Dog Boarding in England: Licence Checks and What Owners Should Ask

If you are leaving a dog with someone in England while you are away, licensing is the first thing worth checking — and it is easier to check than most owners expect. This guide explains which arrangements need a local council licence in England, what that licence does and does not tell you, and the practical questions worth asking before you book.

Quick answer

In England you need a council licence to run a boarding kennel or cattery, a dog day care business, a dog boarding business in your home, or a business that arranges boarding for other people's cats or dogs.
Licences are granted by the local council and are valid for 1, 2 or 3 years; the council decides the cost and the length.
The council inspects the premises before granting a licence and may inspect again at any time afterwards.
The licence number must be displayed in any advertising, and the licence itself displayed clearly on the premises — so ask for it, and check it with the council.
A sitter who looks after your dog in your own home is outside the home boarding licence.
This is England only. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.

This page is general information, not legal advice, and licensing rules and guidance change. Confirm the current position with the operator's local council and current GOV.UK guidance.

By PetCompare Editorial Team · Published 2026-08-18 · Updated 2026-08-18 · 10 min read · Editorially prepared by PetCompare — not veterinary advice

Which arrangements need a licence in England

GOV.UK guidance for England states that you must contact your local council to apply for a licence if you provide or arrange boarding for cats or dogs. The licence is needed to run:

a boarding kennel or cattery
a dog day care business
a dog boarding business in your home
a business that arranges boarding for other people's cats or dogs

The guidance is explicit that a licence is still required if you are running a business even if you are only looking after a small number of animals in your own home. So the number of dogs is not, by itself, the test.

The statutory guidance issued to local authority inspectors adds detail on what "business" means for home boarding. Inspectors are told to consider whether the operator makes any sale or carries out the activity to make a profit, or earns any commission or fee from it, alongside HMRC's badges of trade; someone with a trading income below the HMRC trading income allowance does not require a licence for their activities, while being above it does not automatically make someone a business.

What is outside the home boarding licence

The home boarding statutory guidance sets out activities that do not require that particular licence. They include veterinary practices where the housing is part of the treatment of the animal; businesses providing day care for dogs outside a home environment, which fall under the day care licence instead; and businesses that look after a dog within its normal place of residence — a dog sitter in your own home.

It also confirms that cats must be boarded under a cat boarding licence rather than the dog home boarding one, and that home boarding must take place inside a domestic home that is not the dog's usual home and not outdoor kennels.

Two practical consequences. First, a sitter who stays at your house, or a dog walker who visits, is a different arrangement from boarding and is not covered by a home boarding licence — which does not mean it is unregulated in every other respect, only that this specific licence does not apply. Second, arranger and franchise models are explicitly in scope: the guidance says businesses which arrange accommodation for other people's dogs, including franchises and businesses connecting owners with people willing to look after their animals for no fee, are covered, and that it is the business's responsibility to ensure the accommodation meets the conditions.

How to check a licence before you book

The check is straightforward because display is a condition of the licence. GOV.UK guidance says the licence holder must display the licence number in any advertising and display the licence clearly on the premises. The home boarding statutory guidance goes further for online advertising, requiring the name of the licence holder followed by the licence number to be clearly and prominently displayed on any website used for the licensable activity.

So, in order:

Look for the number on the operator's website, advert or listing.
Ask directly if you cannot see one. A licensed operator will have it to hand.
Check it with the council that issued it. Ask the issuing council how to verify the licence or whether it provides a public register.
Look at the licence itself when you visit: what activity it covers, the maximum number of dogs, and when it expires.

PetCompare Hub does not hold or verify licence numbers for boarding providers. Where a listing shows a licence detail it is information as we hold it, unconfirmed by us — see how we check UK pet-business listings — so the council is always the authority, not us or the operator's own advert.

Licence length, inspections and star ratings

GOV.UK states the licence is valid for 1, 2 or 3 years, with the council deciding the cost and the length. The council inspects the premises before granting a licence and may carry out additional inspections at any time afterwards.

