Street collection permit

About the permit

A street collection is regulated under the Police, Factories etc (Misc. Provisions) Act, 1916. A permit is required to carry out a collection on behalf of charity in a public place. This includes any highway, public bridge, road, lane, footway, square, court, alley, or passage, whether a thoroughfare or not. There is a legal obligation for the permit holder to make a return to us within 28 days of the street collection taking place.

Eligibility criteria

You must ensure that your application form is completed in full and returned 28 days prior to the collection date. In particular, you should ensure that you have specified the day and times the street collection is taking place. You must be acting for a charity or for a non profit organisation to hold a street collection permit.

Applicable fees

There are no fees for this permit or to submit a return.

Application evaluation process

When we receive your application we will consider whether or not to issue the permit on the basis of the information you have supplied. We will also check our records to look at any previous street collections for which you have been given a permit.

Please note there are restrictions on the number of permits you may have in the following areas:

• City of Durham: 2 collections per year / per applicant. These may be 1 Saturday and 1 weekday 
• Easington: 2 collections per year / per applicant. Land owners permission is needed for collections in Peterlee Town Centre, Byron's Place Shopping Centre and Dalton Park Shopping Outlet
• Teesdale: 4 collections per year / per applicant
• Wear Valley: 3 collections per year / per applicant. These may be 1 Saturday, 1 Thursday and 1 other day

Implied granting of permit ('tacit consent')

If you have not heard from us by the end of the target completion period we specify for dealing with your application, you have the legal right to act as though your licence has been granted. This is known as 'tacit consent'.

Our target completion period for processing a correctly completed application is 10 working days. We aim to acknowledge your application within 2 working days of receipt. Please contact us if you have not received acknowledgement within 5 working days.

Apply online

• Apply to run a charitable collection 
• Supply a return for a street collection 
• Privacy notice - licensing - European Services Licence (PDF, 61.6kb)

Failed application and permit holder redress

If we refuse to issue a permit or if you are an existing permit holder and have cause for complaint, you may first wish to contact us.

Consumer complaint

We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first contact is made with the trader by you - preferably in the form a letter (with proof of delivery). If that has not worked, Citizens Advice Consumer Service will give you advice. From outside the UK contact the UK European Consumer Centre.