Care & Animals · 6 min read · Last updated
If you board, breed, train or keep four or more dogs at one property, or you sell animals and birds as pets, Hamilton treats that as a licensed business under Schedule 7 of By-law 07-170. The licence is tied to the address, so the City looks at the land use and the premises as closely as it looks at you. Expect a police record check, a zoning decision and two inspections before anything is issued.
The City of Hamilton lists this under its “Establishments” category: “Kennel is any lot, building or structure used at any time for the registered pure-bred breeding, raising, keeping, training, or boarding of four or more dogs and shall meet the requirements of the applicable zoning by-law. Pet Shop is a place where animals or birds are sold or offered for sale for use as pets.”
Who needs this licence?
Two different businesses sit under this one licence. A kennel is any lot, building or structure used at any time for registered pure-bred breeding, raising, keeping, training or boarding of four or more dogs. Four is the number that matters. Three dogs is a household question; the fourth dog turns the property into a licensable kennel.
A pet shop is a place where animals or birds are sold or offered for sale for use as pets. Note the words offered for sale. You do not have to complete a sale on the premises for the definition to catch you.
The kennel definition carries its own condition: the property must meet the requirements of the applicable zoning by-law. That is unusual, and it means a kennel that is not permitted by zoning cannot be fixed with paperwork. Schedule 7 of By-law 07-170 holds the full definitions, requirements and restrictions, and the City reads that schedule as the final word.
The licence attaches to the address and to the business entity named on the application. If you move the operation, or the ownership of the business changes, treat it as a new licensing conversation rather than an amendment.
What documents do you need?
Start with the completed business licence application form and a valid business registration, corporate profile or master business licence dated within one year of your application. The one year rule is strict; the City wants a current picture of who owns the business, not the document you filed when you incorporated.
Next comes the Zoning Verification Certificate. Where the same category of business was licensed at the address within the previous year, a zoning addendum may be completed instead, which is faster and cheaper. Ask about the addendum route before you pay for a full certificate.
You also need a Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board located in your city of residence, dated within 36 days of the application. Third party clearances are not accepted. Because the clearance ages quickly, order it once the rest of your file is nearly ready.
Finally, complete the Certificate of Compliance application form. It is a separate form from the licence application and it is what puts the compliance inspection into the queue.
Zoning and premises requirements
Zoning is the gate for this licence. A Zoning Verification Certificate is a written confirmation from the City that the use you describe is permitted at the specific address, given how that land is zoned. Kennels in particular tend to be restricted to certain zones, and the definition in the by-law repeats that a kennel shall meet the applicable zoning by-law.
If the same category of business was licensed at that address within the past year, you may be able to complete a zoning addendum rather than a fresh certificate. The addendum is a short confirmation that nothing material has changed. It only works when the previous use genuinely matches yours.
There is a separate charge for the zoning verification or addendum, and it is quoted as an add-on to the rest of the application costs. Budget for it as its own line rather than assuming it is included.
The checklist for this licence does not ask for a scaled premise plan, but the inspectors will still see the layout in person. If you are converting an existing building, resolve the zoning question before you spend money on kennel runs or retail fixtures.
Inspections and approvals
Two inspections apply, and both are circulated by the Licensing team after your application is received. You do not book them yourself before applying.
The parking inspection looks at how vehicles arrive, park and leave the site. For a boarding kennel or a pet shop that means customer drop-off and pick-up, whether the parking provided matches what the site is approved for, and whether traffic spills onto the street.
The Certificate of Compliance inspection is the substantive one. For kennels and pet shops it is a joint inspection with Animal Services, so an animal control officer attends alongside the compliance inspector. Expect attention to how animals are housed, separated, fed, watered and cleaned, and to the general condition of the premises.
Both inspections happen after the file is in, so a delay in fixing a deficiency delays the licence rather than the application.
How much does it cost?
There are several separate charges rather than one price. A processing fee opens the file. A licence fee covers the licence itself. A parking inspection fee and a Certificate of Compliance fee cover the two inspections, and the guide notes that the Certificate of Compliance charge applies at the time of the initial application only.
HST applies to some of these lines and not to others. The processing fee, the parking inspection and the Certificate of Compliance carry HST; the licence fee itself does not. That is why the total you are quoted is not a simple sum of the advertised base amounts.
The zoning verification or addendum is priced separately again, and the guide shows the application total both with and without it. If you already hold a valid zoning confirmation, you are not paying that line twice.
Renewal is cheaper because it is licence fee only. A licence allowed to lapse attracts a reinstatement fee on top. The City sets all amounts in its fee schedule and confirms the figures that apply to your file during the application, so ask for the written breakdown before you pay.
How to apply
Settle zoning first. Ask the City whether a kennel or a pet shop is permitted at the address you have in mind, and get the Zoning Verification Certificate or addendum in hand or in progress before you commit to a lease.
Assemble the file: the business licence application form, a business registration or corporate profile dated within the past year, the zoning confirmation, and the Certificate of Compliance application form.
Order the Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service in your city of residence last, so it is still within 36 days when you submit. Remember that a check bought from a private screening firm will be refused.
Submit the package and pay the fees that apply at intake. Licensing then circulates the inspection requests. Once the parking inspection and the joint compliance inspection with Animal Services are cleared and the file is complete, the licence is issued.
Renewals and staying compliant
Renewal runs on Declarations A and B, which are the City forms where you confirm that the business and the people behind it still match what is on file and that nothing has changed that would affect the licence.
The renewal charge is the licence fee. The Certificate of Compliance charge is described as applying at the initial application only, so a straightforward renewal does not repeat that cost, and the parking inspection is not part of the renewal schedule.
If you let the licence expire and then want it back, a reinstatement fee applies. It is significant relative to the renewal fee, so calendar the expiry date rather than waiting for a reminder.
Renew early if anything about the business has shifted. A change of address, a change of ownership or a jump in the number of dogs kept can turn a routine renewal into a new application.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. How many dogs bring a property within Hamilton's kennel definition?
The by-law defines a kennel as a lot, building or structure used for the breeding, raising, keeping, training or boarding of four or more dogs.
2. Which criminal record check will Hamilton accept with this application?
The guide requires the check to come from the police service board in your city of residence and to be dated within 36 days, and it states that third party clearances are not accepted.
3. What is distinctive about the Certificate of Compliance inspection for a kennel or pet shop?
The guide notes that the Certificate of Compliance inspection for this licence is a joint inspection with Animal Services.
Skip the paperwork
Tell Permits2Go about your business and it assembles the licence application for you — document checklists, e-signatures and a guided workspace for Hamilton, with more cities on the way.
This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Licensing requirements, by-laws and fees change and vary by municipality — always confirm the current rules with the City before you apply.