Kent County Council's own wording on who applies
Kent County Council issues the licence, as it is the highway authority in all six districts we work in: Folkestone & Hythe, Swale, Dover, Canterbury, Thanet and Ashford. The district councils do not issue scaffold licences, so a call to the town hall in Margate or Deal will not get you one.
Kent County Council's highways licence page puts it plainly: "If you need a licence, the company or organisation responsible for placing an item on the highway should apply for it." Its own example is a skip or scaffolding for work at your property, where that company makes the application on your behalf.
The law behind it is section 169 of the Highways Act 1980. Under it, nobody may "erect or retain on or over a highway" a scaffold that blocks the way without a licence. The highway here means more than the road: on a Thanet terrace whose front wall sits on the pavement, a scaffold for the front slope stands on the footway, and that is highway too.
So your part is small. Your job is to check the firm putting the poles up has applied, and to ask to see the licence before the first tube goes on the path.
Notice and fees for 2026 to 2027
Kent County Council's scaffold terms say "All applications, including renewals should be submitted 5 working days prior to the intended licence commencement date." That is five working days, so a Friday request will not cover the following Wednesday. Renewals run to the same notice, which matters if a slate job runs on because of rain.
| Item | 2025 to 2026 | 2026 to 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Scaffold on the highway, 7 calendar days | £50 per week | £52 per week |
| Site inspection, if deemed necessary | £75 | £78 |
| Skip on the highway, 7 calendar days | £43 per week | £45 per week |
The fee is charged by the week, so a scaffold that stays up for three weeks while a chimney is rebuilt and the slopes are stripped pays three weeks. The site inspection is not charged on every job: Kent County Council lists it as a fee "if deemed necessary". It also lists a charge of £120 where an infringement is found on inspection, with further visits charged at £120 per visit. A scaffold built to the terms gives no infringement to charge for.
What the licence asks of the scaffold itself
A Kent County Council scaffold licence is not just a fee and a form. The terms and conditions set out how the scaffold has to stand on a public footway, and a scaffolder who has applied properly will build to them. The points that change what you see outside your house are these:
- A walk-around for pedestrians, with "a minimum distance of 1.2 metre between the scaffold and carriageway".
- "Vertical standards are to be painted white for a minimum of 2.5 metres from pavement level", so people see the uprights at night and in poor light.
- Lighting at night where the scaffold stands in the carriageway or within 45 cm of it.
- Cover for the council: the licensee indemnifies Kent County Council to the value of £5 million through public liability insurance held for the scaffold.
On a narrow Ramsgate or Broadstairs street where the pavement is tight, that 1.2 metre walk-around can shape the scaffold design. It may mean a different footing, a gantry over the path or a phased job. The scaffolder works that out when they look at the street, which is one more reason the firm, not the householder, is the right one to apply.
Skips, private drives and the questions to ask
Kent County Council permits a skip in the road separately, under section 139 of the Highways Act, and the skip company applies. Kent wants 5 working days' notice for a skip left on the road, and 3 days' notice when a renewal is needed. The fee is £45 per week for 2026 to 2027, a skip should not exceed 5 metres in length nor 2 metres in width, and placing one on the footway takes express permission plus a 1.5 metre wide walkway.
If every part of the scaffold stands on your own drive or garden and nothing reaches over the pavement or road, it is not on or over the highway, so the section 169 licence does not come into it. When in doubt, ask the scaffolder to confirm in writing which side of the boundary the poles will be.
Before work starts, ask your roofer:
- Does any part of the scaffold sit on or over the pavement or road?
- Has the scaffold firm applied to Kent County Council, and when does the licence start?
- Who renews it if the job runs past the licence dates?
Kent County Council's highways team takes questions before an application on 03000 41 81 81. For the wider job, see pitched roofing and the slate re-roof, step by step.
