🐾 Reference guides
The licensing rules, with the sources attached
Written by a licensed daycare owner from the primary documents: gov.uk statutory guidance, legislation.gov.uk, council fee schedules and Freedom of Information answers, and the tribunal decision that settled what the guidance is worth. Each page says when every figure was last checked.
Start here
The big picture
Our report on what the licence costs and who checks it, and a free guide to keep.
Know the law
Read the rules
The licensing law explained, with every rule quoted from its source.
- The dog daycare licence in England: every rule in one placeWho needs one, the conditions, the star ratings and how inspections work.Checked 21 September 2026 · 5 sources
- What a dog daycare licence costs in England, and the costs it hidesThe fee, plus the vet visit, the extra staff and the other costs nobody mentions.Checked 12 October 2026 · 15 sources
- How often unlicensed dog boarding actually gets prosecutedWhat councils actually do about unlicensed boarding, from their own answers.Checked 21 September 2026 · 8 sources
- Do dog walkers need a licence in England?The short answer, and when walking turns into something that does need one.Checked 21 September 2026 · 6 sources
Find your figure
Look up the numbers
Dated figures read from council pages and daycares' own websites.
- What your council charges for a licenceEvery council in England we could find, with a link to its own fee page.
- How daycares near you are ratedHow many licensed daycares each council has, and how many hold five stars.
- What dog daycares charge per dayAverage day rates from 241 licensed daycares, region by region.
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Plain-English documents to adapt for your daycare.