PA Kennel License: Types, Fees, Application, and Penalties

A Pennsylvania kennel license is required for any establishment that keeps or transfers 26 or more dogs in a calendar year, and for any boarding kennel regardless of how few dogs it handles. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement issues these licenses, with annual fees ranging from $35 for humane societies to $950 for the largest commercial operations.¹ Operating without the right license can bring criminal charges and civil penalties up to $5,000 for each day you run unlicensed.

Who Has To Get a Kennel License

Under the Dog Law, a kennel is any establishment where at least 26 dogs are kept or transferred during a calendar year, or any boarding kennel.² The 26-dog count sweeps in every dog housed, sold, given away, or otherwise transferred through the facility across the whole year. A breeder who keeps five adults and sells 30 puppies has handled 35 dogs and needs a license.

Boarding is a separate trigger with no volume minimum. Any establishment that houses dogs for compensation on behalf of the public is a boarding kennel, and so is a doggy day care that takes control of a dog for part of a day for exercise or entertainment. Each dog that enters counts as one dog for classification.² A small day care that sees ten dogs a day, five days a week, racks up thousands of dog-entries over a year.

If you keep fewer than 26 dogs and never board for the public, the kennel system doesn’t apply. You still need individual dog licenses for the animals you own, but you won’t need a kennel license on top.

Which Type of Kennel License You Need

Pennsylvania doesn’t issue one generic kennel license. The type you apply for determines your fee tier, your inspection standards, and which rules apply, so getting the classification right matters.

Private Kennel

A private kennel is one where the owner keeps or breeds dogs for hunting, tracking, dog shows, performance events, or field and obedience trials, and which does not meet the commercial-kennel definition.² A hobby breeder of hunting dogs who sells a modest number each year typically falls here.

Commercial Kennel

A kennel is commercial if it breeds or whelps dogs and either sells any dog to a dealer or pet shop, or sells more than 60 dogs in a calendar year.² Commercial operations hold a “Class C” license and face the strictest facility standards in the state.

Dealer Kennel

A dealer kennel sells dogs as an owner, agent, or assignee for a fee, or transfers dogs at wholesale for resale. The category covers middlemen who buy from breeders and resell, rather than breeders selling directly to families.³

Boarding Kennel

Any public-facing facility that houses dogs for compensation falls here, including overnight boarding, extended stays, and day care. A veterinary clinic that also offers boarding must license the boarding portion separately even when it shares the same property.² Grooming or training operations that don’t house dogs are not included.

Humane Society and Rescue Network

Humane societies and societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals have their own reduced-fee classification. Rescue networks that place dogs in offsite foster homes also need a license, because the law treats the entire network as a single establishment.¹

Annual Fees by Class

Pennsylvania uses three fee schedules: one for standard and commercial kennels (sized by annual dog volume), one for boarding kennels (sized by capacity at any one time), and a flat fee for humane organizations.

Standard and Commercial Kennels

Private, pet shop, research, rescue network, dealer, out-of-state dealer, and commercial kennels all use the same fee amounts, though commercial kennels carry the Class C designation and stricter standards:¹

Class I, 50 or fewer dogs: $100
Class II, 51 to 100 dogs: $250
Class III, 101 to 150 dogs: $375
Class IV, 151 to 250 dogs: $500
Class V, 251 to 500 dogs: $625
Class VI, more than 500 dogs: $950

The count includes every dog of any age kept, sold, given away, or transferred through the kennel during the year. If you run multiple kennels at one location, the state adds up all dogs across them when deciding whether you’ve crossed the commercial threshold.¹

Boarding Kennels

Boarding kennels are tiered by how many dogs the facility can hold at one time, not by annual throughput:¹

Boarding Class I, 1 to 10 dogs: $125
Boarding Class II, 11 to 25 dogs: $200
Boarding Class III, 26 or more dogs: $325

Humane Societies and Municipal Holding Pens

Humane societies, SPCAs, and municipal holding pens pay $35 per year.¹

How To Apply

Applications go to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and must be submitted on or before January 1 each year. Licenses expire December 31, so January 1 is both the renewal deadline and the deadline for new operations.¹ If you’re starting fresh, apply for the type and class you expect to operate during the coming year.

