Defra publishes the Local Authority Licensing of Activities Involving Animals Returns. This data is submitted annually by individual local councils and includes:

The number of active licences in force per activity (e.g., pet shops, dog breeding, cat/dog boarding, riding schools).
The average licensing fees charged by each local authority.

Licensing activity relates to the following grouped categories:

Dog boarding (kennels)
Home boarding for dogs
Dog day care
Dog breeding
Cat boarding
Selling animals as pets
Hiring out horses
Keeping or training animals for exhibition

The latest data (for 2025/2026) was released in October 2026, and includes returns from the following councils:

Elmbridge
Epsom & Ewell
Guildford
Mole Valley
Spelthorne
Surrey Heath
Waverley
Woking

Note that no information is included for Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, or Tandridge, implying no relevant activity in those three council areas during 2025/2026.

Table 1: Surrey county totals of licensed activity

The download file beneath details the Surrey related activity for the 2025-26 year for each local council.

Previous years data can be retrieved from: Local Authority Licensing of Activities involving Animals returns

Type of licensed activity	Licenses in force at start of year	Licenses issued in year	Licenses terminated or varied in year
Dog boarding	13	1	0
Home boarding dogs	155	41	0
Dog day care	38	3	0
Dog breeding	12	2	0
Cat boarding	26	4	1 (varied)
Selling animals as pets	26	4	0
Hiring out horses	90	8	4 (varied)
Keeping or training for exhibition	25		0