Selling animals as pets licence
Pay for this application
If you are unable to pay for your application online, please contact the Licensing team using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
Licences to sell animals as pets are issued under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.
The conditions attached to selling animals as pets licences are set out in the regulations. The conditions are mandatory and can't be added to, deleted or amended by us. You can find the conditions and the guidance which accompanies them in the 'Related documents' section of this page.
Who needs a licence sell animals as pets?
- Any business importing, distributing or selling animals as pets, or with a view to them being later resold as pets. This includes businesses registered with companies house and businesses or individuals operating from domestic premises for commercial purposes who may or may not be registered with companies house
- Premises open to the public or to other businesses where animals are available for purchase
General indicators of running a business selling animals as pets may include:
- The import, distribution and sale of animals by means of a fixed fee
- The purchase of animals with the express intent to sell them on
- Animals being bought and then re-advertised for sale or sold within a short period of time
- The number, frequency and/or volume of sales, or systematic and repeated transactions using the same means of advertising
- High volumes of animals sold or advertised for sale or high numbers of litters or progeny
- Low volumes of animals sold or advertised for high sales prices
- High numbers of advertisements of animals for sale, at any one time, over a short period of time or regularly, including on classified websites
- Advertising through a variety of sites, forums or media
Who doesn’t need a licence to sell animals as pets?
- A private individual who breeds animals as a hobby, for pleasure, for exhibition for prize or for education, study or scientific advancement infrequently selling a small number of surplus offspring/excess stock
- Organised events where people meet to sell surplus animals they have bred, or animals that are surplus to their requirements, whether or not this is open to the public
- Aquacultural production businesses that are authorised under regulation 5(1) of the Aquatic Animal Health (England and Wales) Regulations 2009, and that are inspected by the Fish Health Inspectorate
What is the ‘business test’?
The regulations specify two business tests to be considered when deciding if an activity is commercial, and therefore requires a licence. They're not the only method to determine if a licence is required, but we must take them into account when deciding if a licence is required:
Does the operator make any sale, or otherwise carry on the activity, with a view to making a profit, or;
Does the operator earn any commission or fee from the activity
These two tests will be considered, alongside the factors in the ‘Who needs a licence to sell animals as pets’ section above when determining if a licence is required.
How long does a licence last?
The length of a selling animals as pets licence is determined by its star rating:
- 1 star = one-year licence
- 2 star = one-year licence
- 3 star = two-year licence
- 4 star = two-year licence
- 5 star = three-year licence
A licence runs from the date it's granted and must be renewed by the anniversary of the date it was granted in either one, two or three years, depending on the star rating (see above).
Existing licence holders will receive a reminder from us three months before their licence is due for renewal, with a renewal application pack enclosed. Renewal applications must be returned to us a minimum of ten weeks before the expiry date of the initial licence.
Contact Licensing
- licensing@shropshire.gov.uk
- 0345 678 9026 (taxis 0345 678 9046)