Pet shop licence

Licence Summary
To run a business selling pet animals you need a licence from the local authority. This includes all commercial selling of pet animals, including pet shops and businesses selling animals over the internet.

Eligibility Criteria
Licences for pet shops may be issued provided the applicant is not disqualified under any of the following Acts:-
a)     The Pet Animals Act 1951.
b)     The Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963.
c)     The Protection of Animals (Amendment ) Act 1954.
d)     The Protection of Animals (Cruelty to Dogs) (Scotland) Act 1934.
 
There is an application fee of £144.00 which must be paid at the time the application is made.
 
Where a licence is granted that licence and any subsequent licence will expire on the 31st December of the year to which it relates and must be renewed before that date if the premises are to continue as a pet shop.

Regulation Summary
The keeping and running of a pet shop is controlled by the Pet Animals Act 1951.

Application Evaluation Process
Before being granted a licence the applicant must be able to demonstrate to the Council's Licensing Inspector:
 
a)    that they are suitably qualified to keep animals with regard to the type and number proposed to be kept.
b)     that the animals will be kept in accommodation that is suitable in respect of construction, size, temperature lighting, ventilation and cleanliness.
c)     that animals will be adequately supplied with suitable food, drink and bedding materials and (so far as is necessary) visited at suitable intervals.
d)     that mammals will not be sold at too early an age.
e)     that all reasonable precautions will be taken to prevent the spread of infectious disease amongst the animals.
f)     that appropriate steps will be taken to protect the animals in the case of fire or other emergency, including the provision of suitable fire fighting equipment.
g)     that a register containing a description of any animal received on the premises, the animals age and sex, the date of acquisition and departure and the source from which the animals are received, and that the register will be available for inspection at all times by a Licensing Inspector or by a veterinary Surgeon or Veterinary Practitioner authorised by Brent Council.
h)     No animal will be sold to a child under the age of 12 years.
 
A licence may be refused or withheld on other grounds if those grounds are such that conditions are not suitable for the keeping of animals.
 
Each Licence is subject to standard conditions that are imposed on all pet shops licensed by Brent Council.
 
In addition to the standard conditions a licence may also contain special conditions that are only applicable to your premises.
 
Offences and penalties
The following offences and penalties apply to the pet shops:
 
a)     Any person found guilty of keeping a pet shop without a licence may be subject to a fine not exceeding £500 or to three months imprisonment or both.
b)     Any person found guilty of failing to comply with their licence conditions may be subject to a fine not exceeding £500 or to three months imprisonment or both.
c)     Any person found guilty of obstructing or delaying an Inspector, or authorised Veterinary Surgeon or Veterinary Practitioner in the exercising of  their powers of entry may be fined up to a maximum of £500.

If found guilty under this Act, the defendant's licence may be cancelled and they may be disqualified from keeping a pet shop for such length of time as the Court thinks fit.

Tacit Consent

This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from the local authority by the end of the target completion period.  Pet Shop licence applications will be processed on receipt of all valid documentation and fees.  If no further contact is received from us within the stated timescale in the application acknowledgement then tacit consent applies.  Where matters arise with regards to the application giving need for an extension of the processing period the applicant / agent will be notified.

Failed Application Redress
Any person aggrieved by a refusal to be granted a licence or by any conditions to which a licence is subject may appeal to the local Magistrates Court.

Licence Holder Redress
Any licence holder who objects to a condition attached to a licence may appeal to the local Magistrates court.

Consumer Complaint

To make a complaint about a licensed or unlicensed premises please email  us at hsl@brent.gov.uk or complete our online form.  To make a complaint about Health, Safety & Licensing please use the Customer Service Complaints Form or email customer.services@brent.gov.uk

General Information
This authority is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and to this end may use the information you have provided on this form for the prevention and detection of fraud. It may also share this information with law enforcement agencies and other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes.

The council's licensing inspectors may be contacted at:

The Health Safety and Licensing Division
P.O. Box 411
Brent House
347-359 High Road
Wembley
Middlesex
HA9 6EP