Section 50 licence application

If you want to carry out work to equipment or install new equipment in a road that we look after, and you are not from a utility company (known as a ‘statutory undertaker’), you need to apply to us for a Section 50 Licence (New Road and Street Works Act 1991).

It will take a minimum of four weeks to process your application from the date it’s received by our street works team.

This increases to three months if you also need a Temporary Traffic Restriction Order (TTRO) such as a road closure, or if the works are due to take longer than 10 days.

You must appoint a contractor who is NRSWA accredited and you can find a list of these on this website. Any completed application where a contractor does not meet the minimum requirements is likely to be refused.

Once we have received your application and associated fee, we’ll check the information supplied is correct. If we need any more information we may contact you or your accredited contractor, depending on the enquiry.

If the application is approved, a signed copy of the licence – including any specific conditions – will be sent to you and your accredited contractor.

We will then contact you or your contractor to agree a start date.

If you are granted a Section 50 Licence you become a ‘works undertaker’. This means you become responsible for carrying out the duties and responsibilities under the New Road and Street Works Act (NRSWA) and associated codes of practice.

You may incur financial penalties where statutory duties and/or licence conditions are not met. This liability can not be delegated to any other person or organisation.