Maine Dog Breeder Licensing Requirements

Maine law requires a breeding kennel license under Title 7, Chapter 723 (Facility Licenses). The official statute refers to counting the number of female dogs or cats capable of breeding that are kept at a breeding kennel, which sets the license category and fee (Category 1 for 5 to 10, Category 2 for 11 to 20, Category 3 for 21 or more). Under 7 M.R.S. section 3907(8-A), the license is needed if you keep five or more adult female dogs or cats capable of breeding and offer for sale, sell or exchange for value some or all of the offspring, or if you sell more than 16 dogs or cats raised on your premises to the public in a 12-month period. The breeding kennel license applies to hobby and commercial breeders alike once the threshold is met. Kennels kept mainly for hunting, show, training, sledding, competition, field trials or exhibition that hold a state kennel license under 7 M.R.S. section 3932-B and sell no more than 16 dogs in 12 months are not breeding kennels. Anyone keeping 5 or more dogs for breeding, hunting, show or similar purposes without a breeding kennel license needs that separate DACF kennel license ($50 for 5 to 10 dogs, $100 for 11 to 20, $150 for 21 or more), which expires December 31 and requires an annual inspection by the local animal control officer. A separate federal USDA license under the Animal Welfare Act may also be required if you keep more than four breeding females and sell puppies sight unseen, such as online (9 CFR 2.1(a)(3)(iii)).

Breeding kennel licenses are issued by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) through its Animal Welfare Program, as they were before 2025; LD 1771 moved only the separate general kennel license from municipalities to DACF. You can reach the DACF Animal Welfare Program at 28 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0028, by phone at (207) 287-3846, or by email at [email protected]. The statute notes that applicants must report the number of female dogs or cats capable of breeding kept at the breeding kennel, and the department may issue a license or a conditional license. DACF posts a Breeding Kennel Application on its Animal Welfare Applications and Forms page. Applicants mail it with the category fee and $25 per owner for the required criminal background check (checks payable to Treasurer, State of Maine), describe their facilities, disease control, cleaning and vaccination protocols and veterinarian, and enclose a copy of their sales contract. A new kennel receives a conditional license until it passes a state inspection (7 M.R.S. section 3931-A(6)). Dogs six months and older also need a regular dog license from the local town or city clerk, which requires proof of current rabies vaccination.

Under 7 M.R.S. section 3931-A(2), the breeding kennel license fee is $125 for Category 1 (5 to 10 breeding females), $150 for Category 2 (11 to 20) and $200 for Category 3 (21 or more), and the license expires 12 months after it is issued. DACF's application also requires a $25 criminal background check fee per owner, and a late fee of 50% of the license fee applies if a license is not renewed within 30 days of expiring (section 3935-A). Separately, local annual dog licenses (for individual dogs, not breeding kennels) cost $6 for a spayed or neutered dog and $11 for an unaltered dog, with a $25 late fee if obtained after January 31 (7 M.R.S. section 3923-A). These amounts took effect September 24, 2025 under LD 1771 (Public Law 2025, chapter 414).

Maine's Animal Welfare Act requires every breeding kennel that meets the threshold, hobby or commercial, to be licensed, inspected and held to state standards for housing, care and disease control (7 M.R.S. sections 3931-A and 3936). The DACF Animal Welfare Program sets these standards by rule (Chapter 701), and state humane agents inspect breeding kennels. New breeding kennels get a conditional license until they pass a state inspection, and a kennel that cannot meet minimum standards within 6 months of the first inspection may have its license suspended or revoked (7 M.R.S. section 3931-A(6)). After that, the commissioner, state humane agents or state veterinarians may inspect at any reasonable time; the statute sets no fixed schedule (section 3936). Violations bring a written notice with a correction deadline. The first follow-up inspection is free, but if 2 or more are needed in a calendar year each costs 50% of the license fee (section 3936-A). Care standards are in DACF rule Chapter 701, for example dogs must be let out of their cages at least twice every 24 hours and breeding animals need an annual veterinary checkup.

The official statute requires breeders to report the number of female dogs or cats capable of breeding kept at the breeding kennel as part of the application. DACF rule Chapter 701 requires licensed kennels to keep records for at least 2 years, including health certificates, the name and address of the person each animal came from and of each buyer, vaccination, treatment and wellness records, and mortality and veterinary service records, and to let Animal Welfare Program agents see them. When selling, a breeding kennel must give each buyer a written disclosure, signed by both, with the kennel's name, address and license number, the animal's birth date, breed, sex, color and identification, sire and dam registration for registrable purebreds, and its vaccination and treatment history (7 M.R.S. section 4152), and must show its license number in all advertising (section 3931-A(5)). Breeders who also hold a federal USDA license under the Animal Welfare Act must follow federal record-keeping rules. Contact DACF's Animal Welfare Program for Maine's current record-keeping requirements.

Maintaining a breeding kennel without a license, or after a license is suspended or revoked, is a civil violation with a forfeiture of $50 to $200 per day (7 M.R.S. section 3938). DACF may also refuse, suspend, revoke or decline to renew a license for violations, false statements on an application or failure to keep required records (section 3936-B), and selling or giving away a puppy or kitten before it is 56 days old is a separate civil violation with a fine of $50 to $200 (section 3938-A). In general, Maine's animal laws allow enforcement by animal control officers and the DACF Animal Welfare Program, and violations can be treated as civil or criminal matters depending on how serious they are. Operating without a required USDA license is a separate federal violation under the Animal Welfare Act. Breeders should confirm the exact fines and enforcement actions with DACF before operating.