Licences - General Information

A list of licenses administered by the Public Protection Division is shown below. The Licence fees, reviewed each year, associated with each licence application. Most licences have a maximum life of one year and expire on 1 January or 4 April. Occasional licences are issued for entertainment for events that take place on a limited number of dates.

Application forms are available from the Licensing Officer at the Public Protection Office, 11 Houndgate, Darlington.

Completed application forms together with relevant documentation and fee must be submitted before the application can be processed and a decision made. Failure to submit all information requested will result in the return of all documentation and no decision being made.

Authorised Officers of the Council and Police Constables have right of entry to all licensed premises.

Licenses administered by the Public Protection Division

(click each item to access more information)

Animal Boarding Establishments

Butchers Shops

Caravan Sites

Cinematograph

Dangerous Wild Animals

Dog Breeding

Explosives Storage

Gaming

Late Night Refreshment House

Pavement Café

Performing Animals

Petroleum Storage

Pet Shops

Poisons

Private Places of Entertainment

Public Entertainment

Public Performance of Hypnotism

Registration of Food Premises

Riding Establishments

Scrap Metal Dealers

Sex Shops

Skin Piercing

Small Lotteries

Sports Entertainment

Sports Ground Safety Certificate

Street Collections

Street Trading

Taxi Licensing

Theatre

Track Betting

Animal boarding establishments


Renewable annually in January.  Site visits and recommendation to issue or refuse from Environmental Health Officers. License issue delegated to Assistant Director Public Protection.

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Butchers Shop

Annual. Site visits and recommendation to issue or refuse from Environmental Health Officers.

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Caravan sites

Licence with no expiry date to named person(s) for named premises. Site visits and recommendation to issue or refuse from Environmental Health Officers. License issue delegated to Assistant Director Public Protection.

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Cinematograph

Annual licence required where recorded moving pictures are displayed (note: not terrestrial television but would include video juke box) with renewal in April. Consultations with Police, Building Control and Env Health.  This will become a licensable activity within the licensing Act 2003 from the 2nd appointed day

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Dangerous Wild Animals

Annual Licence for each animal that is described in legislation as dangerous e.g. tiger, lion, ostrich, chimpanzee

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Dog breeding

Renewable annually in January. Required where more than breeding bitches used to produce puppies. Site visits and recommendation to issue or refuse from Environmental Health Officers. License issue delegated to Assistant Director Public Protection.

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Explosives storage

Annual registration. Required by shops selling fireworks. Administration and site visits by Trading Standards Officers. License issue delegated to Assistant Director Public Protection.

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Gaming licences

Require for "one armed bandits" in premises without a drinks licence. Send out consultations to Police, Building Control and Environmental Health before grant or renewal. Reports prepared for Committee.

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Late Night House Refreshment Licence

Annual licence required by premises licensed for sale of alcohol that wish to remain open after drinking up time for the sale of refreshment, or non alcohol premises wishing to remain open after 10 pm for the sale of refreshment. Renewal in April. Assistant Director Public Protection delegated authority to grant or refuse. Site visits and recommendation to issue or refuse by Environmental Health Officers following formal consultation with Ward Councillors. This will become a licensable activity within the licensing Act 2003 from the 2nd appointed day. 

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Pavement Café Licence

Annual licence renewable on1 April required for tables and chairs placed on a highway.
Police, Highways Manager & EHO's consulted.  License issue delegated to Assistant Director Public Protection.

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Performing Animals

Annual Registration of person who uses animals to perform in public.

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Petroleum storage

Annual licence required for storage of petroleum. Includes petrol service stations, can stores and workplaces. Site visits and recommendation to issue or refuse from specially authorised Environmental Health Officers. License issue delegated to Assistant Director Public Protection.

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Pet shops

Renewable annually in January. Required where business of selling pet animals (including fish) carried on. Site visits carried out by Environmental Health Officers who make recommendation to issue or refuse. License issue delegated to Assistant Director Public Protection.

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Poisons

Annual licence required for sale of poisons. Administration and site visits by Trading Standards Officers. License issue delegated to Assistant Director Public Protection

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Private Places of Entertainment Licence


Annual licence required for premises operated for profit by an inPidual (note: not a club where profits shared by members) with renewal in April.

