Shelter for Homeless Animals Permit

Applicants must submit documentation along with their application. Review the Required Documents Checklist to determine which documents you must submit.

Required Supplemental Documents Checklist

Proof of a Certificate of Authority to Collect Sales Tax. The address on the Certificate must match that of the applicant or establishment for which an application is being submitted.
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Proof of Worker's Compensation and Disability Insurance, including the name of the insurance carrier, the policy number, and the expiration date must be submitted when you apply for a permit and when you renew. Or, if exempt, a copy of Form CE-200 stamped by the Worker's Compensation Board with the New York State-assigned Exemption Certificate Number. The certificate must list the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as the Certificate Holder.

Workers' Compensation Insurance and Disability Benefits Insurance

Proof of Animal Care & Handling Certificate. All shelters for homeless animals must have a supervising manager who has passed an Animal Care and Handling Course. An Animal Care and Handling Certificate or registration in the course is required at the time of applying for the permit, and certification is required prior to opening the business establishment.
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All outstanding fines imposed for Health Code Violations must be paid before you can apply for or renew a permit issued by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Fines may be paid in person at the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Citywide Licensing Center or Online.

Pay Fines Online

contact-info

NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP)

Licensing Center

42 Broadway, Lobby

New York

NY

10004

onlineappsdocs@dcwp.nyc.gov

A valid e-mail address is required if applying online.

List of Permit Fees.

• No permit fee (IRS proof of Non-Profit status must be submited)
• $39: Fee for Animal Care & Handling Course (see link above for registration and payment options). Payment for the course must be submitted separately from the payment for any violations of the Health Code.
• Payment for Health Code Violation(s), if any (certified check or money order only paying in person; credit or debit cards if paying online). Payment for any violations must be submitted separately from the payment for the Animal Care & Handling Course.

If you submitted your application online, you will receive a receipt via e-mail. If you submitted it in person, DCWP will hand you a receipt. Your business may not begin to operate until it has received and passed a pre-permit inspection from the Department AND the supervising manager has received the Animal Care & Handling Certificate.
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The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will process the application and will contact the applicant for any additional information or documentation required to process the application.

If required documents were not uploaded, the applicant will receive a letter requesting that they submit the missing documents to the Citywide Licensing Center in person or by mail within 10 days or withdraw their application. If the applicant fails to respond to that letter, they will be sent a second letter. If the applicant fails to respond to the second letter, their application will be terminated. Applicants whose applications are terminated or withdrawn may request a refund by calling 311. Refunds are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

After you have submitted your application, contact theDOHMH Bureau of Veterinary Public Health Services at (646) 364-1783 to schedule an inspection. Your business will not be issued a permit without passing a pre-permit inspection.

If you pass the pre-permit inspection and the supervising manager has obtained an Animal Care & Handling Certificate, you may begin to operate. You must post both the inspection report you receive from the DOHMH inspector AND the Certificate for public view. You will receive your actual Permit in the mail.

Renewals may be submitted online via the NYC Online Licensing system. Registration is required. You will not be permitted to renew a permit if you have outstanding fines. You can pay fines online before renewing.

To renew online for the first time, you will need the Personal Identification Number (PIN) found on your Renewal Notice for each permit or license you hold. The PIN will allow you to link your existing records to one single online account. You only need to use your PIN to link to each permit or license record once.

If you do not have access to your Renewal Notice, you may obtain your PIN(s) by completing an online PIN Request Form or by calling 311.

Note: If you need to upload any documents, you will be prompted to download the Microsoft Silverlight application.

Request a PIN

The establishment's Permit and the supervising manager's Animal Care and Handling Certificate must be posted for public view.

For help with technical problems when using the online licensing/permitting system, call 311 and ask for Health Permits Online.

Gather all supporting documents required to apply for this permit.

Make electronic versions of all documents required for applying for a permit. You will upload these documents into the online permit system. The following document types can be uploaded: PDF, JPG, GIF, PNG, XLS, XLSX, DOC, DOCX, VSD, and TXT.

Create an account with the NYC Online Licensing system. Payment is required to complete and submit the application so applicants should have their credit or debit card information readily available. Partially completed applications may be saved and returned to later for completion.

Select the type of permit for which you are applying and enter the requested information into each field. Fields with an asterisk (*) are required. Applicants will be requested to upload copies of all supporting documents. These documents can be uploaded individually or as a single file.

Pay with a credit or debit card to complete the application.

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Ready to Apply?

Review the checklist of requirement documentation needed to apply for any permit from the DOHMH.

Required Supplemental Documents Checklist

Review the requirements, gather supporting required documents and complete an Application for Permit form. The fee you will need to pay depends on the time of year you apply for the permit.

Permit Application Packet for an Animal Care & Handling Facility

Submit your completed renewal notice, Workers Compensation information, and pay the renewal fee in person at the DCWP Citywide Licensing Center.

contact-info

NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP)

Licensing Center

42 Broadway, Lobby

New York

NY

10004

onlineappsdocs@dcwp.nyc.gov

The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection will issue you a receipt. Your business may not begin to operate until it has received and passed a pre-permit inspection from the Department AND the supervising manager has received the Animal Care & Handling Certificate.

An inspection of your facility should be scheduled within 15 business days. If, after 15 days, your establishment has not been inspected, please contact the DOHMH Bureau of Veterinary Public Health Services at (646) 632-6604. Your business will not be issued a permit without passing a pre-permit inspection.

If you pass the pre-permit inspection and the supervising manager has obtained an Animal Care & Handling Certificate, you may begin to operate. You must post both the inspection report you receive from the DOHMH inspector AND the Certificate for public view. You will receive your actual Permit in the mail.

All permits issued expire December 31 of each year. Permit holders will receive a Renewal Notice in the mail three months before the expiration date.