Selling animals as pets

Licensing of animal activities

Licences for selling animals as pets are controlled by the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 and we are the licensing authority for Rushmoor.

You can read the selling animals as pets licensing statutory guidance to determine whether you need a licence to sell animals as pets. Please contact us if you need to discuss the licensing requirements further.

Applying for a new licence

To apply for a new licence, please complete and return the selling animals as pets application form.

New licence fees

There is a non-refundable application fee payable when you apply and an enforcement fee payable once the licence is granted.  We cannot issue the licence until we receive the enforcement fee.

If you apply for more than one licensable activity at the same time, you only need to pay the application and enforcement fee once. You can then pay a £50 fee for each additional activity.

If you do this, the higher application or enforcement fee will apply as the main activity, and the lower priced activity will be charged at the additional £50 fee.

This only applies when you apply for or renew all licences at the same time. If you don’t apply at the same time, you will need to pay the separate application and enforcement fees for each activity.

Renewing your licence

We will write to you before your licence is due to expire to explain how to renew your licence.  You will need to submit your completed application at least ten weeks before your existing licence expires. Please use our selling animals as pets application form.

Renewal fees

There is a non-refundable application fee payable when you apply and an enforcement fee payable once the licence is granted.  We cannot issue the licence until we receive the enforcement fee.

If you renew more than one licensable activity at the same time, you only need to pay the application and enforcement fee once. You can then pay a £50 fee for each additional activity.

If you do this, the higher application or enforcement fee will apply as the main activity, and the lower priced activity will be charged at the additional £50 fee.

This only applies when you apply for or renew all licences at the same time. If you don’t apply at the same time, you will need to pay the separate application and enforcement fees for each activity.

Additional fees for these licences

• Application for re-rating or major variation - £140
• Minor variation - £20
• Additional copy of licence - £6.90

Star ratings for your business

Under these regulations, we will give your business a star rating, ranging from 1 star to 5 stars. We will base this rating on the level of risk and the animal welfare standards you adopt.

The star rating determines how long your licence will be for, which can be for one, two or three years.

Please read the animal activity licensing process statutory guidance to understand more about the regulations, how we decide on your business' star rating and the length of the licence.

Statutory guidance

Defra has issued guidance for the animal activity licensing process and specific guidance for selling animals as pets. We have listed these below:

• Animal activity licensing process statutory guidance
• Selling animals as pets licensing statutory guidance

We are legally required to use the above guidance when making our licensing decisions. This will include their mandatory conditions, which we have to include in your licence. 

The guidance contains explanatory guidance for each mandatory condition, which we also must consider when determining your application and assessing compliance with the licence conditions.

Licensed businesses in Rushmoor

We recommend that you check a business selling animals as pets has a current licence issued by us. The licence should be clearly displayed at the premises. You can also contact us to confirm the business is licensed.

Current licences

View a list of current animal activity licences and their star rating.