Apply for a licence to do minor works on or near the road – Section 171

A company or contractor can apply on behalf of the land or property owner, but the licence will remain in the possession of the land or property owner.

Introduction

information

Before any minor works are carried out on or adjacent to the public highway you must get a licence from us.

Important changes to the processing of licence applications

We have recently reviewed the cost of licence fees for applications to work on the highway and have found that they have not kept up with administrative costs. Unfortunately, this is not sustainable, so we need to increase the fees as outlined below.

Fees

  • Application for minor works on/adjacent to the public highway (Highways Act 1980, Section 171 Licence) – £270
  • Application for deposition of materials (Highways Act 1980, Section 171 Licence) – £105
  • Application for a vehicle crossing over footways and verges (Highways Act 1980, Section 184 Licence) – £374
  • Application for skip license – £105
  • Application for scaffold license – £120

This is based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflationary increase if 6.7% CPI and to align with administration costs and regional charges.

Please note, applications for the volunteer scheme are free of charge.

How to apply

A company or contractor can apply on behalf of the land or property owner, but the licence will remain in the possession of the land or property owner.

The fee payable is for each, one-month period to cover administration and site inspection costs. This fee is non-refundable.

How to use it

To apply, please use the form below. If your application is associated with a legal agreement, please go to the Applications connected with a legal agreement section of this page.

In most cases we will require:

  • Owner and contractor details
  • Details of the proposed works
  • Location plans
  • Traffic Management Plans
  • A Planning Application number if it is known

What the licence covers

The licence permits minor works, such as tree works, installation of private street furniture, building and re-building boundary walls on or near the highway to be carried out with our approval as the Highway Authority. This licence can also be used to get permission to deposit building materials on the highway.

The licence is commonly referred to as a ‘Section 171’ and is issued under the Highways Act 1980 (Section 171) Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 (Section 65) and Environment Protection Act 1980 (Section 34).

Standard conditions are attached to the application with additional conditions added as appropriate.

If the highway must be closed to traffic, a separate application must be made, which will take 3 months to process.

Processing your licence

We will process the completed licence application and contact you if we need more information or clarification.

We will then send you a licence to carry out the works, which must remain in possession of the property or landowner. The standard processing time from submitting an application to receiving a granted licence is approximately 10 working days.

You will be informed if your application is refused. An application may be delayed if we have not received all of the requested information. A site visit to discuss the proposed works may also be required.

The application is valid for one month. Subsequent extensions will be treated as new applications and will be subject to a further fee.

Cost

The application form contains current pricing, which is subject to change by administration and legislative changes.

Applications for the volunteer scheme are free of charge.

Regulations

Authorisation for the connection of new drainage to existing highway drainage system will not be granted.

The Licence is issued in accordance with the Highways Act 1980 (Section 171), Road Traffic Act 1984 (Section 65) and Environmental Protection Act 1980 (Section 34).

As stated in the licence, the quality of workmanship will be monitored.

General information

Our aim is to:

  • Assist in the management of street and road works, road closures and traffic movement on Somerset’s roads
  • Enable records of works to ensure associated highway integrity

To achieve this, we will need:

  • An accurate location of where the works are to take place, including a postcode
  • Traffic Management Plans for the proposed works

We may impose special conditions:

  • In the interests of safety
  • To minimise the inconvenience to people using the street, in particular, the needs of people with a disability
  • To protect the structure of the street and the integrity of apparatus in it

The applicant must strictly adhere to the conditions attached to the application.

City, Town and Parish Council highway works

Application for City, Town and Parish Councils to undertake highway works on or near the road

This form has 5 pages and will take approximately 3 to 5 minutes to complete.

Please note, applications for the volunteer scheme are free of charge.

Highway Volunteers

Somerset Council has launched a scheme to allow local parish, town and city councils to undertake low-risk highway maintenance activities using trained volunteers.

The scheme aims to enhance the statutory services provided by the council, should local councils wish to participate.  We know many local councils have requested this, so we are providing clarity and a legal framework for volunteers to tidy up their local area if they so wish. The scheme is not intended to replace statutory responsibilities or bypass existing permissions.

Monitoring and compliance will remain the responsibility of the participating councils, who are expected to ensure that any volunteer activities are conducted safely, legally and with appropriate oversight. If a council officer becomes aware of any unsafe practices, we would initially discuss with the relevant city, town or parish council.

Becoming a volunteer

  • Contact your local council – for example, the Clerk or a nominated person – to express your interest
  • Register for the online Highway Safety Awareness course by emailing tlc@somerset.gov.uk (opens in new window). Include ‘highway volunteering’ in the subject line of the email
  • You will receive an email with the course link, a username and a temporary password
  • Complete the course successfully to receive a certificate of completion
  • Read the Highway Volunteer Handbook (opens in new window)

How Parish, Town or City Councils can participate in the scheme

Training and Licences

  • Highway volunteers will be trained in highway safety awareness, enabling them to undertake the low-risk activities defined in the course. It is not a replacement for traffic management training.  All training will be undertaken free of charge.
  • Multiple activities can be covered by one licence for a period of up to one year. We need a list of the volunteers, and if additional volunteers come forward during the year they will need to undertake the training for us to update the licence with their certificate of training
  • There are no fees or charges for the volunteer training or licence applications

Working with Kier

Parish Council staff and volunteers will not be able to work alongside Kier operatives to undertake the work required. Volunteer low-risk activities are separate and are only the activities which are defined and described in the course.

Insurance

Parish councils will need to provide the appropriate level of insurance to cover the low-risk activities defined in the volunteer safety awareness training. We advise that Parish councils discuss the appropriate levels of insurance required with their insurance providers, noting that the volunteer activities will be completed to a level that the use of hand tools will allow.  In the event of an incident, liability would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Lengthsmen and self-employed workers

Lengthsmen and self-employed workers who support smaller Parishes with the same low-risk work at low rates of pay will already be trained and qualified to a higher level than the volunteer safety awareness training offers. They will be able to undertake the low-risk activities as well.

Speed indicator devices (SIDs)

There are no plans to include installing or moving speed indicator devices in the online volunteer training, as it is only intended to cover low-level and low-risk maintenance activities. Volunteers undertaking any work relating to SID signs will need Chapter 8 training as they are erecting signs adjacent to a live carriageway where sometimes the speeds are higher, so we need to confirm that the volunteer training will not cover the erection of SIDs .

Course content

The course covers the following low-risk Highway maintenance activities:

  • Minor sign maintenance and cleaning
  • Clearing weeds
  • Grass cutting
  • Hedge cutting
  • Cleaning gullies of detritus
  • Snow clearing
  • General cleaning and sweeping
  • Litter picking

Last updated: July 10, 2025

Next review due: January 10, 2026

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