Business licensing: outdoor activities and dog walking

You'll soon need a parks business licence for commercially operated outdoor activities and dog walking services delivered in a park or green space managed by Bristol City Council.

Parks business licensing:

• increases public safety
• protects shared spaces
• improves organisation of activities
• supports the maintenance of our parks and green spaces, ensuring they remain clean, safe, and welcoming for everyone to enjoy
• ensures compliance with parks byelaws

When you don't need a licence

You don't need a licence if you are not charging for a service you are delivering, such as:

• playing informal sports with friends or family
• exercising alone such as jogging or solo yoga
• taking part in free-to-join groups such as Parkrun
• part of a formal sports club with an existing agreement with the council
• walking your own dog

If you charge for a service, it's better to apply for a licence and we'll tell you if a licence and a licence fee applies to your activity.

Outdoor activities

Where the service charged for is a fitness activity, the maximum instructor-to-attendee ratio is 1:20. You'll need additional licensed instructors for groups over 20.

For larger events with more than 50 people, you'll need separate approval from us. You can find more information on our what you can do in our parks and green spaces page.

Dog walking

Dog walking licences will be issued per individual walker.

One walker is allowed a maximum of 6 dogs at any one time.

Apply for a parks business licence

We're using the current period to ask business owners to come forward with licence applications as a 'discovery phase' to give us a clearer understanding of the businesses operating in our parks and before deciding on an implementation date.

Licences are issued to businesses but must be assigned to a named individual. For some businesses, multiple licences may be required. Once granted, licences are non-transferrable.

Fees and charges

We're not seeking to charge during our 'discovery phase'. Once introduced, our planned licence fees are:

• single-park licence: £450 (excluding Clifton and Durdham Downs)
• multi-park licence: £900 (excluding Clifton and Durdham Downs)
• Clifton and Durdham Downs licence: there may be a different pricing structure and requirements for businesses solely on Clifton and Durham Downs

You'll need to pay 2 fees when you apply for a new parks business licence:

• annual licence fee (as above)
• application fee: £50 (not applicable for renewals)

For licences granted partway through the year, the annual fee will be calculated on a pro rata basis from the first day of the month in which the application is granted. Fees would be able to be paid monthly.

For example, an application granted on 12 December will be charged for the period 1 December to 30 September.

Before you apply

To complete the form you'll need to upload:

• photo ID: details of accepted photo ID are in the application form and must match the name of the person who will be listed on the licence
• first aid certificate (for outdoor activities): must match the name of the person who will be listed on the licence
• a risk assessment (see risk assessments, templates and examples on the HSE website): your risk assessment should consider risks specific to each park you're applying to operate in
• public liability insurance certificate: if you're a new business and you do not have insurance yet, you can email this after your licence application is approved

You'll also need to read our:

• pdf Parks Business Licensing Terms and Conditions(238 KB)
• pdf Parks Business Licensing Code of Conduct(110 KB)

After you apply

When we look at an application, we consider:

• type and scale of the activity
• the park size and capacity
• what the area is already being used for
• other licences in the area

If your application is accepted, we'll send a notification email and your invoice.

Once we've received your payment or direct debit confirmation, we'll issue your licence registration number. Licences do not become active until the licence fee is paid and registration number is issued.

When your licence has been issued, we'll promote your business on one of our parks and estates pages, if applicable.

If your application is rejected, we'll tell you why.

Renewing your licence

Each year, you'll be prompted by email to renew your licence.

You'll need to send us:

• confirmation that you want to continue your activity or dog walking
• updated insurance and first aid certificates

You must renew your licence before it expires. You won't have to pay the application fee for a renewal.

If your licence has already expired and you wish to continue operating, you must submit a new application. New applications will be treated as a new submission. We cannot guarantee that you'll be able to continue operating in any particular park or green space.

If you don't have a licence

Operating without a licence is a breach of pdf parks byelaws(449 KB) . Breaching a byelaw is an offence and you may be prosecuted. This can result in fines of up to a maximum of £500.

For licence holders, failure to comply with park byelaws, licence terms and conditions, or the code of conduct may result in your licence being revoked.

Cancelling your licence

If you want to cancel your licence, email parks.business@bristol.gov.uk with your licence registration number and instruction of your cancellation.

If you cancel, you'll still be liable for your total annual licence fee.

We cannot give refunds for any part of the licence term that hasn't been used.

Data protection

Any personal information you give us as part of your licence application will be handled in accordance with  pdf Bristol City Council's Privacy Notice for Regulatory Services.(226 KB)