Pet Shop Licences

If you keep animals to sell as pets, at any property, you need a licence. We can provide advice about the application process and relevant contact details are below.

The Environmental Health team carry out inspections of pet shops on a regular basis. The keeping and running of a pet shop is controlled by the Pet Animals Act 1951.

No person may keep a pet shop unless they have first obtained a licence from their Local Authority.

Pet shops are licensed by the Local Authority.

How can I obtain a licence and how much will it cost?  >>

What are the Council's duties? >>

Who doesn't need a Pet Shop Licence? >> 

Offences and Penalties >>

Where can I download and print an application form? (36kb) >>

Contact Us:

Telephone: (023) 9244 6670

Email: ehenvironment@havant.gov.uk

Visit: Civic Offices, Civic Centre Road, Havant PO9 2AX

Who can apply for a Licence?
Licenses for pet shops may be issued provided the applicant is not disqualified under any of the following Acts:

• The Pet Animals Act 1951.
• The Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963.
• The Protection of Animals (Amendment ) Act 1954.
• The Protection of Animals (Cruelty to Dogs) (Scotland) Act 1934.

How to obtain a licence

Licences for pet shops may are issued by the local authority provided the applicant has not disqualified under any of the following acts:

• The Pet Animals Act 1951
• The Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963
• The Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1954
• The Protection of Animals (Cruelty to Dogs) (Scotland) Act 1934

There is an application fee which must be paid at the time the application is made. Follow this link to find current licence fees >>.

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.

The Council's duties

Before being granted a licence, the applicant must be able to demonstrate to the council's officers that:

• they are qualified to keep animals
• the animals will be kept in accommodation that is suitable in respect of construction, size, temperature, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness
• animals will be adequately supplied with suitable food, drink and bedding materials and (so far as necessary) visited at suitable intervals
• mammals will not be sold at too early an age
• all reasonable precautions will be taken to prevent the spread of infectious disease among animals
• 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
• a register will be set up, containing a description of any animal received on the premises, the animal's age and sex, the date of acquisition and departure, and the source from which the animals are received
• the animal register will be available for inspection at all times by an authorised Council officer or by a veterinary surgeon or veterinary practitioner authorised by the council
• no animal will be sold to a child under the age of 16 years old.

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.

In addition to the standard conditions, a licence may also contain special conditions that are only applicable to your premises.

Exemptions

You do not need a pet shop licence if:

• you sell the offspring of an animal you keep as a pet;
• you keep only pedigree animals which you breed;
• you breed pedigree animals or acquire them for show.

Offences and penalties

The following offences and penalties apply to pet shops.

• 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
• Any person found guilty of failing to comply with the licence conditions may be subject to a fine not exceeding £500 or to three months' imprisonment – or both
• 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 he or she may be disqualified from keeping a pet shop for such length of time as the court thinks fit.