Dog breeding licence
You need a licence if you want to breed dogs, and are breeding:
- 3 or more litters of puppies per year (unless you can show that none of the puppies has been sold)
- puppies, and advertising a business of selling puppies, irrespective of the number bred each year (subject to a number of exemptions).
If you are unsure if you fit into these categories, read the legislation or email your query to animal.licensing@medway.gov.uk.
How to apply
To apply for a licence to breed dogs, complete our online form and pay the correct fee.
You are strongly advised to read the guidance notes for breeding dogs.
Fees
There are 2 parts to the fee.
Part A - a fee for processing your application, including any appropriate checks.
| Number of dogs | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 to 10 dogs resident | £240 plus vet fees |
| 11 to 20 adult dogs resident | £320 plus vet fees |
| 21 plus dogs resident | £400 plus vet fees |
Part B - an additional fee, if you’re successful in being granted a licence, which depends on the risk rating your establishment receives during its inspection.
The Part B fee will be:
- £240 if you receive a 1 or 2 star
- £370 if you receive a 3 or 4 star
- £530 if you receive a 5 star.
We offer a pre-application advice service if you need advice and guidance on applying for a licence. The fee for this service is £115. If pre-application advice leads to a licence application, the Part A application fee will be
To book a pre-application advice meeting please email animal.licensing@medway.gov.uk.
Apply and pay the fee
You'll need the following information to apply for a licence:
- the number of bitches and studs
- your details, including your name and relationship to the business
- the applicants’ details (if different), including name, contact information and address
- emergency keyholder details
- veterinary practice details
- business and premises details, including operating procedures
- staff training details.
You'll also need to tell us about:
- waste and emergency response agreements
- isolation plans
- information about the prevention and control of infectious disease
- accommodation facilities
- public liability insurance and planning.
Apply for a licence to breed dogs
After you apply
Your application will then be reviewed, and we’ll email a payment request form to you to complete online.
Once you have paid the Part A fee and we have received your supporting documentation and procedures, we'll contact you to arrange an inspection of the premises by one of our licensing officers and an independent vet.
After the inspection, if successful, you'll get a risk rating of either 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 stars. This will determine how long your licence will last for.
To complete your application and receive your licence, you'll need to pay the hourly rate for the vet, where necessary, and your Part B fee. The licence details will also be published in Medway Council’s online Animal Licensing Register.
For more information, you can download our guidance notes.
Inspection reports
You can download and begin to complete the inspection report that will be used by our visiting officers. This will help to speed up the inspection.
You can download the inspection report for breeding dogs.
Renewing a licence
If you already have an animal licence, you'll need to renew at least 10 weeks before your existing licence expires.