Permissions and licences overview
Who needs permission to work on the highway?
Only statutory undertakers have permission to work on the highway. If you're not a statutory undertaker you must apply for a licence or a permit to work on the highway.
Statutory undertakers are organisations who have a legal right to work on the highway and include highways authorities, water, sewerage, rail and bridge authorities, electricity, gas, telecommunication providers and other government authorities.
We can help with:
Private apparatus installation
A Section 50 licence allows a private individual to place or maintain apparatus in the highway.
Dropped kerbs (vehicle access crossing)
A dropped kerb allows vehicles to safely cross the pavement and enter a driveway from the road.
White lines (access protection marking)
An access protection marking (APM) also known as an ‘H bar’ or white line is an advisory road marking.
Tourism and amenity signs
Apply for a tourism or amenity sign.
Pedestrian crossings
You can request central refuges, zebra, puffin or toucan crossings.
Major and minor works agreements
A work agreement legally allows a person or organisation to carry out proposed construction works.
Skip operator registration
Registration is required for any organisation that wishes to obtain a permit from the highway authority.
Parking bay suspensions
When working in the highway, you may require parking bays to be suspended.
Registered contractors
Contact us to request a list of our registered contractors.
We can also issue the following permits to registered contractors:
Placement of building materials
For skips and building materials on the highway, an application for a permit to place items on the highway is required.
Projections
A projection licence covers temporary and permanent projections over a highway.
Scaffolding and hoarding
A permit is needed for any scaffolding or hoarding that needs to be placed on the highway.
Temporary excavations
A permit to dig can be given to contractors wishing to open the highway for a variety of reasons.
Road closures and traffic management
All types of works and activities require traffic management dependent on the nature of the works and/or the highway.
More information is available in our permissions and licences policy and guidance (356 KB).
We can't help with:
On-street trading
Please contact your local district or borough council.
Advertising boards
Please contact your local district or borough council.
Street cafes
Please contact your local district or borough council.