dogs
- home boarding for dogs
- day care for dogs
"Arranging" matters: businesses that match owners with hosts, including franchises, are covered too. A few things are not licensable, including dog sitters who look after a dog in the owner's own home. If you run day care in your own home, it's licensed as home boarding rather than day care.
Are you a business?
The council decides whether you're operating as a business by asking whether you're doing it to make a profit or earning a fee or commission. Defra's guidance tells councils to consider HMRC's "badges of trade". Someone whose trading income is below HMRC's trading income allowance (currently £1,000 a year) doesn't need a licence. Earning more than that doesn't automatically make you a business either, but if you're advertising, charging and doing it regularly, assume you need one.
Star ratings and licence length
Every licence comes with a star rating from one to five, based on two things: how well you meet the welfare standards and how risky the inspector judges your business to be.
| Welfare standards | Low risk | High risk |
|---|---|---|
| Minor failings | 1 star, 1-year licence | 1 star, 1-year licence |
| Minimum standards | 3 stars, 2-year licence | 2 stars, 1-year licence |
| Higher standards | 5 stars, 3-year licence | 4 stars, 2-year licence |
To reach the higher standards you need all of the "required" higher standards and at least half of the "optional" ones. A new business without a year of compliance history is treated as high risk, so the best a first application can get is four stars and a two-year licence. A longer licence means fewer renewal fees, which is why good record-keeping pays for itself. You can appeal a rating within 21 days, or ask for a re-inspection (which you pay for) once you've made improvements.
Applying and inspection
Councils aim to decide on applications within 10 weeks. A qualified inspector (someone with a Level 3 qualification, or a vet) visits before a licence is granted or renewed and checks the premises, your procedures, your records and whether you're a "fit and proper person". The council should remind you three months before your licence expires, and you need to apply to renew at least 10 weeks before it does. Unannounced visits can happen during the licence, for example after a complaint.
What it costs
Councils set fees to recover their costs, so they vary a lot. Some recent examples from council websites:
| Council | Fee examples |
|---|---|
| Test Valley (2026/27) | Home boarding £262; kennels £331; cat boarding £310; day care £331 |
| Hart (2026/27, under 20 animals) | Boarding, home boarding and day care £318 |
| Elmbridge (from April 2026) | Home boarding or day care for up to 5 dogs: £432 new, £380 renewal |
| Dover (2025/26) | Kennels and day care: £260 on application plus £180 to £345 on grant, depending on star rating |
| Sevenoaks | Kennels and catteries £758 new; home boarding and day care £728 new; vet fees extra |
| Bromley (2026/27) | New day care licence with vet inspection: roughly £1,000 or more in total |
Check whether your council charges vet fees on top. The law doesn't require a vet to inspect boarding premises, but some councils send one and pass on the cost.
The conditions inspectors check most
Defra publishes detailed statutory guidance for each activity. A few of the numbers people ask about most:
| Kennels | Home boarding | Day care | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff ratio (minimum) | 1 person to 25 dogs | 1 person to 10 dogs | 1 person to 10 dogs |
| Staff ratio (higher standard) | 1 full-time to 15 dogs | 1 full-time to 8 dogs | 1 full-time to 8 dogs |
| Space | Sleeping area at least twice the dog's lying-flat area; at least 1.9 m² for new builds | A designated room for each dog or household; any divided space at least 6 m² | 6 m² per dog, indoors and outdoors combined |
| Walking | No more than 6 dogs per person | At least one walk a day; no more than 6 dogs at once | No more than 6 dogs per walker |
There's no national maximum number of dogs for home boarding or day care. Your licence states your maximum, based on your premises and staffing. Home boarders also need direct access to a private, secure outdoor area (a balcony doesn't count), at least two secure barriers between any dog and an exit, and written consent from every owner before mixing dogs from different households.
All dogs must be vaccinated against canine parvovirus, distemper, infectious hepatitis and leptospirosis, with a primary course finished at least two weeks before they stay. Kennel cough vaccination may also be required. Our vaccination policy guide covers how to put that into practice.
The records you have to keep
This is where a lot of inspections go wrong. For every animal you need a register entry with arrival and departure dates, name, age, sex, neuter status, microchip number and breed, which animals come from the same household, owner and emergency contacts (including someone local), vet and insurance details, medical and behavioural history, diet, consent forms, the dates of the latest vaccination, worming and flea treatment, and any treatment given during the stay.
