Skip permits

The essentials

• Cost: typically £15–£60 depending on the council, usually for 1–2 weeks with renewals available.
• Who applies: almost always the skip company, not you. It's normally added to your quote — ask when booking.
• Extras: some councils require night-time lights, cones or reflective sheeting on roadside skips; on-street parking bays may need a separate suspension fee.
• Fines: an unpermitted roadside skip risks a fine of up to £1,000 and removal charges.

Permit fees by council

Reported fees for councils we've reviewed so far (fees change — each page links to the official application route). Costs differ wildly: from £15–£16 in North Tyneside and Leeds to £90+ in Glasgow and some London boroughs.

• Barnet £114.72
• Barnsley £38
• Bexley £65 per application
• Birmingham £42 per week
• Bolton £12.90–£37.50 (zone-based)
• Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) £78 per week
• Bradford £48
• Brent £56
• Brighton & Hove £15.40 (1 day) / £48.40 (7 days) / £89.10 (28 days)
• Bristol £90
• Bromley £38
• Bury £50–£70
• Camden £57.02 (2 weeks) / £83.21 (4 weeks)
• Cardiff £44 (7 days) / £88 (28 days)
• Coventry £50
• Croydon £78
• Derby £60
• Dudley Metropolitan £56.05 per skip per month
• Dundee £50 (1 day) / £150 (1 month)
• Ealing £50 (+£50 in controlled parking zones)
• City of Edinburgh £29 first week, £23 per extra week
• Enfield £75
• Essex County Council (Colchester area) £111.66 per application
• Fife £25
• Glasgow £90 first week, £48 per extra week
• Greenwich £114
• Hammersmith & Fulham £80
• Haringey £125 (£140 with building materials)
• Harrow £82.30 per 14 days
• Havering £162 (renewals £110–£210)
• Hillingdon £45
• Hounslow £89.20
• Hull £36
• Islington £95
• Kensington & Chelsea £153 (+£53 fast-track)
• Kirklees £32 (14 days) / £48 (28 days)
• Lambeth £75.94
• Lancashire County Council (Preston area) £36 per month
• Leeds £16
• Leicester £46
• Lewisham £88 per month (RoRo £251)
• Liverpool £44 per skip
• Luton £72 (licence only)
• Manchester £55
• Medway £73
• Merton £84 (outside controlled parking zones)
• Middlesbrough £22.40 per 7 days (+£51 annual operator registration)
• Milton Keynes £70 + VAT
• Newport £63.63
• Norfolk County Council (Norwich area) £55.94 per 28 days
• North Tyneside £15
• Nottingham £71.50 (arranged via the council skip service)
• Oldham £47 per 28 days (registered operators)
• Oxfordshire County Council (Oxford area) £125 setup incl. 7 days, then £50 per week (£140/£55 on bus routes)
• Peterborough £65 (city centre £260/day)
• Reading £99.50 (up to 2 weeks), then £45 per week
• Renfrewshire £53
• Richmond upon Thames £75
• Rotherham £28
• Sandwell Council (West Bromwich area) £48
• Sheffield £17
• Southampton £37 per week
• Southend-on-Sea £165
• Southwark £81.60
• Stockport £42.50 (registered company, in advance)
• Staffordshire County Council (Cannock area) £42 (renewal £42; +£28 for 3-day expedited service)
• Stoke-on-Trent £40
• Sunderland £19
• Surrey County Council (Epsom area) £139
• Sutton £149.01 per skip
• Swansea £60
• Swindon £95 (£115 with under 5 days’ notice)
• Thurrock £100 per 7 days (or part)
• Wakefield £32.13 (road licence, arranged with council skip hire)
• Walsall Metropolitan £12.40–£61.20 per day (street type and duration banded)
• Waltham Forest £25
• Wandsworth £37.60
• Warrington £25
• Westminster £91 (covers up to two skips)
• Wigan £58 (£65 town centres)
• City of Wolverhampton £60 per permit

Council not listed? Use the gov.uk permit finder — or just ask the skip firm, who deal with these fees daily.

Neighbouring councils rarely charge the same:Black Country permit fees compared puts Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and Birmingham side by side.

Common questions

Do I need a permit for a skip on my driveway?

No. Permits are only required when the skip sits on public land — the road, a layby or the pavement. On private property (driveway, garden, private car park) no permit is needed.

How much does a skip permit cost?

It varies by council, typically £15–£60 for 1–2 weeks. Inner London boroughs are at the top of the range; some councils also require lights, cones or reflective markings around the skip.

Who applies for the skip permit?

In most council areas only the skip hire company can apply, not the householder. The fee is added to your hire price — confirm it’s included when you book.

What happens if I don’t get a permit?

The council can fine the skip owner up to £1,000, remove the skip at your cost, and the hire firm will pass charges on to you. It’s never worth it.

Next: skip hire prices · size guide · find local companies.