Street Works Permits: What You Need to Know

Street works refer to activities carried out on public roads and pavements, typically by utility companies (e.g. water, gas, electricity, telecoms) or highway authorities. These works may involve:

Installing or repairing underground infrastructure
Connecting new developments to utilities
Emergency repairs (e.g. burst water mains or gas leaks)

Street works differ from roadworks, which are carried out by contractors on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council maintaining our highway network.

Gloucestershire County Council manage on average around 27,000 works each year under a Permit Scheme.

Street works refer to activities carried out on public roads and pavements, typically by utility companies (e.g. water, gas, electricity, telecoms) or highway authorities. These works may involve:

Installing or repairing underground infrastructure
Connecting new developments to utilities
Emergency repairs (e.g. burst water mains or gas leaks)

Street works differ from roadworks, which are carried out by contractors on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council maintaining our highway network.

Gloucestershire County Council manage on average around 27,000 works each year under a Permit Scheme.

A Street Works Permit Scheme is a regulatory framework that requires utility companies, local authorities, and other organisations to obtain permission before carrying out works on public roads and highways.

This includes digging, installing, maintaining, or repairing infrastructure like water, gas, electricity, or telecoms.

Operating under a permit scheme aims to:

Reduce congestion and disruption caused by roadworks
Improve safety for road users and workers
Ensure better communication between authorities and utility companies
Provide accurate public information about planned work
Encourage collaboration between different organisations working on the highway

A Street Works Permit Scheme is a regulatory framework that requires utility companies, local authorities, and other organisations to obtain permission before carrying out works on public roads and highways.

This includes digging, installing, maintaining, or repairing infrastructure like water, gas, electricity, or telecoms.

Operating under a permit scheme aims to:

Reduce congestion and disruption caused by roadworks
Improve safety for road users and workers
Ensure better communication between authorities and utility companies
Provide accurate public information about planned work
Encourage collaboration between different organisations working on the highway

Anyone planning to carry out street works must apply for a permit from the local highway authority. This includes:

Utility companies
Contractors working on behalf of developers
Local authorities themselves

These permits are required by law under the Traffic Management Act 2004 and the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA).

Permits are required for most types of works, except in emergencies where retrospective notification is allowed. Some works that don’t require excavating in the highway or traffic management don’t require a permit.

Anyone planning to carry out street works must apply for a permit from the local highway authority. This includes:

Utility companies
Contractors working on behalf of developers
Local authorities themselves

These permits are required by law under the Traffic Management Act 2004 and the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA).

Permits are required for most types of works, except in emergencies where retrospective notification is allowed. Some works that don’t require excavating in the highway or traffic management don’t require a permit.

The permit scheme is used to manage and coordinate road works and street works. Permits are handled through a national online system called Street Manager. It’s used by councils and utility companies to:

Apply for and review permits
Record inspections
Monitor safety and compliance

Each permit comes with conditions, for example, when the work can happen and how traffic is managed. The council can approve/refuse or request modifications to permit applications, for example adding extra conditions to permits. If these rules aren’t followed, there can be fees or penalties.

The permit scheme is used to manage and coordinate road works and street works. Permits are handled through a national online system called Street Manager. It’s used by councils and utility companies to:

Apply for and review permits
Record inspections
Monitor safety and compliance

Each permit comes with conditions, for example, when the work can happen and how traffic is managed. The council can approve/refuse or request modifications to permit applications, for example adding extra conditions to permits. If these rules aren’t followed, there can be fees or penalties.

Here’s a quick guide to the different types of permits and how far in advance they need to be applied for:

Permit Type	Duration	When to Apply
Major Works	11+ working days or needs a TTRO	At least 3 months before starting
Standard Works	4–10 working days	At least 10 days before starting
Minor Works	Up to 3 working days	At least 3 days before starting
Immediate Works	Emergency or urgent works	Within 2 hours of starting or by 10am next working day

Here’s a quick guide to the different types of permits and how far in advance they need to be applied for:

Permit Type	Duration	When to Apply
Major Works	11+ working days or needs a TTRO	At least 3 months before starting
Standard Works	4–10 working days	At least 10 days before starting
Minor Works	Up to 3 working days	At least 3 days before starting
Immediate Works	Emergency or urgent works	Within 2 hours of starting or by 10am next working day

Street works are essential to maintain and improve the services we all rely on—like water, electricity, gas, and broadband. But sometimes, the timing and duration of these works can change. Here's why:

Early Start Requests

Promoters may request to begin works earlier than originally planned. This can happen due to:

Emergencies, like a burst pipe or gas leak
Availability of specialist crews or equipment
Coordination with other nearby works to reduce overall disruption

We carefully review these requests to ensure they’re necessary and won’t cause undue inconvenience to road users.

Extension Requests

Sometimes works take longer than expected. Promoters may ask for an extension to the agreed end date due to:

Unexpected issues underground, such as damaged or incorrectly mapped infrastructure
Poor weather conditions that delay progress
Safety concerns that require additional time or changes to traffic management

We assess these requests to balance the need for extra time with the impact on the public.

Street works are essential to maintain and improve the services we all rely on—like water, electricity, gas, and broadband. But sometimes, the timing and duration of these works can change. Here's why:

Early Start Requests

Promoters may request to begin works earlier than originally planned. This can happen due to:

Emergencies, like a burst pipe or gas leak
Availability of specialist crews or equipment
Coordination with other nearby works to reduce overall disruption

We carefully review these requests to ensure they’re necessary and won’t cause undue inconvenience to road users.

