How to apply for a dropped kerb, step by step

Who you apply to

You apply to your highway authority: the council that looks after the road outside your home. In two-tier areas of England that's the county council, not your district or borough council (for example Kent County Council, not Maidstone Borough Council). In unitary areas, London boroughs and metropolitan districts, it's your single council. GOV.UK's tool finds it for England and Wales from your postcode, and so does our council map.

In England and Wales most councils give permission under section 184 of the Highways Act 1980, which deals with vehicle crossings over footways and verges. In Scotland it's a section 56 consent under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. In Northern Ireland you apply to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI Roads).

How to apply, step by step

1. Check you're likely to qualify. Measure the depth of your parking space (most councils want 4.8 to 5 m) and your distance from the nearest junction. Our eligibility checker takes two minutes.
2. Sort planning permission first, if you need it. You'll need it on A, B or C roads, for flats, and often for listed buildings and conservation areas. Many councils (for example Kent, Surrey, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire) won't accept an application without a planning decision or written confirmation that you don't need one. Planning permission guide.
3. Get your paperwork together. Usually a photo of the frontage, a measured sketch or plan, and the owner's written consent if you rent (see the printable checklist).
4. Apply and pay the council's fee. Fees we've checked run from £52 (Nottinghamshire's assessment) to £568 (Devon's licence). Many aren't refundable if you're refused. Compare council fees.
5. The council inspects. An officer visits to check visibility, trees, street furniture, drainage and utilities. Decisions take from about 2 weeks (Hampshire's Fast Track) to 12 weeks (Leicester City).
6. Get it built. Depending on your council, you pay the council's quote, hire a contractor from its list, or hire your own qualified contractor. Your contractor may need their own licence or permit before digging.
7. Final inspection. Most councils inspect the finished crossing. Where you used your own contractor, you're often responsible for defects for up to 2 years (for example Devon, Derby, Plymouth and Leicestershire's Option 2).

See typical waiting times at each stage in the dropped kerb timeline.

What you'll usually need

• Photos of the front of the property, ideally showing neighbouring frontages (Kent asks for this).
• A sketch or plan with measurements: depth and width of the parking area and the proposed crossing width.
• Planning permission, or written confirmation you don't need it, where your council asks.
• The owner's written permission if you don't own the property. Council tenants usually need housing office consent first (Leeds says so).
• Card payment for the fee (some councils take BACS or cheques, for example Oxfordshire and Derby).
• If your council asks for it at the start, your contractor's details: their NRSWA street works cards and public liability insurance (Derbyshire, Derby's Option 1 and Edinburgh work this way).

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland: GOV.UK's finder covers England and Wales only. Scottish councils use section 56 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984: no works can be carried out in a public road without the roads authority's written consent. For example, Edinburgh charges £210 per location (2026/27) and needs 10 working days' notice, and Glasgow assesses the site before you appoint a contractor, subject to its approval.

Northern Ireland: you fill in a paper consent form and return it to your local DfI Roads office, where planning approval isn't needed. See nidirect. We haven't covered Northern Ireland in detail yet.

Common reasons applications are refused

• Not enough depth, so a parked car would overhang the pavement. Councils' minimums run from 4 m (Coventry, Leicester) to 6 m (Bradford).
• Too close to a junction: 10 m in Hertfordshire, 15 m in Staffordshire, Oxfordshire, Leicester and Bradford.
• Poor visibility for pedestrians, or a bend or the brow of a hill (Derby and Leicester list these).
• A tree, lamp post or other street furniture in the way that can't be moved.
• A second crossing at the same property (Leicester refuses these; Essex only allows them on unclassified roads, with 5 m between).
• Losing on-street parking in a residents' parking area.

Questions people ask

Can my builder apply for me?

It depends on the council. Devon's licence is applied for by your contractor. Plymouth says contractors shouldn't apply on behalf of homeowners. Most others expect the homeowner to apply, and the contractor then gets their own licence or permit.

Do I get my fee back if I'm refused?

Often not. Some councils refund part: Kent refunds £231 of £500, Lancashire £145 of £290, Cambridgeshire £314 of £414, Thurrock £300 of £375, Bradford £60 of £120. Check your council's page.

How long is permission valid?

It varies: 2 weeks for the works window in Buckinghamshire, 3 months in Somerset and Derbyshire, 6 months in Essex, Surrey and West Sussex, 12 months in Hampshire and Oxfordshire, 2 years in Kent and 3 years in Staffordshire and Kingston.