For after hours urgent public health matters including environmental health, radiation safety, food poisoning and communicable disease management phone:
Pet businesses in the ACT must be licensed by the Animal Welfare Authority (Authority) under the Animal Welfare Act 1992 (Act), specifically pet shops and boarding establishments.
The licensing framework currently applies solely to pet shops and boarding establishments.
This includes pet shops that house and sell rehomed animals through partnerships with rehoming organisations, pet day care businesses, dog kennels and catteries, and other overnight pet boarding businesses.
This does not include licensed breeders, individuals using private pet sitting apps, or animals boarded for animal welfare or veterinary purposes.
Licence conditions
The relevant minimum standards set out in the mandatory codes of practice that sit under the Act serve as automatic conditions of a pet business licence. The mandatory codes of practice are the:
It is the responsibility of the manager, area manager or business owner to review the mandatory standards in these codes of practice to confirm which relate to the business and how.
Under section 24I of the Act, additional licence conditions can be applied by the Authority at the time of issuing the licence and any time during the licence term, provided the conditions are in the interest of animal welfare.
How to apply
A manager or business owner should apply on behalf of the pet business by completing the application cover form (PDF 172KB) and emailing it to TCCS.AnimalManagement@act.gov.au along with any evidence of policies, procedures and training materials used by the business in relation to the care and management of animals.
It is essential to review the mandatory codes of practice relating to the nature of the business prior to applying. This ensures you are aware of the mandatory standards the business needs to comply with as part of the licence conditions.
For chain businesses that have the same services and standards applying across multiple premises, one application may be submitted that applies to the multiple locations. In these cases, a nominated manager of one of the locations, an area manager for the multiple locations or a business owner may submit the application on behalf of the pet business premises.
If you are not sure if your pet business needs to be licensed or need further information please email TCCS.AnimalManagement@act.gov.au
After you apply
Once your application cover form and supporting documentation has been submitted on behalf of the business, the Authority may request further information. An outcome must be given within 30 days of applying.
The licence may be issued for a term of 3 years or another term if required. The legislation can allow up to 5 years.
Site inspections may be carried out by authorised inspectors throughout the term of the licence in consultation with the business. However, licences will generally be processed based on the written application only.
Canberra pet businesses (pet shops and boarding establishments) must apply under the Animal Welfare Act 1992 (Act) to obtain a pet business licence.
A pet business licence is issued by the Animal Welfare Authority (Authority) under the Act to ensure better regulatory oversight for pet business activities relating to animal welfare.
The licence relates to the relevant mandatory code of practice under the Act and any other conditions imposed by the Authority. Businesses must adhere to the standards in the code/s that apply to them and ensure proper record keeping to track the buying and selling of animals (including rescue animals acquired and rehomed by a pet shop).
A licensing framework supports Canberra’s pet businesses to continue to do the right thing in caring for and managing animals, while also ensuring our animal welfare laws are strong and enforceable.
Codes of practice relating to pet shops and boarding establishments have previously been in place under the Act. However, they have been updated as part of the licensing framework to include mandatory standards to act as conditions of a licence.
The licensing framework applies to Canberra’s pet shops and pet boarding establishments.
For pet shops, this includes pet shops that sell rescue animals but does not include non-profit rescue organisations.
For boarding establishments, this includes both overnight boarding and pet day care establishments but does not include boarding for veterinary purposes, not-for-profit organisations, or private sitters (e.g. via pet sitting apps).
Pet businesses can apply for a licence during the 6 month grace period from 1 August 2021 to 31 January 2022. As the licensing framework is new, a grace period for applying will allow businesses to prepare their applications and ensure that all businesses are made aware of the new requirements through education and awareness carried out by Domestic Animal Services.
The relevant mandatory codes of practice serve as automatic licence conditions, in addition to any other conditions the Authority imposes on the licence. Depending on the business, more than one code of practice may apply.
The mandatory codes of practice relating to the licensing framework are:
These mandatory codes can be found under the ‘Regulations and Instruments’ tab beneath the Act on the ACT Legislation Register.
It is the responsibility of the business to determine which codes and mandatory standards within each code relate to the services offered by that business.
Under section 24I of the Act, the Authority may also impose a condition during the licence term if in the interest of animal welfare and provided to the business in writing.
A pet business should apply by completing the application cover form and emailing it to tccs.animalmanagement@act.gov.au along with any evidence of policies, procedures and training materials used by the business in relation to the care and management of animals.
It is essential to review the mandatory codes of practice relating to the nature of the business prior to applying. This ensures you are aware of the mandatory standards the business needs to comply with as part of the licence conditions.
How long will it take for an application to be processed?
Once an application has been received, including any supporting evidence accompanying the application form, the licence must either be issued or refused within 30 days.
The Authority may request further information during processing.
Will pet businesses be inspected as part of the application process?
Applications will be assessed primarily based on the written application and supporting evidence provided. Site inspections will not be required for all applications but can be arranged at any point in consultation with the business.
This means inspections may be arranged throughout the term of the licence on a case by case basis. Only authorised officers under the Act will undertake inspections.
Licences will be issued for a 3-year term and can be issued for up to 5 years under the Act.
During the targeted consultation process with pet business representatives, a shorter licence term than the maximum 5-year term set out in the Act was recommended to keep pet businesses engaged and up to date with best-practice animal welfare.
What if the business changes its services after the licence is issued?
The manager or business owner should notify the Authority in writing via tccs.animalmanagement@act.gov.au of any changes to the business that impact on the licence or on animal welfare more broadly.
The Authority may amend a licence at any time under section 24N of the Act if in the interest of animal welfare.
What consultation took place in developing the pet business licensing framework?
The pet business licensing framework forms part of a broader suite of animal welfare improvements introduced in 2019 that reflect best-practice animal welfare and management and community expectations. The draft laws were open for comment from December 2018 to February 2019.
Following the laws being introduced, a 6-month targeted consultation process for the pet business licensing framework was undertaken with representatives from the industry. A working group informed updates to the relevant codes of practice, which will serve as mandatory licence conditions where applicable to each business.
