USDA Animal Licenses Explained: Classes, Lookups and Reports

A USDA license means USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) inspected a business and licensed it to deal in or exhibit certain animals under the Animal Welfare Act. Class A and Class B licenses are for dealers, and Class C is for exhibitors. You can look up any licensee and read its inspection reports for free in the APHIS Public Search Tool. A license is a starting point, and you should still ask questions before you book.

What the Animal Welfare Act license covers

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is a federal law enforced by USDA APHIS. APHIS says that if you own or run a business the AWA regulates, you must be licensed or registered with APHIS. The federal rules in 9 CFR 2.1 say no one may operate as a dealer, exhibitor or auction operator without a valid license unless they're exempt.

Which animals the law covers

The AWA rules define "animal" as any live or dead dog, cat, nonhuman primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit "or any other warmblooded animal" used in the covered ways. The definition leaves some animals out. Exclusions include horses not used for research and farm animals used for food or fiber. Falconry is also excluded.

Exotic mammals such as big cats and primates fit inside that definition when they're shown to the public. The handling rules for public exhibition in 9 CFR 2.131 name lions, tigers, wolves, bears and elephants as examples of dangerous animals.

Class A, Class B and Class C licenses

The federal definitions in 9 CFR 1.1 describe the three license classes this way:

| License | Plain meaning | What the rules say |
|-|-|-|
| Class A | Breeder | A dealer whose business deals only in animals bred and raised on the premises |
| Class B | Dealer | A dealer whose business includes buying or reselling animals, including brokers and auction operators |
| Class C | Exhibitor | A business that shows or displays animals to the public |

A Class B dealer "may also exhibit animals as a minor part of the business." A Class C exhibitor may buy and sell animals "as a minor part of the business" to maintain or add to its collection.

The exhibitor definition is the one most people care about when booking an encounter. It covers anyone who exhibits animals to the public for compensation, whether or not they make a profit. The rules name carnivals, circuses, animal acts, zoos and educational exhibits. Animal acts include free flighted bird shows.

Registration is different from a license

APHIS also registers some businesses instead of licensing them. Research facilities register as Class R. Transporters register as Class H or Class T. APHIS says registration applications don't require payment, while license applications do.

Who doesn't need a license

Some people who work with animals are exempt, so a missing license isn't always a problem. The exhibitor definition leaves out retail pet stores and state fairs. Rodeos and livestock shows are also excluded, along with falconry and purebred dog and cat shows.

The rules in 9 CFR 2.1 list more exemptions. Two that matter for animal programs:

• People who keep a total of eight or fewer animals for exhibition, counting pets, small exotic mammals such as hedgehogs or prairie dogs, and farm type animals such as goats or alpacas.
• People who keep four or fewer raptors for exhibition and hold a valid U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit.

So a petting zoo with eight or fewer animals, or a bird of prey program with four or fewer raptors and a Fish and Wildlife Service permit, may not need a USDA license. Other permits may apply. If you're not sure, ask the business which permits it holds and why.

How a business gets and keeps a license

Before a license is issued, the applicant "must be inspected by APHIS and demonstrate compliance" with the regulations and standards, according to 9 CFR 2.3. The applicant must be at least 18. The license fee in 9 CFR 2.1 is $120.

A license is valid for three years under 9 CFR 2.5. It can end early if it's revoked or suspended. A licensee can also end it with a written request. A temporary license expires after 120 days.

APHIS says it does "routine, unannounced inspections of all entities licensed or registered under the Animal Welfare Act." Inspectors check the facility and its records. They also look at veterinary care and how animals are handled. APHIS says how often it inspects depends on several factors, "including an entity's compliance history." APHIS also does focused inspections after public complaints.

How to look up a USDA licensee

The APHIS Public Search Tool is free and open to anyone. APHIS says it lists people "licensed and registered under the AWA, inspection reports, and annual research facility animal use reports."

Follow these steps:

1. Open the APHIS Public Search Tool on the APHIS website. APHIS's user guide recommends Chrome or Edge.
2. To see who is licensed, open the home page link titled "List of persons licensed or registered under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA)." When APHIS launched the current tool in 2020, it said this list would come as an Excel file.
3. To read reports, click the Inspection Reports tab.
4. Enter what you know. The user guide's examples search by license or registration type, by state or by certificate number. Type a certificate number the way the guide shows it, for example 22-R-2222.
5. Click Search, then click "View Inspection Report" to open a PDF.
6. Click "Clear" before each new search. The guide says this helps keep results accurate.