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Public Entertainment Licence

A single application form for grant, renewal and variation of Public Entertainment/Theatre/Cinema/Sports Entertainment licences is available.
A licence is required for events open to the public where there is music or dancing . This includes live bands, discos, dinner dances, barn dances, musical firework displays or Karaoke. A Separate guidance leaflet explains the requirements in more detail. The Council have also published detailed regulations and conditions "The Blue Book" that may be purchased.

Variations and transfers of existing licences are permitted.

A decision on an application is made following consultations with Police, Building Control and Environmental Health. A condition may be attached to a licence prescribing the minimum number of stewards to assist Licensee keep order. A charge for each steward is then added to cost of licence.

An application form for grant or renewal registration of door supervisors is available. Criminal record check and consultation with Police is carried out before a decision made. The Director has delegated authority to Grant or Renew the registration of door supervisors where there are no unspent convictions and no objections from Police. Appeals against refusal to grant are made to Licensing Committee.

This will become a licensable activity within the licensing Act 2003 from the 2nd appointed day .

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Public Performance of Hypnotism

Written approval from the council is required before any public perfomance takes place. No charge for the approval.
For PEL premises - decision by Committee required. For other premises - delegated to Assistant Director Public Protection.

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Registration of food premises

Issued on receipt of completed application - no fee and no expiry date/renewal.

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Riding Establishments

Annual licence renewed in January. Required where business of keeping horses for hire for riding or instruction in riding carried on. Environmental Health Officer and veterinary surgeon appointed by Council prepare report following site visits. Applicant is required to pay Council the cost of vets fee separately to the application fee. License issue delegated to Assistant Director Public Protection.

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Scrap Metal Dealers

Annual. Information on application form used to produce public register.

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Sex shops

Annual licence required by shops selling R18 videos or goods used to encourage sexual activity. Consultations to Police, Building Control and Env Health. Applicant has to place public notice in newspaper adverting the nature of the application allowing 28 days for objections.

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Skin piercing

The legislation relates to tattooing, ear piercing and electrolysis.
No expiry date on this licence issued to named person(s) for named premises. Site visits and recommendation to issue or refuse from Environmental Health Officers. License issue delegated to Assistant Director Public Protection.
The Council has adopted byelaws to control these registered activities.
N.B. Body piercing is not covered – a voluntary registration scheme is in process of  development.

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Small lotteries

Annual licence – renewal in January. Licensing Officer must receive details of previous years income before issue of renewal.

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Sports Entertainment

Annual licence for public events including contact sports (e.g.boxing), darts, snooker with renewal in April. Consultations with Police, Building Control and Env Health.

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Sports Ground Safety Certificate

Assistant Director Public Protection chairs a Safety Advisers Group ( includes Building Control Officer plus representatives from Police, Ambulance, Fire, Football League & Football Club).

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Street Collections

Licensing Committee consider each applications for a Permit to make a collection on the highway. Detail of income must be submitted after any collection.
Council publishes and displays in Library annual diary of street collections. Before the diary is agreed by Committee an invitation letter sent to charities that have carried out collection in previous 12 months.

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Street Trading

Consents are issued to suitable applicants following receipt of completed application form, fees and statutory declaration of unspent convictions. An identification badge is issued to trader and up to two assistants at each vehicle or location.

Please find via the following link a list of all Consent Streets and Prohibited Streets (pdf document) in the Borough of Darlington. 

Should you have any queries regarding Street Trading within Darlington please contact the Licensing Team on (01325) 388577 or e-mail licensing@darlington.gov.uk

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Taxi Licensing


Renewable Annual Licenses relating to ownership, operation, and driving of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles are issued throughout the year.

Authorised Officers have delegated authority to grant or renew driver licences except where unspent convictions are identified. In those cases Licensing Committee makes the decision (requiring a written report from the officer and driver to attend to explain circumstances of the offence). The Committee make final decision on whether driver is a fit and proper person to be issued with a licence.

The Council has Byelaws and Licence Conditions that prescribe standards relating to persons and vehicles. Vehicles are HPI checked before grant of licence. The vehicle conditions were last revised in May 2000.

InPidual identification has to be prepared: plate for each vehicle, discs for both front doors of Hackney Carriage, badge for each driver.

Police checks are made on persons making applications (on an initial application and then every 3 years). Each driver also has to provide evidence of medical fitness to drive.

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Theatre

Annual licence required where perfomance of play, pantomime, or ballet with renewal in April.  Consultations to Police, Building Contol and Env Health.

This will become a licensable activity within the licensing Act 2003 from the 2nd appointed day

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Track Betting

5 year licence

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