The Department publishes separate downloadable forms for non-commercial kennels, commercial kennels, and out-of-state dealers.⁴ You’ll provide your legal name, business name, facility address, and the number of dogs you plan to house. Completed applications go to the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement at 2301 North Cameron Street in Harrisburg.⁵

You need a separate license for each kennel type and each physical location. If your operation grows mid-year and pushes you into a higher class, you have seven days from the increase to file for the correct license.¹ Miss that window and you’re in violation, not in a grace period.

Before mailing the state application, check your municipality’s zoning rules. Many townships and boroughs require a building or zoning permit for kennel operations, and local approval is usually a practical prerequisite even though it runs on a separate track from state licensing.

Inspection and License Issuance

Once the Bureau processes your application, a state dog warden conducts an on-site inspection. The warden looks at housing conditions, sanitation, ventilation, temperature control, access to food and water, and recordkeeping. Pass, and the license issues and must be posted in a visible public area. Licensed kennels remain subject to inspection throughout the year, with commercial kennels generally seeing more frequent visits.

If you move the kennel or change your business name, notify the Department; the new facility must pass inspection before the license transfers. The Department also inspects a kennel after it closes.⁴

Facility Standards You’ll Be Measured Against

Chapter 21 of 7 Pa. Code sets the minimum standards every licensed kennel must meet. Every dog 12 weeks or older needs a minimum amount of floor space calculated from the dog’s own length: measure nose to base of tail in inches, add 6, square that number, and divide by 144 to get the required square footage.⁶ Each dog has to be able to turn around freely, stand, sit, and lie down naturally, and the interior height of the enclosure must clear the tallest dog’s head by at least six inches when standing. Flooring cannot allow a dog’s feet to pass through openings, and any wire or metal slat floor must be coated or heavy enough to prevent foot injuries while still draining liquids.

Facilities must control temperature and humidity, provide ventilation to manage odors and moisture, and follow a natural day-night lighting cycle. Waste is removed daily, surfaces are disinfected regularly, and exercise areas have to be large enough for vigorous movement and kept clean. Every kennel must have smoke alarms or fire extinguishers, and indoor housing facilities must keep fire extinguishers on the premises.⁷ Every kennel also needs an exercise plan approved by a veterinarian, and kennels that import dogs from another state or country need a veterinarian-approved isolation plan covering diagnosis, testing, treatment, and disinfection of contagious diseases.

Commercial Class C kennels face additional requirements. Dogs must be able to lie down fully extended without their head, tail, legs, face, or feet touching any side of the enclosure. Enclosures can’t have gaps that would let a dog’s limbs extend into an adjacent enclosure. Walls must be high enough to prevent climbing, and the enclosure must protect dogs from uncomfortable or hazardous weather. Potable water must be available at all times unless a veterinarian directs otherwise in writing.⁷

Penalties for Operating Without a License

A first-time violation is a summary offense carrying a fine of $500 to $1,000, up to 90 days in jail, or both. A second violation within one year of sentencing on the first is a third-degree misdemeanor with fines of $1,000 to $5,000, up to one year in prison, or both.⁸ Operating a kennel without ever obtaining the appropriate license is itself a third-degree misdemeanor.⁷

The Secretary of Agriculture can also assess civil penalties of $1,000 to $5,000 for each day an unlicensed kennel operates. The amount depends on the seriousness of the violation, the risk to animal and public health, any prior violations, and the economic benefit the operator gained by skirting the law.⁷ Two weeks of unlicensed operation can run into five figures on the civil side alone, before any criminal fine.

When You Also Need a Federal USDA License

A Pennsylvania kennel license covers your state obligations, but it doesn’t cover federal ones. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service licenses breeders who maintain more than four breeding female dogs and sell puppies sight-unseen, meaning the buyer doesn’t physically see the animal before purchase. If every sale happens in person at your facility, the federal retail pet store exemption generally applies and no USDA license is needed. Breeders who sell to pet shops, brokers, or research facilities at wholesale typically need a USDA license regardless of how many breeding females they keep. APHIS offers an online licensing assistant to help you work out whether your specific operation needs federal licensing.⁹ When both apply, you comply with whichever standard is stricter on any given point.

1
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 3 PS Agriculture 459-206
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 3 PS Agriculture 459-102
3
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Dog Law – Act 119
4
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for a New Kennel License
5
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Non-Commercial Kennel Application
6
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Kennel Regulations – Chapter 21
7
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 3 PS 459-207 – Requirements for Kennels
8
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Shapiro Administration Enacts Updated Dog Law Measures to Protect Pennsylvania Dogs, Consumers, Communities
9
APHIS. Apply for an Animal Welfare License or Registration