The dog daycare licence in England: every rule in one place
Short answer
In England, a business that looks after other people's dogs during the day at a fixed premises needs a dog day care licence from its local council under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Dog walkers and dog sitters who work in the owner's home are not covered, and looking after dogs in your own home needs a home boarding licence instead. The licence carries a star rating from 1 to 5, lasts one, two or three years, and comes with conditions on staff numbers, space, fencing, temperature, vaccinations and records.
- 108 for the higher standard
- 6m²Inside and outside combined
- 2 wksBefore a first day
- 1 to 3By star rating
Who needs the licence
This page covers England. The 2018 Regulations apply to England only. Wales still licenses boarding under the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, and Scotland has its own scheme.
All dog day care activities need a licence if they're carried out as a commercial business.
The premises must be a fixed location.
The guidance excludes “businesses that look after dogs in their owner’s homes, such as, dog sitters and dog walkers” and “a business that looks after dogs in a business owner’s own home”, which is licensed as home boarding instead.
The law and the guidance are two layers
Most arguments about dog daycare rules come from mixing up two documents. The Regulations are the law. The statutory guidance is what councils use to apply it, and it is where every specific number lives.
All reasonable precautions must be taken to prevent and control the spread among the animals and people of infectious diseases, pathogens and parasites.
“Regard must be had to the Statutory Guidance unless there is good reason not to do so.” … “The Statutory Guidance is formulated on the basis of expert advice and must be given due weight.”
The numbers on the licence
These are the figures from the dog day care guidance, updated 1 June 2026. The required standard is the minimum to hold a licence. The higher standard counts towards a better star rating. Section numbers are the guidance’s own.
| Condition | Required standard | Higher standard | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff to dogs | Each member of staff should have 10 dogs or less to care for | At least one full-time member of staff per 8 dogs | 4.1 and 4.0 |
| Space per dog | 6 square metres available to each dog within the premises, inside and outside space combined | Layout gives dogs a choice of areas | 4.1 |
| Sleeping area temperature | Above an absolute minimum of 10°C and below a maximum of 26°C | 5.2 | |
| Fencing | Square mesh no larger than 50mm by 50mm; chain link no larger than 75mm by 50mm; wire at least 2mm in diameter; dig proof; at least 2 secure physical barriers between a dog and any exit | 5.1 | |
| Dogs on a walk | A dog walker may walk no more than 6 dogs at the same time; the owner must consent and the dogs must be familiarised first | 7.2 | |
| Vaccinations | Primary vaccination courses completed at least 2 weeks before acceptance; a recent protective titre test certificate may be accepted instead of a booster | 9.4 | |
| Records per dog | The dog's normal vet and details of any insurance relating to the dog, among other records | 25.1 | |
| Level 3 qualification | A permanent, full-time member of staff with an appropriate Ofqual-regulated Level 3 qualification | Higher standard |
The fencing condition does not set a fence height. It says “sufficient height”. The numbers are mesh size and wire gauge. And the two barriers are two doors or gates between a dog and the way out, not two fence lines.
The puppy timeline follows from 9.4: first jab at about 8 weeks, second at 10 to 12 weeks to complete the primary course, then a further 2 weeks before the first day. Most puppies can start at 12 to 14 weeks. A titre test does not cover leptospirosis or kennel cough, so it replaces a booster, not the course.
Stars, licence length and inspections
The inspector scores the business against the required and higher standards and gives it a star rating. To reach the higher standards a business must meet all of the required higher standards and at least half of the optional ones. The rating sets how long the licence lasts and how often the council comes back.
| Rating | Licence length | Unannounced visits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 star | 1 year | At least 1 within 12 months |
| 2 stars (high risk) | 1 year | At least 1 within 12 months |
| 3 stars (low risk) | 2 years | At least 1 within 24 months |
| 4 stars (high risk) | 2 years | At least 1 within 24 months |
| 5 stars (low risk) | 3 years | At least 1 within 36 months |
New applicants are automatically rated high risk, so a first licence is one or two years whatever the standards met. A five-star business renews, and pays, a third as often as a one-star one.
The star rating must be added to the licence and the licence should be displayed by the applicant's business.
What the licence does not ask for
Two things people assume are conditions are not.
“A vet must be appointed for the initial inspection for the licensed application for the breeding of dogs.” For hiring out horses, “a listed vet must be appointed for the initial inspection, for a renewal inspection, and for the annual inspection.”
the name and contact details of the dog's normal vet and details of any insurance relating to the dog
How to check a licence
Local authorities should maintain a list of licensed businesses and their associated ratings on their websites.
Running without one
Anyone who carries out or carries on with any of the licensable activities without a licence is committing an offence.
For the full text, the Regulations are on legislation.gov.uk and the guidance on gov.uk.
Questions people ask
- Do I need a licence to run a dog daycare in England?
- Yes, if it is a commercial business looking after other people's dogs during the day at a fixed premises. The licence comes from your local council under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Running it without one is an offence under section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
- How many dogs can one member of staff look after in a dog daycare?
- The statutory guidance's required standard is that each member of staff should have 10 dogs or less to care for. The higher standard, which counts towards a better star rating, is at least one full-time member of staff per 8 dogs.
- How much space does each dog need in a dog daycare?
- Each dog must have 6 square metres of space available to them within the premises. Inside and outside space both count towards the figure.
- How long does a dog daycare licence last?
- One year for a 1 or 2 star rating, two years for 3 or 4 stars, and three years for 5 stars. New applicants are automatically rated high risk, so a first licence is one or two years. Every licence gets at least one unannounced visit.
- Does a dog daycare need a vet inspection to get a licence?
- No. The process guidance requires a vet for the first inspection of a dog breeder and for hiring out horses. For dog day care, the inspector needs a Level 3 certificate from an Ofqual-regulated body. Some councils still choose to send a vet and charge the applicant for it.
- Does a dog daycare licence require public liability insurance?
- The dog day care conditions do not require the business to hold insurance. The only mention of insurance is the record you must keep of each dog's own insurance. Councils often ask for a public liability certificate on their own application form, which is a local requirement rather than a licence condition.
Sources
- Dog day care licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities (Defra, updated 1 June 2026)
- Animal activity licensing process: statutory guidance for local authorities (Defra, updated 1 June 2026)
- The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, SI 2018/486
- Animal Welfare Act 2006, section 13
- Cottrell v Wokingham Borough Council [2026] UKFTT 458 (GRC), 25 March 2026
Duncan
Founder of Genera and owner of Duncan's Dog Co
Duncan has run Duncan's Dog Co, a licensed dog daycare in Surrey, since 2011. Genera is the software he built to run it, shaped by what actually works day to day, not theory.
Where Genera comes in
Genera is the booking and invoicing software Duncan built to run his own licensed daycare. It holds you to the daily numbers on your licence, keeps every dog's vaccination dates where an inspector can see them, and invoices the month from the bookings you actually took.