Who needs a pet shop licence?

Anyone who trades in pets (defined as any vertebrate including fish) must have a pet shop licence issued by the Council. On receipt of the pet shop application, which must give details of the numbers and types of animals that are to be kept on the premises, an inspection will be made by an officer of the Council to ensure that:

• animals will at all times be kept in accommodation suitable as respects size, temperature, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness
• animals will be adequately supplied with food and drink and visited at suitable intervals
• animals will not be sold at too early an age
• all reasonable precautions will be taken to prevent the spread of infectious diseases among animals
• appropriate steps will be taken in the case of fire or other emergency

If necessary the Council may require the specialist advice of a veterinary surgeon, especially in cases where exotic pets are being sold. Any costs associated with this will be recharged to the applicant.

Licences will be subject to 'pet shop' conditions.

How can I apply

If you wish to apply for a pet shop licence, you can complete and submit the application form online. N.B. we cannot process your completed application form until we are in receipt of the licence fee, which should be sent to Environmental Services at the address shown at the bottom of this page.

You can complete the licence application form here

You can view a list of our current Licensing Fees here

Licences issued remain in force until the end of the year to which they relate and then expire.

Matters to consider

In addition to ensuring that you can meet the licence conditions, you should consider the following:

• for new pet shops planning permission may be required. Further information on this can be obtained from planning services.
• if you are running a business, you must ensure the health and safety of yourself, any staff and the public. Advice on health and safety at work can be obtained from the Environmental Services Health and Safety team.
• waste disposal arrangements.

Making a complaint

If you are concerned about a pet shop in the Tendring District please contact us (details at the bottom of this page, or you can complete and submit an online enquiry/complaint form here.

Note that although we will maintain the confidentiality of your enquiry, we cannot deal with anonymous complaints, so please leave a contact name and details so that the officer dealing with your query can speak to you.

Contact Details:

E-mail: environmental.services@tendringdc.gov.uk
Address: Environmental Services, Council Offices, Thorpe Road, Weeley,
Essex, CO16 9AJ
Telephone: 01255 686767