Dog boarding licensing in Scotland and Wales

Animal welfare is devolved, so the rules for kennels and home boarders differ across the UK. The biggest difference for dog owners is simple: only England has star ratings.

England in one paragraph

In England, kennels, home boarding, dog day care and catteries are licensed under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Councils inspect against detailed national standards and award a 1 to 5 star rating that also sets the licence length (1 to 3 years). See what kennel star ratings mean.

Scotland

Which law applies

Boarding kennels and home boarders in Scotland are licensed by councils under the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963. Scotland does have newer licensing law, the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021, but at the time of writing those Regulations cover activities such as dog, cat and rabbit breeding, selling animals as pets and animal rescue, not boarding.

In 2023 the Scottish Government consulted on revoking the 1963 Act and bringing animal boarding, including day care, under the 2021 framework. According to its published analysis, 82.5% of the 314 people who answered that question supported the change. The new framework would allow licences of one to three years, give councils powers to vary, suspend or revoke licences, and require councils to publish a register online. Until new regulations are made, the 1963 Act still applies.

What this means in practice

• No star ratings. Scottish licences say whether a business is licensed and for how many animals, but do not grade it.
• Licence length. Under the 1963 Act a licence relates to a single calendar year, so most Scottish licences run to 31 December.
• Conditions vary by council. The 1963 Act sets out matters councils must consider, but not detailed national conditions. Many councils base their conditions on model conditions published by the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland.
• Home boarding is licensed too. Councils such as West Lothian and the City of Edinburgh publish separate home boarding conditions under the 1963 Act.
• Day care is treated differently from council to council. Ask your council whether it licenses day care.

Wales

Boarding in Wales, including home boarding, is also licensed by councils under the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963. Wales has its own Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Wales) Regulations 2021, but these deal with selling animals as pets, not boarding. So, as in Scotland, Welsh kennels and home boarders do not get star ratings, and the detail of licence conditions depends on the council.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has its own legislation and councils. KennelCheck does not currently list Northern Ireland boarders.

How to check a boarder in Scotland or Wales

1. Ask for the licence and the issuing council.
2. Check the council's public register if it publishes one, or ask the licensing team to confirm. Fewer Scottish and Welsh councils publish registers online than in England.
3. Check the licence covers the right activity (kennel boarding or home boarding) and is in date.
4. Because there is no star rating, the visit matters even more. Use our questions checklist.

KennelCheck lists Scottish and Welsh boarders where the council publishes its register. For these listings we show the licence and expiry date, but no star rating, because none exists. Browse all councils we cover.

Find a licensed boarder near you: search by postcode or town or browse by council.

Last reviewed 27 October 2026. General information, not legal advice. Rules can change, so check with your council.