Skip Clerk UK skip reference

Counties

Skip hire in Devon

First published 4 September 2026. Last checked 25 September 2026.

“Devon” is three highway authorities, not one permit office. Devon County Council licences skips on the road across most of the two-tier county. Torbay and Plymouth are separate unitaries. A skip on the public road needs a licence from the authority that looks after that road.

This is a hub, not a list of firms. Skip Clerk does not invent provider rankings, phone numbers or “top skips in Devon”. Check the carrier’s CBDU number, then ask who will apply for the road licence.

Builders' skip being filled with DIY waste
Photo: David Smith via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Three authorities, not one

Most of Devon is still two-tier for local government. Districts and the city of Exeter do not issue the highway skip licence – Devon County Council does. Torbay Council and Plymouth City Council are unitaries with their own highways teams. That is the map for a skip on the road today.

If the skip sits wholly on private land you control, you do not need a highway licence. If any part sits on the public road, you do. You cannot put a skip on the pavement. National rule: Do I need a skip permit? and GOV.UK skip licence (England and Wales).

Who issues the road licence

Authority Who applies Notice and fees (as published / checked 4 Sep 2026)
Devon County Council · council page Skip providers only. The hire firm applies, not the householder. Chapter 8 competence and £5 million public liability. At least 10 working days. Max 28 days. Standard fee £110.50; emergency (under 10 working days) £166; extension or amendment £87. Optional site visit £103.95. Fees from the 2026/27 highways licence fees page (from 1 April 2026).
Torbay Council · council page Only the owner of the skip. Chapter 8 competence and £5 million public liability. Standard works: max 10 days. Over 10 days’ notice £64.45; 10 days or less (or site visit) £128.85. Major works (10–28 days) need 3 months’ notice at £64.45. Fees non-refundable.
Plymouth City Council · council page Apply via the council skip permit form linked from that page. Ask the hire firm to handle it. Public road: yes. Pavement: no. Private land entirely: no licence. Skip bags / Hippo bags also need a licence. Lights and markings may be required – fine up to £1,000 if you fail. No skip-licence fee printed on that page today.

Fees change. Use the council page on the day you book.

Towns and which authority

Ceremonial Devon is larger than Devon County Council’s highway area. Torquay, Paignton and Brixham are Torbay. Plymouth is its own unitary.

Place Highway authority for a road skip
Exeter, Exmouth, Sidmouth, Honiton, SeatonDevon County Council
Barnstaple, Bideford, Ilfracombe, Braunton areaDevon County Council
Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Kingsteignton, TotnesDevon County Council
Tiverton, Crediton, CullomptonDevon County Council
Tavistock, Okehampton, IvybridgeDevon County Council
Torquay, Paignton, BrixhamTorbay Council
PlymouthPlymouth City Council

Town pages now live for Exeter, Exmouth, Barnstaple, Newton Abbot, Tiverton, Sidmouth, Teignmouth, Bideford, Honiton, Ilfracombe, Dawlish, Crediton, Totnes, Kingsteignton, Cullompton, Okehampton, Ivybridge, Tavistock, Torquay, Paignton, Brixham and Plymouth and Seaton.

If your postcode sits on a boundary, use the GOV.UK postcode finder rather than guessing.

Villages (HoC Village class)

Skip Clerk covers House of Commons Village-class settlements inside the Devon County Council highway area, not only the S/M/L towns. These pages are not part of the public 1,174 towns claim. Each village page has a unique “About” overview plus the Devon County Council permit facts (£110.50; 10 working days; last checked 25 September 2026). Waves 1–12 (14–25 Sep) covered Cranbrook through Bigbury-on-Sea; wave 13 (25 Sep 2026) adds Georgeham, Woolfardisworthy, Slapton, Noss Mayo, Chudleigh Knighton and further villages. Remaining Devon villages stay queued until each overview is written. Full list: Skip hire by town.

DIY waste at Devon recycling centres

Devon County Council’s chargeable-waste page (checked 25 September 2026) gives each household a limited free DIY allowance: four single visits in any four-week period, with either up to two rubble bags you can lift yourself, or one single unbagged item up to two metres long. Excess soil and rubble is listed at £4.10 a bag or item; clean plasterboard at £7.60 a sheet or bag. Plasterboard is not accepted at Totnes or South Molton. Own-home DIY only – paid contractor waste is not accepted on that free path. Large renovations: the council points you at a skip or similar. Source: Devon chargeable waste. National gypsum background: Plasterboard and skips.

That is a Devon County Council HWRC rule, not a Torbay or Plymouth rule.

How to hire without a fake directory

  1. Decide the size from the job, not the county – What size skip do I need?.
  2. If it has to sit on the road, tell the firm which authority you are in and ask them to apply. Same-day drops are much more realistic on a driveway.
  3. Ask for the waste-carrier number and check it – how to check a waste carrier licence.
  4. Keep plasterboard, electricals and sofas out of a mixed skip unless the operator says otherwise – what you cannot put in a skip.

Skip Clerk has no hire partners yet and no prices for skip hire on this page. When we add a booking link it will be marked as an affiliate link. Until then, use a licensed local operator and the council pages above.

Sources