Section 50 Licences

Leicestershire County Council is the Highways Authority for all Leicestershire highways maintained at public expense with the exception of motorways or trunk roads (A14, A42, A46, A5, A50, A52) in the county which are the responsibility of the Highways Agency. It is not responsible for any highways in Leicester city or Rutland.  You can use the Highway Status Search to find out if a named road is maintained by the County Council as Highway Authority.

Even in the absence of specific powers and duties, highway authorities have a general duty of care to users and the community to maintain the highway in a condition fit for purpose, as far as is reasonably practicable.

The Section 50 Licence is granted to accredited applicants wishing to place, maintain or retain apparatus in the public highway.

The standard fee for this licence from 6 April 2009 is:
Fees for new works = £340
Fees for existing works = £195.

Anyone other than a Statutory Undertaker (e.g. Severn Trent, Transco) wishing to carry out Streetworks which includes the breaking open, boring or tunnelling under any street to place, adjust, repair, alter or renew any apparatus MUST BE IN POSSESSION OF A STREETWORKS LICENCE .  The licence is granted to the owner of the apparatus needing repair, renewal etc, or the contractor working on their behalf.

The licence allows the placing and/or the retention of the apparatus in the street and thereafter the right to adjust, repair, alter or renew it, so long as the conditions as laid down by the Act and its associated codes of practice are complied with. The apparatus must be kept in good condition and must also comply with any conditions with regard to safety, inconvenience to persons, in particular the disabled, using that street, and the structure of the street, that the County Council may impose.

THE LICENCE HOLDER will be the person responsible for every aspect of the licence including: -

Once a licence has been granted the statutory undertaker must comply with the minimum notice periods as laid down by the New Roads and Streetworks Act 1991.

View and/or download the following application forms and guidance notes, (PDF & Word files).

You need to download all the forms in this pack:

You need to download all the forms in this pack:

       Help with file formats used on this website

For any other enquiries concerning Section 50 Licences you should speak to the Customer Service Centre - see the contact details below.