On top of that you need a written emergency plan, staff training records, daily monitoring of food and water intake and behaviour, written procedures for feeding, cleaning and disease control, and, for kennels, overnight check records. Records must be kept for at least three years and electronic ones must be backed up. Your licence must be displayed, and your licence number and the licence holder's name must appear on your website.
Penalties
Running a licensable activity without a licence is an offence. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 that can mean an unlimited fine, a prison sentence of up to six months, and disqualification from keeping animals or holding a licence. Breaching your licence conditions can lead to a fine and to the council suspending, varying or revoking your licence.
Scotland
Scotland's 2021 licensing regulations cover selling pets, rehoming and breeding, but not boarding. Boarding is still licensed by councils under the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, and councils apply it to home boarding and day care too. Falkirk, for example, defines home boarding as boarding dogs or cats that aren't yours, in your home, for any form of payment.
Licences under the 1963 Act run to the end of the calendar year, there are no star ratings, and the conditions are set by each council rather than national guidance. Falkirk's published fees are £320.30 for a boarding establishment and £210 for home boarding, with lower renewal fees. Running without a licence can mean a fine of up to £500 and up to three months in prison. The Scottish Government consulted in 2023 on moving boarding into the newer system, but no new regulations had been made by October 2026.
Wales
Wales also still uses the 1963 Act. The gov.uk guidance is clear that you need a licence even if you only look after a small number of animals in your own home. Licences run to the end of the year and councils set the fee and conditions. Vale of Glamorgan, for example, charges £167 for home boarding and £275 for a boarding establishment, plus vet costs. Penalties are the same as in Scotland: up to £500 and up to three months in prison. Practice for day care varies between councils, so speak to yours early.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, boarding kennels are licensed by DAERA (the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) under the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 and the Animal Boarding Establishments Regulations 1974, not by councils. Licences last one year. Running an unlicensed boarding establishment can lead to a fine of up to £2,500 or up to three months in prison. We couldn't confirm how DAERA treats home boarding and day care, so ask them directly before you start.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland has no licensing scheme specifically for dog boarding, catteries or daycare. The Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 only applies to premises keeping six or more breeding bitches, and a premises used only as a boarding kennel is exempt from its fees. Kennel owners can take out a General Dog Licence from their local authority, and the general welfare duties in the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 apply to everyone. Planning permission is the bigger hurdle in practice: check with your county council before you convert or build anything.
Planning permission
A licence isn't planning permission. Across the UK, you need planning permission if your business is a "material change of use": your home is no longer mainly a home, there's a noticeable increase in traffic or visitors, or there's noise or smell at unreasonable hours. Purpose-built kennels and catteries need full planning permission. Small-scale home boarding is often treated as incidental to living there, but there's no national threshold, so ask your local planning authority before you apply for your licence.
How KennelBooker helps with licensing
Most of the record-keeping above happens as a side effect of taking bookings in KennelBooker. The animal register builds itself from your customer, pet and booking records. Owners upload vaccination certificates and the system flags expired vaccinations at booking and at check-in. Consent forms are signed online, feeding, medication and exercise can be logged against each stay, and everything is stored and backed up in one place, so the evidence is there when the inspector asks. More detail is on our AAL 2018 and GDPR page, and if you're still at the planning stage, read how to start a dog boarding business. Running a cattery? See our guide to cattery licence requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence for doggy daycare?
In England, yes, if you run dog day care as a business. It's a licensable activity under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. If the day care happens in your own home it's licensed as home boarding. Scotland and Wales license it through local councils under the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963.
Do I need a licence to board dogs at home?
In England, yes, if you're doing it as a business: home boarding is one of the licensable activities. Someone earning less than HMRC's trading income allowance from it doesn't need a licence. In Wales, gov.uk says you need a licence even for a small number of animals in your own home.
How much does a dog boarding licence cost in the UK?
Councils set their own fees. Examples for 2026/27 range from about £260 for home boarding at Test Valley to £432 at Elmbridge, around £730 to £760 at Sevenoaks, and over £1,000 at Bromley for a new day care licence once vet inspection fees are added. A longer licence spreads the cost.
Is it illegal to board dogs without a licence?
In England, yes. Carrying on a licensable activity without a licence is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and can lead to an unlimited fine, a prison sentence and disqualification from keeping animals. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also make unlicensed boarding an offence.
How long does a dog boarding licence last?
In England, between one and three years, depending on your star rating. In Scotland and Wales, licences under the 1963 Act run to the end of the calendar year. In Northern Ireland they last one year from the date granted.