The Massachusetts kennel license for training facilities

What Ollie’s Law changed

In September 2024, Governor Healey signed Chapter 213 of the Acts of 2024, known as Ollie’s Law. It brings the state Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) into kennel oversight for the first time. Commercial boarding or training kennels must report injuries to animals or people, municipal clerks report kennel license data to MDAR each year, and MDAR must write statewide regulations for these kennels.

Those regulations can cover staff-to-animal ratios, group sizes and supervision, emergency planning, injury reporting, dog handling and staff training. A summary from municipal law firm KP Law put the deadline for them at June 19, 2026. We have not been able to confirm whether final regulations are in force as of October 2026, so check the current status with MDAR. Our page on Ollie’s Law and board and train covers the law in more detail.

What a kennel license tells you, and what it does not

A current license tells you the facility is known to the city or town, has passed an animal control officer’s inspection, and has a set maximum number of animals. It also means there is a local authority you can contact with a complaint. That is a meaningful baseline, and an unlicensed facility is a clear red flag.

A license does not tell you about training methods, staff qualifications or how dogs are handled day to day. Until MDAR regulations are fully in force, inspection standards also vary from town to town. Treat the license as the floor, then ask the questions in our guide on how to choose a board-and-train program.

• Ask: “What is your kennel license type, and which city or town issued it?”
• Ask: “When was your last inspection?”
• Ask: “What maximum number of dogs does your license allow?”
• Check: call the clerk’s office in that town to confirm the license is current

A worked example: checking a facility in an afternoon

Say you are comparing two North Shore programs. Facility A tells you its license type, the issuing town and its last inspection date without hesitation. You call that town’s clerk, who confirms a current commercial boarding or training kennel license. Facility B says licensing “doesn’t apply because we train, we don’t board.” Under the statute’s definition, overnight training stays are squarely covered, so that answer is wrong.

That small check takes a phone call, and it tells you a lot about how a business handles rules it would rather not think about. Pair it with a visit and questions about methods, and you have covered most of what a buyer can reasonably verify.

Dog licenses are a separate thing

Do not confuse the facility’s kennel license with your own dog’s license. Every dog over six months in Massachusetts needs an individual license from its home city or town, with proof of rabies vaccination, and Ollie’s Law made clear that a kennel license does not replace that.

For a Dogtown stay, a current city or town dog license is on the requirements list alongside Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella. Our page on whether your dog needs a city license for board and train explains how to get one. Ask about Dogtown’s own licensing and inspection status when you enquire, and confirm it with the City of Gloucester like any other facility.