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Selling Animals as a Pets Licence Application

Please read information below before completing the application.

Fees

The fee is £467.50 and is payable in advance.

What does the law require?

You need a licence from the local authority to run a business selling pet animals. This includes all commercial sales of pet animals, including pet shops and businesses selling animals over the internet.

What do I need to consider? 

Applicants for a pet shop licence must not be disqualified from keeping a pet shop. Animals should be kept in suitable accommodation, for example in regards to temperature, size, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness. They should have adequate food and drink and they should be visited at suitable intervals. Any mammalian animals should not be sold too young. Steps must be taken to prevent disease spreading among the animals. There should be adequate fire and emergency provisions in place.

How will you deal with my application?

If your application is deemed non-contentious, we should be able to grant your licence without referring the decision to the Licensing Committee. 'Non-contentious' means any application which has not resulted in any objections, or representations of a serious nature, and where is no conflict with council policy. Contentious applications will be determined by the Licensing Committee.

We will attach conditions to any licence we grant or renew and we may take action to ensure that you comply with those conditions.

When will a decision be made?

We aim to make a decision on your application within 90 calendar days of you submitting to us all the documentation we require. This assumes that your application is not contentious. Your application will take longer to process if it becomes contentious (for example, if we receive objections or representations) and if that is the case we will keep you informed of the revised timescale.

What happens if you don't make a decision within the target time?

'Tacit authorisation' does not apply because there is an overriding reason relating to the public interest, namely the need to protect the health of animals. Therefore if you have still not received a decision after the target time has expired, your authorisation is not granted automatically. In such a situation, we will get in touch with you to let you know what happens next.

Please note that you must not carry on the activity for which you have applied for a licence unless or until you have been granted a licence.

What can I do if I'm not satisfied?

If you are unhappy with the way we have processed your application please contact us.

How does the Council handle objections and representations?

Find out more about objections and representations