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From 1 October 2025, all commercially operated outdoor activities and commercial dog walking services in a Bristol City Council-managed park or green space must have a parks business licence.

The licence period runs annually from 1 October to 30 September.

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

When you need a licence

You need a licence if you're a business charging for any of the following services:

    • outdoor activities
      • fitness classes
      • yoga sessions
      • boot camps
      • walking groups, such as Nordic walking
      • any other paid-for exercise sessions
    • dog walking 

You don't need a licence if you're:

  • 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

Both lists are not exhaustive and are selections of examples only.

Outdoor activities

Outdoor activities licences are issued per individual instructor. Several licence options are available.

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.

Annual fees for 2025 to 2026

  • 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 that run outdoor activities solely on Clifton and Durham Downs, applications are not yet open and details will be announced soon

Dog walking

Dog walking licences are issued per individual walker and are valid for one park or green space only.

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

Dog walking licence applications for Clifton and Durdham Downs are open.

Annual fee for 2025 to 2026

Single-park licence: £450

Paying your fee

You'll need to pay two 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.

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

After you receive your invoice, you'll have the option to pay the full amount straight away or monthly, by direct debit.

Apply for a parks business licence

Licences are issued to businesses, but must be assigned to a named individual.

This means that:

  • each staff member of an organisation will need a separate licence
  • once granted, licences are non-transferrable

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:

Apply for a Parks Business Licence

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)