Length and star rating are not set by welfare standards alone. The animal activity licensing process guidance combines two things: the inspector's risk and compliance assessment of the business — which takes account of its compliance history — and the welfare standards it meets, being minor failings, minimum standards or the higher standards. The resulting star rating and licence duration follow the published matrix, in which a low-risk business meeting the higher standards receives 5 stars and a 3-year licence, a higher-risk business meeting the higher standards receives 4 stars and a 2-year licence, and a business with minor failings receives 1 star and a 1-year licence whichever risk category it falls into. Achieving the higher standards is required for a 4 or 5 star rating, and the home boarding guidance explains that a business must meet all of the required higher standards plus at least half of the optional ones.

New applicants must meet at least the minimum standards before a licence can be granted. Because rating and duration depend on risk and compliance history as well as standards, licence length on its own is not a quality verdict on an operator; it is a reasonable thing to ask a provider about rather than something to score them on.

What the licence conditions actually require

GOV.UK summarises what an operator must prove to the council. The animals must be kept in suitable accommodation, given adequate food, drink and bedding, visited and exercised regularly, protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease, protected in an emergency such as a fire, and looked after by people trained to care for them. The operator must also keep records ready for inspection — for example a register of animals boarded with the dates they arrived and left — display the licence number in advertising and display the licence on the premises.

There are consequences attached. GOV.UK states you may be fined an unlimited amount or imprisoned for up to 6 months for providing or arranging boarding without a licence or for not following the licence conditions, that a licence can be taken away if an inspection is stopped or delayed, and that you can be banned from running an animal boarding establishment. A licence will also not be granted to someone who has committed an animal welfare offence or been banned from activities including boarding cats or dogs, selling pets, breeding dogs, hiring out horses, or keeping or training animals for exhibition.

Vaccination records: what the guidance says

Both the home boarding and the kennel boarding statutory guidance require that all reasonable precautions be taken to prevent and control the spread of infectious disease, pathogens and parasites, and that an up-to-date veterinary vaccination record must be seen showing that dogs — including resident dogs — have current vaccinations against canine parvovirus, canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis (adenovirus), leptospirosis and other relevant diseases.

The guidance adds that vaccination against other diseases such as kennel cough (bordetella bronchiseptica or canine parainfluenza virus) may be required, and that a vet certificate of a recent protective titre test may be accepted instead of a booster vaccination, where the certificate states it is valid for the relevant period.

What this means for you as an owner is practical rather than clinical: expect to be asked for your dog's vaccination record, and expect a licensed operator to insist on seeing it. What your individual dog should be vaccinated against, and when, is a question for your vet — we give no vaccination schedule here. Choosing a practice is covered in our guide to choosing a vet in the UK.

Kennel boarding, home boarding or day care?

These are separate licensable activities in England, and the difference is about where and how the dog is kept rather than which is better.

Kennel boarding — dogs stay overnight in purpose-built kennels at a commercial premises, under the dog kennel boarding activity.
Home boarding — dogs stay in a domestic home that is not their own, for day and overnight stays. The guidance excludes conservatories, garages that have not been converted to a standard suitable for a human to live in, and bedrooms whose usual occupant is under 16, and requires that each dog from the same family unit has access to a room where it can sleep, hide and be kept separate from other dogs.
Dog day care — dogs are looked after during the day and not kept overnight; the kennel boarding guidance notes those businesses fall under the day care licence instead.
Sitting or walking in your own home — outside the home boarding licence, because the dog stays in its normal place of residence.

Our earlier guide comparing home boarding and kennels covers the practical trade-offs between the first two. You can also browse dog boarding, doggy daycare, pet sitting and cat boarding listings, remembering that our categories describe our records rather than an operator's licence status.

What a licence does not tell you

A licence tells you that a council assessed the premises against defined conditions and was satisfied at that point. It is a meaningful floor, not a guarantee of quality, safety or a good experience for your particular dog, and nothing in the guidance presents it as one. If a commercial operator that appears to be in scope cannot provide licence details, verify its status with the council before booking.

