Can anyone tell me me whats involved getting a licence if you do not have kennels but have had the max amount of litters to need one.I have had 2 litters in a 12 month period but my son who is living with me just now until his house is reburbished has also had 2,he kept a girl from both litters for the ring.we are allowed 3 per 12 month period in our area so want to do things properly.Whats involved? What do they ask of you? Half my dogs are retired/spayed and old ,one is still a puppy.i want to do things properly so any advice will be very much appreciaed,the only advice i can find is if you have kennels and im a home breeder.Thanks

I think the place you should be asking is your local Council.

Yes i will be but wanted to hear personal experiences from other licenced home breeders

If your son has a registered address elsewhere (even if he's not living there at the moment) I'd think that that would be his permanent address and probably his litters don't count towards your total...

I don't think most breeders here breed enough litters to require a licence under the less than five litter rule, and most Local Authorities do not consider you commercial unless you reach the legal definition, in the breeding and sale of dogs Welfare Act.

I know councils can apply licensing rules to those breeding fewer litters if they deem it commercial, so only the council could tell you.

I think its durham LA that have started requiring breeding licence for one litter. If you are in that borough you will have to speak to them as I know there requirements are ridiculously tricky. Is it not on the authorities website

The best thing to do would be to have a look at what's on your local authority's website as it will tell you what your area's requirements are

Hi

You are wrong about "having 5 litters" if any house hold that has one litter it's classed as "breeding" and would require a licence which in my eyes is utter madness I had s visit from my local council last week and have all documents to show this.

It's also not each area has different rules either this is a nationwide rule,

Currently each  council can set its own parameters on litters penny field. Most adopt recommended the five litters in a 12mth criteria but some are more draconian.
There are miles to lower the recommendation from five litters to three but this is not in force as yet.
Whilst even one litte could be considered a commercial enterprise which would constitute a requirement to be licenced most hobby / show breeders are breeding g to keep a pup for themselves and not purely to sell pups as so this clause does not come into force.

As for licenceing regulations every area has similar inspection requirements and these can be found on most council websites and seem similar to inspection format for ABS
Overview of our council here http://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10939

This might be useful too - overview document re licence conditions for Salford https://www.salford.gov.uk/d/dog_breeder_2014.pdf

> It's also not each area has different rules either this is a nationwide rule,

The law requires anyone who breeds five or more litters a year to have breeding a licence as they are deemed as breeding commercially.

Local authorities can deem those breeding less than five litters as commercial and require a license, so yes it is very much what a given Local Authority decides to do.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/11/section/7
Quote (my bold):
"4A  Breeding establishments for dogs.
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(1) References in this Act to the keeping of a breeding establishment for dogs shall be construed in accordance with this section.
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(2) A person keeps a breeding establishment for dogs at any premises if he carries on at those premises a business of breeding dogs for sale (whether by him or any other person).
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(3) Subject to subsection (5) of this section, where—
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(a) a person keeps a bitch at any premises at any time during any period of twelve months; and
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(b) the bitch gives birth to a litter of puppies at any time during that period,
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he shall be treated as carrying on a business of breeding dogs for sale at the premises throughout the period if a total of four or more other litters is born during the period to bitches falling within subsection (4) of this section.

(4) The bitches falling within this subsection are—
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(a) the bitch mentioned in subsection (3)(a) and (b) of this section and any other bitches kept by the person at the premises at any time during the period;
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(b) any bitches kept by any relative of his at the premises at any such time;
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(c) any bitches kept by him elsewhere at any such time; and
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(d) any bitches kept (anywhere) by any person at any such time under a breeding arrangement made with him.
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(5) Subsection (3) of this section does not apply if the person shows that none of the puppies born to bitches falling within paragraph (a), (b) or (d) of subsection (4) of this section was in fact sold during the period (whether by him or any other person).
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(6) In subsection (4) of this section “breeding arrangement” means a contract or other arrangement under which the person agrees that another person may keep a bitch of his on terms that, should the bitch give birth, the other person is to provide him with either—
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(a) one or more of the puppies; or
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(b) the whole or part of the proceeds of selling any of them;
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and “relative” means the person’s parent or grandparent, child or grandchild, sibling, aunt or uncle or niece or nephew or someone with whom he lives as a couple.

(7) In this section “premises” includes a private dwelling."

So the law considers anyone who breeds five litters to be in business, but a LA can interpret anyone as being in BUSINESS unless they give pups away or keep them all.