Extension Requests

Sometimes works take longer than expected. Promoters may ask for an extension to the agreed end date due to:

Unexpected issues underground, such as damaged or incorrectly mapped infrastructure
Poor weather conditions that delay progress
Safety concerns that require additional time or changes to traffic management

We assess these requests to balance the need for extra time with the impact on the public.

Street Works Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) are fines issued by local highway authorities in England to enforce compliance with regulations under the New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA). They are designed to encourage responsible behaviour by contractors, utility companies and asset owners during roadworks and infrastructure projects.

Offences and Charges

Fee’s as of 5 Jan 2026

Reason For Charge	Full Charge	Discounted Rate
Late registration of reinstatement	£240	£160
Late submission of works start/stop notice	£240	£160
Breaching permit conditions	£240	£160
Working without a permit	£1000	£600

**Discounted amounts are applied when FPN’s are paid within 10 calendar days of the notice being issued.

Street Works Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) are fines issued by local highway authorities in England to enforce compliance with regulations under the New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA). They are designed to encourage responsible behaviour by contractors, utility companies and asset owners during roadworks and infrastructure projects.

Offences and Charges

Fee’s as of 5 Jan 2026

Reason For Charge	Full Charge	Discounted Rate
Late registration of reinstatement	£240	£160
Late submission of works start/stop notice	£240	£160
Breaching permit conditions	£240	£160
Working without a permit	£1000	£600

**Discounted amounts are applied when FPN’s are paid within 10 calendar days of the notice being issued.

Defect charges are fees imposed by highway authorities when street works are found to be substandard or non-compliant. These charges help cover the cost of inspections and encourage better workmanship from utility companies and contractors.

When a defect has been identified, the authority can charge the works promoter £120 as a fee to recover the costs of the following:

Stage one inspection: a joint site meeting, involving both the authority and the undertaker, to determine the nature of the failure and what remedial action/works should be taken
Stage two inspection: an inspection by the authority of the remedial works in progress
Stage three inspections: an inspection by the authority when all the remedial works have been completed

Any further inspections deemed necessary to assess the status of the non-compliance until compliance is achieved can be carried out for a maximum of 2 cycles. £120 can be charged for each cycle of inspections to check that the defect has been repaired.

Defect charges are fees imposed by highway authorities when street works are found to be substandard or non-compliant. These charges help cover the cost of inspections and encourage better workmanship from utility companies and contractors.

When a defect has been identified, the authority can charge the works promoter £120 as a fee to recover the costs of the following:

Stage one inspection: a joint site meeting, involving both the authority and the undertaker, to determine the nature of the failure and what remedial action/works should be taken
Stage two inspection: an inspection by the authority of the remedial works in progress
Stage three inspections: an inspection by the authority when all the remedial works have been completed

Any further inspections deemed necessary to assess the status of the non-compliance until compliance is achieved can be carried out for a maximum of 2 cycles. £120 can be charged for each cycle of inspections to check that the defect has been repaired.

Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) allows highway authorities to impose financial penalties on utility companies and contractors who fail to complete street works within the agreed timeframe. The goal is to minimize disruption to road users and encourage timely completion of works.

Charges are based on several factors:

Type of works: Minor, Standard, Major, Emergency, or Urgent
Number of days overrun
Traffic sensitivity of the street
Reinstatement category of the road surface

Offences and Charges

Charges in relation to works occupying the carriageway during the period of overrun

Description of Street	Amount for each of the first three days	Amount for each subsequent day
Traffic-sensitive or protected street not in road categories 2,3 or 4.	£5,000	£10,000
Other street not in road categories 2,3 or 4	£2,500	£2,500
Traffic-sensitive or protected street in road category 2	£3,000	£8,000
Other street in road category 2	£2,000	£2,000
Traffic-sensitive or protected street in road category 3 or 4	£750	£750
Other street in road category 3 or 4	£250	£250

Charges in relation to works outside the carriageway during period of overrun

Description of street	Amount
Street not in road categories 2,3 or 4	£2,500
Street in road category 2	£2,000
Street in road category 3 or 4	£250

**In the event of Signing, lighting and Guarding being left behind upon completion of works; if there are less than 5 items remaining, the charge will be reduced to £100 for all road categories.

Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) allows highway authorities to impose financial penalties on utility companies and contractors who fail to complete street works within the agreed timeframe. The goal is to minimize disruption to road users and encourage timely completion of works.

Charges are based on several factors:

Type of works: Minor, Standard, Major, Emergency, or Urgent
Number of days overrun
Traffic sensitivity of the street
Reinstatement category of the road surface

Offences and Charges

Charges in relation to works occupying the carriageway during the period of overrun

Description of Street	Amount for each of the first three days	Amount for each subsequent day
Traffic-sensitive or protected street not in road categories 2,3 or 4.	£5,000	£10,000
Other street not in road categories 2,3 or 4	£2,500	£2,500
Traffic-sensitive or protected street in road category 2	£3,000	£8,000
Other street in road category 2	£2,000	£2,000
Traffic-sensitive or protected street in road category 3 or 4	£750	£750
Other street in road category 3 or 4	£250	£250

Charges in relation to works outside the carriageway during period of overrun

Description of street	Amount
Street not in road categories 2,3 or 4	£2,500
Street in road category 2	£2,000
Street in road category 3 or 4	£250

**In the event of Signing, lighting and Guarding being left behind upon completion of works; if there are less than 5 items remaining, the charge will be reduced to £100 for all road categories.

Street Works Permits: What You Need to Know

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