Dangerous wild animal licence

Before you can keep certain species of dangerous wild animals, you must apply for a licence from us.

Before you apply

Before applying, read the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 Modification Order 2007 including the list of animals this licence applies to.

How to apply

To ensure your premises meets the requirements, a vet will inspect them. The fee for this is not included in the application fee and will be requested separately.

To grant your licence, we must make sure that:

it will not negatively affect members of the public in terms of safety, nuisance or other grounds
the applicant is a suitable person to hold a licence to keep animals
the animal(s) will be kept in accommodation that is secure and suitable in terms of construction, size, temperature, drainage and cleanliness
the animal(s) will be supplied with suitable food, drink and bedding material and be visited regularly
appropriate steps will be taken to ensure the protection of the animal(s) in case of fire or other emergency
all reasonable precautions are taken to prevent the spread of infectious diseases
the animal(s) have space to exercise

What happens next?

Tacit consent

Tacit consent does not apply in respect of these applications.

Tacit consent means that if we have not dealt with licence applications within the target period then the application can be deemed to have been granted or approved.

It is in the public interest that we process your application before it can be granted.

If you have not heard from us within 10 working days, contact us on 01642 524802 or licensing@stockton.gov.uk.

Refusals

If we refuse your application, you may be able to appeal this decision to the Magistrates' Court or First-Tier Tribunal.

Full details will be included in any refusal notice.

Renew or change your licence

If you would like to:

renew your dangerous wild animal licence (you should apply to renew your licence no later than 6 months before your current licence expires)
tell us about a change to your licence