Dog boarding licence cost: what 18 councils charge

England only, and only these councils

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland license dog boarding under different rules. England has more than 300 councils and this guide covers 18 of them, chosen to give a spread of places, not because they are typical. Fees change, usually in April. Your own council’s page is the only price that counts.

The short version

There is no national fee. Each council in England sets its own, and pages differ in how they show it.
For a new home boarding licence, first year, the 13 councils below that state a home boarding price came to £107 to £1,164.50, with a middle figure of £328.90. Ten of the 13 were between £233 and £420.
Many councils charge in two parts: an application fee when you apply, and a grant fee if the licence is granted. The grant fee often rises with the length of licence.
Vet inspection fees are extra at most councils, and are not in any total here.

How we got these figures

We read each council’s own fee page (or its published fee schedule) on 22 October 2026. We did not use search snippets or other websites. Where a council gives an application fee and a grant fee, the total in the table is our sum of the two for a new licence with a one-year grant. Where a council gives one price, we show it as stated. Councils that charge by number of dogs are shown at their lowest band, and the note says so.

We left out councils whose page showed no fee, whose page contradicted itself, or whose fee depended on a calculator. That is why this is 18 councils and not more. If a figure here is out of date or wrong, email us with the council’s page and we will correct it and date the change below.

What 18 councils charge

Dog home boarding licence fees published by 18 English councils, read on 22 October 2026
Council (link goes to the fee page)	What the page says	Total, new one-year licence	Date shown on the page
Bristol City Council	Home boarding: £96 application fee (non-refundable) plus an annual licence fee of £187	£283 (our sum)	None shown
Brentwood Borough Council	One “Animal Boarding” row: £364 application, £121 grant, total £485	£485 (as stated, one price for all boarding)	Effective 1 April 2026
Canterbury City Council	Home boarding: £162.02 to apply, non-refundable, and a further £200.90 if the licence is granted	£362.92 (our sum)	None shown
Castle Point Borough Council	Animal home boarding: £328.90 (one fee)	£328.90 (as stated)	Page headed 2025/2026
Chorley Council	£181 application fee plus a £122 grant fee for a home boarding licence	£303 (our sum)	None shown
Durham County Council	Dog home boarding: £355 new application (£288 renewal), paid on application	£355 (as stated)	None shown
Guildford Borough Council	Home boarding: £830 application fee, £334.50 fee for grant, total £1,164.50	£1,164.50 (as stated)	Fees from 1 April 2026
Havant Borough Council	Fee schedule: home boarding or daycare for dogs, £410 application fee and £245 compliance fee	£655 (our sum)	Schedule for 2026 to 2027
Hull City Council	Home boarding for dogs: £107 for a one-year licence, £138 for two years	£107 (as stated)	Prices 2026 to 2027
Newcastle City Council	£150 payable on application; no grant fee stated; re-score £100	Not stated (£150 on application)	None shown
North Tyneside Council	Home boarding: one-year licence fee £75, total £239	£239 (as stated)	None shown
North West Leicestershire District Council	One boarding fee for up to 6 animals: £151 application plus £87 one-year grant	£238 (our sum, one price for all boarding)	Titled 2026 to 2027
Salford City Council	Home boarding and day care, fewer than three dogs: new £152 application, £81 one-year grant (three to six dogs: £205 and £95)	£233 (our sum, fewer than three dogs)	Updated 4 August 2026
Sheffield City Council	Animal boarding establishment for cats or dogs: £597; the page says fees “may be subject to change”	£597 (as stated, one price for all boarding)	None shown
South Ribble Borough Council	£181 application fee (non-refundable) plus a £122 grant fee for home boarding	£303 (our sum)	None shown
St Helens Borough Council	Home boarding for dogs: £330 in two payments, £207 then £123	£330 (as stated)	Fees 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027
Swindon Borough Council	Home boarding, up to six dogs: £180 application plus a grant fee of £240 (one year), £330 (two) or £410 (three)	£420 (our sum)	None shown
West Lancashire Borough Council	Cat and dog boarding, including day care and home boarding: £164.12 initial fee plus £109.42 enforcement fee on a successful application	£273.54 (as stated, one price for all boarding)	Last updated 2 January 2026

What the table does not show

Vet fees. Several councils say a vet inspection, where needed, is charged in addition, and some recharge it at cost. None is in the totals.
Longer licences cost more up front. Swindon’s grant fee is £240, £330 or £410 for one, two or three years. Councils decide the length from your star rating, so the one-year figure may not be what you pay. The conditions guide explains the ratings.
Day care and kennels. Home boarding is usually the cheapest licence. In Bristol, day care and kennels are £247 a year against £187 for home boarding; in Guildford all three are the same price.
Renewals. Some councils charge less to renew: Durham’s home boarding renewal is £288 against £355 new.
VAT. Hull says its prices do not include VAT unless stated. The other pages did not say.

What else a licence costs you

The licence fee is only part of it. Some councils’ conditions expect public liability insurance, and you may need to make changes to the home so that dogs have a separate room, a safe garden and a way to be kept apart. Those costs depend on your home and are not in the table. Our conditions guide lists what inspectors check.

How to find your own council’s fee

Search for your council’s name and “animal boarding licence”. The page should be on a .gov.uk address.
Look for a “fees” section, or a link to a fee schedule or “fees and charges”. Some councils put the amounts only in a PDF.
Check whether the fee is for the right activity (home boarding or day care) and the right number of dogs.
Check the year the fees apply to. If the page does not say, ask the council.
Ask whether a vet inspection fee applies and how it is charged.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a dog boarding licence cost in England?

It depends on the council. In the 13 councils above that state a home boarding price, a new one-year licence ranged from £107 to £1,164.50, with most between £233 and £420. Vet fees are usually extra.

Is a day care licence the same price as a home boarding licence?

Sometimes, sometimes not. In Guildford all boarding activities are the same price; in Bristol day care is £60 a year more than home boarding. DEFRA says day care run from your own home is licensed as home boarding, so check which one your council applies.

Why do councils charge different amounts?

Each council sets its own fee. We have not seen any national scale, and the councils’ pages do not explain the differences, so we do not know why some are higher.

Do I pay again if my licence is refused?

At councils that split the fee, the application fee is non-refundable, and the grant fee is only due if the licence is granted. Check your council’s wording.

Sources

Last checked 22 October 2026.

Changes to this guide

22 October 2026: Published.

This guide is general information written from the official sources listed above and checked on 22 October 2026. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and Plainfiles is not endorsed by any government body. Rules change, so check the linked official pages for your own situation. Written and designed by Plainfiles with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, then checked against the official legislation and guidance listed in the sources. How we write and check our guides.