Highway excavation licence

Licences needed to do any excavations on the highway.

Types of highway excavation licences

There are two types of highway excavation licence available: 

• Combined excavation in the highway and vehicle crossover (dropped kerb) licence
• Excavation in the highway licence

Combined excavation in the highway and vehicle crossover licence

document Application form for combined excavation in the highway and vehicle crossover (44 KB)

This licence provides authority under Section 171 of the Highways Act to make a temporary excavation in the adopted highway and permission under Section 184 of the Highways Act to install a vehicle crossover (dropped kerb).

See our pdf drop kerb and vehicle crossover guidance and process document (1.29 MB)  for the terms and conditions that apply.

Excavation in the highway licence

document Application form for the excavation in the highway licence (52 KB)

This licence provides authority under Section 171 of the Highways Act to make a temporary excavation in the adopted highway.

See our  pdf excavation licence guidance and process document (1.16 MB) for the terms and conditions that apply.

Licence costs

The licence costs are:

Combined excavation in the highway and vehicle crossover licence

• Domestic Vehicle Crossover Licence: £328
• Retrospective Domestic Vehicle Crossover Licence: £492
• Commercial Vehicle Crossover Licence: £1,309
• Retrospective Commercial Vehicle Crossover Licence: £1,968

Excavation in the highway licence

• Excavation Licence: £328
• Retrospective Licence: £492

Requirements to work on the adopted highway

If you want to work on or in the adopted highway within Bristol you'll need to meet the following requirements:

• have public liability insurance of a minimum of £5 million 
• complete the work to our standard specifications (where applicable), copies of which are available upon request
• all operatives must be NPORS / SWQR qualified under the New Roads and Street Works Act (1991)
• have a current highway excavation licence for the work  

If we don't already hold a copy of a completed document Public Liability and Highway Operatives Declaration Form (40 KB) on file then you should complete and return this along with your application. 

Once received, the form will be valid for 12 months from date of signature.

How to pay

Online

Pay for your your licence

You'll need a credit or debit card.

Cash or cheque

You can also pay by cash or cheque but this can only be done in person at the Citizen Service Point at 100 Temple Street.