If you see "There are no records that match the search criteria," try a different spelling or search by state and license type instead.

What the results show

For each inspection, the search results show the inspection date and the site name. They also show the legal name and the customer and certificate numbers. Each row counts the noncompliant items, split into direct, critical and non critical. The PDF report has the inspector's written notes.

What the noncompliance labels mean

APHIS's Animal Welfare Inspection Guide defines the labels:

• Critical: a problem that had a serious or severe harmful effect on the animal's health and welfare. Direct items are also counted as critical.
• Direct: a critical problem that is having a serious or severe effect on an animal at the time of the inspection.
• Repeat: a problem cited in the same section on the last inspection, or cited at least three times within the past three years.

A direct or repeat citation deserves your attention. Inspectors write a description of each problem and, except for repeat items, a deadline to correct it. Read those notes, then check whether a later report shows it was fixed.

What an inspection report can and can't tell you

An inspection report is useful, but it has limits. Keep these in mind when you read one.

What it can tell you

• That APHIS inspected the site on a specific date.
• What the inspector observed and wrote down in the narrative section.
• Whether problems were cited, and how serious APHIS rated them.
• Whether the same problem keeps coming back, through repeat citations.

What it can't tell you

It shows one day. The guide says the deciding factor for a direct citation is whether there's a current serious impact at the time of inspection. A report shows what the inspector saw that day.

Older clean reports may leave out small problems. Before August 1, 2022, APHIS used a "teachable moments" program. Michigan Humane explains that minor problems handled as teachable moments were left off inspection reports. A facility could have a clean report even when minor issues were found. APHIS ended the program on August 1, 2022, and now all noncompliances are cited. Teachable moments from before that date are still viewable in the search tool.

Findings can be disputed. The inspection guide says any licensee who disagrees with the findings "may follow the inspection appeals process."

Some records aren't online. APHIS says reports not posted on the website can be requested through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

It doesn't rate training skill. Each license class describes a type of business, and none of them is a training or behavior credential. To judge a trainer's skill, look at their training credentials too. Our resources page explains USDA licensing alongside other credentials.

Rules for animal encounters and public contact

The AWA rules in 9 CFR 2.131 set handling rules for public exhibition. Knowing them helps you spot a problem when you visit.

• Animals must be handled so there's "minimal risk of harm to the animal and to the public," with enough distance or barriers between the animal and the viewing public.
• Performing animals must get a rest period between performances that's at least as long as one performance.
• Young or immature animals must not be exposed to rough or excessive public handling.
• Drugs such as tranquilizers can't be used to allow public handling of animals.
• A responsible, knowledgeable and easy to identify employee must be present at all times during public contact.
• Dangerous animals such as lions, tigers, wolves, bears or elephants must be under the direct control of a knowledgeable and experienced handler.
• If public feeding is allowed, the facility must provide the food.

Questions to ask before you book

Use these questions before you book an animal encounter or hire an animal program for an event:

• What is your USDA certificate number? Then look it up yourself in the Public Search Tool.
• Which license class do you hold? A Class C license matches a business that shows animals to the public.
• If you don't have a USDA license, which exemption applies to you? Ask which other permits they hold, such as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit for raptors.
• Can you tell me about any citations on your recent inspection reports? Compare the answer to what you read.
• Will the public touch or hold the animals? Ask how they keep young animals from rough or excessive handling.
• Who will handle the animals at our event? Ask about that person's experience with the species.
• How long will each animal be out, and when do they rest?
• Do I need a local or state permit to host animals at my venue? Ask your city or county office before the event.

How we use APHIS records in our directory

Our directory includes listings sourced from USDA APHIS licensee records. Each listing shows where it came from, so you can look the business up in the Public Search Tool yourself. A listing in our directory isn't an endorsement, and it isn't a substitute for reading the inspection reports.

Browse exotic animal trainers, wildlife professionals and primate professionals by state. If you want a bird of prey program, see our birds of prey listings. Read how results are sorted to see how Featured listings are labeled.

If you run a licensed program and see your listing here, you can claim your profile for free.