So the licence check is the beginning of your due diligence, not the end of it. Practical questions worth asking:

What activity does your licence cover, how long does it run, and when does it expire?
What is the maximum number of dogs on your licence, and how many staff are on site?
Can I visit before booking, and can my dog have a trial visit or stay?
Where exactly will my dog sleep, and which dogs will it be mixed with?
Which vet do you use, and what happens if my dog becomes unwell?
What records will you keep, and how will you keep me updated?
What is your policy if my return is delayed?

England only — and rules change

Everything above applies to England. The GOV.UK guidance page states that it applies to England and signposts separate guidance for Wales. This guide applies only to England; elsewhere in the UK, check the current rules for the relevant nation with its own authorities, and do not read anything here across to them.

Guidance also changes. The home boarding and dog kennel boarding statutory guidance documents cited here were updated on 1 June 2026, and the figures, standards and processes in them can be revised again. Before booking or applying, check the current GOV.UK animal activities licensing guidance and speak to the relevant local council.

FAQs

Does a dog boarding business in England need a licence?

Yes. GOV.UK guidance for England says you must contact your local council for a licence if you provide or arrange boarding for cats or dogs, covering boarding kennels and catteries, dog day care businesses, dog boarding businesses run in your home, and businesses that arrange boarding for other people's animals. A licence is still required if you are running a business even when only looking after a small number of animals in your own home.

How can I check whether a boarding provider is licensed?

Licence holders must display the licence number in any advertising and display the licence clearly on the premises, and the statutory guidance requires the licence holder's name and licence number to be shown clearly on any website used for the activity. Look for the number, ask the operator if it is not shown, and confirm it with the issuing council, asking how to verify the licence or whether it provides a public register.

How long does a boarding licence last?

One, two or three years, with the council deciding the cost and the length. The GOV.UK animal activity licensing process combines the inspector's risk and compliance assessment with the welfare standards the business meets; achieving the higher standards is required for a 4 or 5 star rating, and the final star rating and licence duration follow the published matrix. New applicants must meet at least the minimum standards before a licence can be granted. Licence length on its own should not be treated as a quality verdict.

Does a pet sitter who comes to my house need a boarding licence?

The home boarding statutory guidance lists businesses that look after a dog within its normal place of residence, such as a dog sitter, among the activities that do not require that licence, because home boarding covers dogs staying in a domestic home that is not their own. Other rules may still apply to a sitting business, so ask the operator and the council about their position.

Will a boarding provider ask for my dog's vaccination records?

Expect to be asked. Both the home boarding and kennel boarding statutory guidance require an up-to-date veterinary vaccination record to be seen showing current vaccinations against canine parvovirus, canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis (adenovirus), leptospirosis and other relevant diseases, and note that vaccination against diseases such as kennel cough may be required and that a vet certificate of a recent protective titre test may be accepted instead of a booster. What your individual dog needs is a question for your vet.

Does a licence mean the kennel is good?

No. A licence means the council inspected the premises and was satisfied the conditions were met, covering matters such as suitable accommodation, food, drink and bedding, regular visiting and exercise, protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease, emergency protection and trained staff. It is a regulatory floor, not a guarantee of quality or of a good experience for your particular dog, so visit, ask questions and consider a trial visit.

What happens if a business boards dogs without a licence?

GOV.UK states that providing or arranging boarding for cats or dogs without a licence, or failing to follow licence conditions, can lead to an unlimited fine or up to 6 months' imprisonment. A licence can also be removed if an inspection is stopped or delayed, and a person can be banned from running an animal boarding establishment.

Do these rules apply in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?

No. This guide applies only to England. The GOV.UK guidance cited here applies to England and signposts separate guidance for Wales; elsewhere in the UK, check the current rules for the relevant nation and confirm the position with the responsible authority before booking or applying.

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