Apply to put hoardings or building material on a public road and pavement

You need a licence to put hoardings or building material on public roads and pavements.

Apply online for a permit to occupy the road in connection with building work

The law

You will need a licence from us if you:

put up secure hoardings during building or demolition work that takes place next to a public road or pavement - the hoards are a legal requirement and the builder doing the work is responsible for getting this licence
store materials such as bricks, wood, bags of sand or cement or block paving or any other building materials on a public pavement, verge or road

You must:

hold public liability insurance of £5 million
comply with any reasonable requests of statutory undertakers relating to the protection of or access to their apparatus
be the person erecting the hoarding to obtain the licence

Failure to obtain a licence may result in a criminal offence for obstruction.

Find out more information about scaffolding licences in The Highways Act 1980 (sections 169, 171, 172 and 173).

Fees

The cost of a licence to store or place building materials on a road or pavement for 14 days is £38, plus £29 per week or part thereof after that.

The cost of a retrospective licence is £76 - this is a one off charge on top of original cost of permit.

The charge for the removal of building materials from the road (Highways Act 1980, Section 139) is £194.

Processing your application

A site meeting may be required to determine any site specific requirements. Specific conditions may be attached to the permit which you need to comply with. These conditions will relate to location, dimensions, lighting and guarding.

You can not put up hoardings or store building material on public roads and pavements until you have successfully heard from us and received your licence. We aim to issue licences within three working days.

If we refuse an application or licence, please Contact Business Support Services for further advice.

Consumer complaint

We would always advise that in the event of a complaint, the first contact is made with the building company by you - preferably in the form of a letter with proof of delivery. If that has not worked and you are located in the UK, Citizens Advice Consumer Service will give you advice.