What documents do you need for an animal activity licence?
Most people pass the inspection on their premises and their care. What holds applications up is the paperwork: the written procedures, policies, risk assessments and records the council expects to see before it grants a licence in England. Here is the full list, what you have to supply yourself, and the quickest honest way to produce it.
The written documents the council expects
Whichever activity you run (home boarding, dog day care, boarding kennels or a cattery), the 2018 Regulations require a set of written procedures and policies, implemented and known to everyone caring for the animals. In practice a complete pack includes:
- Operating procedures: feeding, cleaning, disease control, monitoring health and welfare, transport, and what happens if an animal dies or escapes.
- A written emergency plan and a fire risk assessment.
- Risk assessments covering infection control, welfare and health and safety.
- Cleaning and disinfection, and isolation procedures.
- A staff training policy and training records, and an environmental enrichment programme.
- A vaccination and parasite-control policy, and a vet-agreed preventative healthcare plan (a signed vet letter).
- Booking and consent forms, a register of the animals, and the day-to-day record logs.
- A contingency plan for suspension or revocation of the licence.
The items only you can provide
On top of the written pack, the council needs a few things specific to you:
- The council’s own application form, and the fee.
- Proof of public liability insurance.
- A scale plan of your premises, showing rooms, dimensions, exits, and the animal and food areas.
- Proof of identity and your right to use the premises (and, if you rent, your landlord’s permission).
- Confirmation that the planning use of the premises is acceptable.
Why this is the slow part
The written documents have to be drawn from dense statutory guidance, written in the right form, and mapped to the conditions the inspector works through. Done by hand it takes days, and an incomplete pack is the most common reason an application stalls.
The fast way to produce the pack
PetApproved asks you a short set of plain questions about your business and builds the entire written pack around your answers: every procedure and policy as a combined, council-ready PDF with each document citing its licence condition, plus the editable forms and a submission checklist telling you exactly what to add yourself. It takes about fifteen minutes, for a one-off price with no subscription.
Frequently asked
Do all four activities need the same documents?
The core set is similar, but each activity has its own specific conditions and so its own tailored documents. Our packs are activity-specific for that reason.
Does a finished pack guarantee my licence?
No. The documents cover the written requirements thoroughly, but the council still inspects your premises and your care, and decides the outcome and any star rating. We never promise a specific result, and your council may ask for further items.
Can I edit the documents afterwards?
Yes. The forms come as editable Word files and the logs as Excel, so you can adapt them. The procedures are supplied as a finished PDF for your council.