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Sign in or register for an accountIf you provide or arrange for the provision of accommodation for other people’s dogs or cats in the course of a business as defined in The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 by:
Providing boarding for cats
Providing boarding in kennels for dogs
Providing home boarding for dogs or
Providing day care for dogs
You will be required to obtain an animal activity licence from Salford City Council. The requirement also applies to dog and cat sitting services operating in Salford that are organised in a business manner.
In order to obtain an animal activity licence, you need to ensure that you meet the specific licence conditions which relate to that activity. The conditions relating to animal boarding can be found in the legislation detailed above and DEFRA has produced several guidance notes for animal boarders, to assist licence holders comply. The links are detailed below and a PDF version of each document is listed at the bottom of this page:
guidance notes for conditions for providing boarding in kennels for dogs
guidance notes for conditions for providing boarding for cats
guidance notes for conditions for providing day care for dogs
guidance notes for conditions for providing home boarding for dogs
Environmental health officers will inspect the premises to check compliance with the legislation, licence conditions and assess the welfare of the animals to ensure they have the following:
a suitable environment/place to live
a suitable diet including fresh water
the ability to exhibit normal behaviour
housed, as appropriate, either with or apart from other animals
protection from and treatment of pain, suffering, injury or disease
As well as checking general health and safety requirements (in non-domestic premises).
The fees for boarding cats or dogs varies dependant on the type of premises, number of animals boarded and the activities undertaken. They are payable in two parts:
Application fee - this should be submitted with your application forms (non refundable). In accordance with DEFRA guidance, to ensure that applications are processed and premises inspected before licences expire, application and fees to renew animal activity licences should be submitted at least ten weeks before the current licence expires. If applications and fees are received with less than ten weeks left on the licence, there may not be sufficient time to process the application and inspect the premises before the licence expires. Please be aware that businesses will not be permitted to trade unless a valid licence is held. If renewal applications are submitted after the expiry date there will be an interim period where trade is not permitted until a new licence has been issued. You should also be aware that failure to apply and pay for the renewal within time of the current licence, will result in having to apply as a ‘new’ business and the higher application and grant fees will apply.
Please be aware that if you are applying for more than one licensable activity eg a pet shop and boarding of dogs then the higher application fee will apply plus an additional £79 for every other activity applied for.
If you are applying for boarding and day care at home then this is classed as home boarding and a single activity only need be applied for.
Grant fee - once the inspection has been carried out and the inspecting officer has determined the star rating and duration of the licence, you will be advised of the grant fee (non-refundable)
The details below summarise the fees:
New: £152
Renewal: £89
Length of grant | New application cost | Renewal application cost |
|---|---|---|
One year | £81 | £54 |
Two year | £134 | £106 |
Three year | £186 | £159 |
Variation | £81 per hour of officer time (this will vary depending on the variation to the licence being requested) | |
£81 plus the grant fee
New: £205
Renewal: £140
Length of grant | New application cost | Renewal application cost |
|---|---|---|
One year | £95 | £79 |
Two year | £147 | £132 |
Three year | £200 | £184 |
Variation | £81 per hour of officer time (this will vary depending on the variation to the licence being requested) | |
£81 plus the grant fee
Number of animals | New application cost | Renewal application cost |
|---|---|---|
Less than ten animals | £275 | £243 |
10 to 29 animals | £327 | £269 |
30 to 59 animals | £366 | £295 |
60 animals or more | £391 | £320 |
Number of years | Number of animals | New application cost | Renewal application cost |
|---|---|---|---|
One year | Less than ten animals | £93 | £79 |
10 to 29 animals | £118 | £105 | |
30 to 59 animals | £144 | £131 | |
60 animals or more | £170 | £157 | |
Two year | Less than ten animals | £145 | £132 |
10 to 29 animals | £171 | £158 | |
30 to 59 animals | £197 | £183 | |
60 animals or more | £222 | £209 | |
Three year | Less than ten animals | £198 | £184 |
10 to 29 animals | £250 | £210 | |
30 to 59 animals | £303 | £236 | |
60 animals or more | £355 | £262 | |
Variation |
| £81 per hour of officer time (this will vary depending on the variation to the licence being requested) | |
£81 plus the grant fee
Number of animals | New application cost | Renewal application cost |
|---|---|---|
Less than ten animals | £366 | £295 |
10 to 29 animals | £391 | £320 |
30 to 59 animals | £417 | £346 |
60 animals or more | £443 | £372 |
Number of years | Number of animals | New application cost | Renewal application cost |
|---|---|---|---|
One year | Less than ten animals | £118 | £105 |
10 to 29 animals | £144 | £131 | |
30 to 59 animals | £170 | £157 | |
60 animals or more | £196 | £182 | |
Two year | Less than ten animals | £171 | £158 |
10 to 29 animals | £205 | £183 | |
30 to 59 animals | £222 | £209 | |
60 animals or more | £248 | £235 | |
Three year | Less than ten animals | £224 | £183 |
10 to 29 animals | £249 | £209 | |
30 to 59 animals | £275 | £235 | |
60 animals or more | £301 | £250 | |
Variation |
| £81 per hour of officer time (this will vary depending on the variation to the licence being requested) | |
£81 plus the grant fee
New: £350
Renewal: £243
Number of years | New application cost | Renewal application cost |
|---|---|---|
One year | £145 | £79 |
Two year | £198 | £105 |
Three year | £249 | £131 |
Variation | £81 per hour of officer time (this will vary depending on the variation to the licence being requested) | |
£81 plus the grant fee
All the above fees do not include any charges incurred from a vet inspection which if required will have to be paid in addition to the licensing fee. A variation fee will be charged for any required changes to the licence once it has been issued.
Before you apply you should be fully familiar with the specific licence conditions and be confident in meeting them.
If you wish to apply for a new animal boarding activity licence or renew your current licence, you need to complete:
Section 1;
Main application form; AND
Section 10
Please download each of these forms, complete the relevant sections and return the forms, along with the necessary supporting documentation to Environmental Health. This can be emailed to dogwardens@salford.gov.uk. Alternatively the application forms can be posted to Environmental Health, Place Directorate, Salford Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Salford, M27 5FJ Once fees have been confirmed, a member of the team will contact you to take payment.
Yes. Once you have been inspected and the officer has determined your star rating, this will be published on our website. The register shows your business name, business address (although if you trade from a domestic premises this is not disclosed), the type(s) of licence(s) you hold and the star rating.
Application documents
Section 1 - standard applicant profile section (Microsoft Word format, 55kb)
Animal boarding application form (Microsoft Word format, 88kb)
Section 10 - declaration section (Microsoft Word format, 46kb)
Guidance documents
Guidance notes for boarding dogs in kennels (Adobe PDF format, 458kb)
Guidance notes for home boarding dogs (Adobe PDF format, 599kb)
If you are unable to view documents of these types, our downloads page provides links to viewing software.
This page was last updated on 4 August 2026