How to check a dog boarding licence in the UK

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Updated 10 November 2026.

Before booking a kennel or home boarder, check the licence with the authority responsible for the premises where your dog will stay. Ask for the licence holder’s name, licence number, boarding address and expiry date, then match those details against the authority’s register or written confirmation.

A badge on a website, a marketplace listing and a public-liability insurance certificate do not replace that check. Equally, a missing search result is not proof that a business is unlicensed: registers, business names and addresses can be recorded differently.

Which authority should I contact?

Where the premises are	Starting point	Important distinction
England	The local council responsible for animal-activity licensing	The English licensing system includes a council star rating and licences lasting one, two or three years
Wales	The local council or its shared regulatory service	Check its own boarding-licence arrangements; do not assume England’s star system applies
Scotland	The local council’s licensing or environmental-health service	Councils license boarding premises, including home boarding; confirm the current licence and conditions locally
Northern Ireland	DAERA’s animal-boarding establishment licensing service	Do not assume the English council route or star-rating system applies

Use GOV.UK’s council finder for a premises in Great Britain. Northern Ireland owners can start with the official animal-boarding licence page.

Step 1: identify the actual service and address

Find out whether your dog will stay in a kennel, in someone else’s home or in your own home with a sitter. Ask where every overnight stay will take place. If an agency arranges a host, establish which licensed operation and premises cover that arrangement.

In England, commercial home boarding means accommodating dogs in a domestic home other than their usual home. Sitting in the dog’s normal residence is excluded from that particular licensing activity. Dog day care outside a home environment has separate guidance. The legal business test includes qualifications and exemptions, so ask the authority to determine a borderline case rather than relying on a sitter’s explanation alone.

A licence for one activity does not automatically cover another. Dog breeding, dog walking, boarding and day care are different services. A business can also operate at more than one address: check the one your dog will use.

Step 2: ask the provider for its licence details

Request the licence holder’s legal name, trading name, number, issuing authority and expiry. Ask to see the licence and any conditions relevant to your booking. In England, the holder’s name and licence number must be clearly displayed on a website used for the licensable activity, and the licence must be displayed at the premises.

Check that the document is a current licence, rather than an application, expired certificate or general training qualification. An application being processed does not establish that a provider is currently authorised to operate.

Keep the details with your booking confirmation. If the licence will expire before the stay, ask how you can confirm renewal before your dog arrives.

Step 3: find the official register

Search the authority’s own website for animal boarding, home boarding, animal activities or public licensing register. The register may be an online search, a spreadsheet, a PDF or a list within a licensing page. Use the authority’s website to find it, rather than relying on a copied list elsewhere.

Search by both licence-holder and trading name. Match the premises, permitted activity, number and expiry. Some public entries omit a home address for privacy, in which case ask the authority to confirm that your proposed host address is covered.

English statutory guidance says councils should maintain a website list of licensed businesses. That does not mean every council presents the information in the same searchable format. Councils can also share regulatory services, so the register may appear under a joint-service name.

Step 4: request confirmation if the entry is unclear

Contact the licensing team through the authority’s official contact details. A short, specific request is easier to answer:

Please confirm whether [licence holder/trading name], licence number [number], is currently licensed to provide [kennel boarding/home boarding] at [address]. My dog’s proposed stay is [dates]. Please confirm the expiry date and whether that activity and premises are covered.

You can also ask whether the licence permits the proposed number of dogs and whether any relevant restrictions apply. The authority may not disclose every inspection detail, but it can explain how to verify current licensing.

There is usually no reason to begin with a formal Freedom of Information request. Try the register and licensing team first. If you need information beyond a routine confirmation, ask how to request it and allow enough time before booking.

What do England’s boarding star ratings mean?

England’s licensing rating runs from one to five stars and reflects the regulatory assessment of standards and risk. It is not a customer-review score. Higher standards are defined in the relevant guidance; the home-boarding guidance sets required and optional higher-standard conditions.

A lower rating needs context, and a higher rating does not tell you whether your particular dog will settle. Confirm that a star badge is the council’s current rating, then ask about the care arrangements that matter to your dog. Do not transfer the English interpretation to a provider in another UK nation.

What the licence check does not tell you

Once licensing is confirmed, assess the practical fit. Discuss exercise, rest, feeding, overnight staffing, other animals, children, medication and emergency procedures. Ask about vaccination requirements well before the stay so you can discuss any veterinary timing questions with your own vet.

Check insurance separately, including what the provider says it covers while your dog is in its care. Read booking, cancellation and emergency-treatment terms. A licence is an essential regulatory check for a licensable service; it does not replace choosing suitable care.

Our boarding costs guide explains how to compare daily charges, collection times and extras. Compare providers using the same dates and care needs after you have established that they can offer the right service.

What if I cannot find a licence?

Ask the provider for details and seek confirmation from the authority. Do not describe the business publicly as unlicensed simply because an online search was unsuccessful. If you cannot establish that a licensable service is covered, choose a provider whose position you can verify before leaving your dog.

Does a home boarder need a licence for only one dog?

Do not assume that a small number removes the requirement. In England the commercial activity and business test matter. The authority can determine whether the particular service falls within the rules. Ask the relevant authority elsewhere in the UK too.

Who deals with welfare concerns?

Raise licensing concerns with the responsible authority, giving factual details and the premises address. Where an animal appears in immediate danger, seek urgent help from the appropriate local emergency or animal-welfare service. Keep any evidence factual and avoid confronting someone in a way that puts people or animals at risk.