Permits and licences

If you are about to carry out work or place anything on the public highway, that will cause some form of obstruction, hazard or danger then you will almost certainly require authorisation from Kent Highway Services to do so. This is our way of trying to ensure the safe passage of all users on our network.

As the Highway Authority, we have to adhere to a number of Statute and Common Laws, which protect the highway, the well being of its users and people carring out works on them. Therefore, any request to work on our footpaths and carriageways, or place any item which might cause some form of obstruction has to be coordinated within our Road Works Teams. There are four teams in Kent who deal with this and they are as follows:

• North West - Dartford, Gravesham & Sevenoaks
• West Central - Maidstone, Tonbridge & Malling & Tunbridge Wells
• East Central - Ashford, Canterbury & Swale
• South East - Dover, Thanet & Shepway

The teams coordinate all works that happen on the public highway and include the following following:

• Apparatus on or in the Highway
• Banners, Cables, Decorative Lighting or Bunting over the Highway
• Cultivation of the Highway
• Event on the Highway
• Filming on the Highway
• Hoarding or Site Fencing on the Highway
• Materials on the Highway
• Temporary Road Closures
• Scaffold on the Highway
• Sewer Connections
• Skip(s) on the Highway
• Tables and Chairs on the Highway
• Temporary Traffic Signals
• Temporary Sign for an Event or Housing Development
• Tourist Sign (brown sign)
• Vehicle Crossovers

We deal with a wide range of activities most of which will have some kind of impact on the public highways. Be it an application for a shop to have Tables and Chairs, or the opening of a new Sewer Connection. The most familiar laws used are:

• The Highways Act 1980

• New Roads and Street Works Act 1991

• The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

• Town Police Clauses Act 1847

There are a vast number of other pieces of legislation that we also refer to and these are noted on each application where applicable. For more information, you can visit the Ministry of Justice website (link opens in a new window) for more information about each Act.

Within Kent Highway Services, each request is processed by administration staff and each site should be inspected by our Highway Inspectors to ensure that what is being applied for is practical, safe and in adherence to the laws and our own specifications. In some instances, we might apply certain conditions which will need to be adhered to, but these will be considered with each individual application.

To ensure that conditions are followed and no breaches or infringements are made, Kent Highway Services has created the 'Highway Activities Enforcement Team'. The team will ultimately be dealing with most infringements, hazards or obstructions on the highway, in particular those associated with Licence and Permit applications. They will be working closely with District and Borough Councils, Trading Standards and our Community Wardens within the county.