Skip Clerk UK skip reference

Permits

Skip permit: Kent County Council

First published 26 September 2026. Last checked 2 October 2026.

If the skip sits on a public highway in the Kent County Council area, the skip company applies for the licence. Kent’s fees page (checked 2 October 2026) lists £45 per week for 2026 to 2027 (£43 for 2025 to 2026), charged for seven calendar days. Terms say apply at least five working days before the skip goes on the road. A skip wholly on private land you control does not need this licence.

You do not apply as a householder. Kent’s apply page says the company that owns and places the skip should register and apply on your behalf. Public liability insurance of at least £5 million is required before applying.

When you need one

The statutory hook is still Highways Act 1980, section 139.

Who applies

Kent’s apply-for-a-highways-licence page: applications should be made by the company or organisation that owns and is responsible for placing the item on the public highway. If you need a skip at your property, the skip company should apply on your behalf. They apply via Kent’s “Skip(s) on the highway” route (StarTraq login). Minimum £5 million public liability insurance is required to register.

Fee, notice and size

Fee figures below are from Kent County Council’s highways fees and charges on 2 October 2026. Notice and size limits are from Kent’s skips on the highway terms and conditions, checked the same day. Recheck those pages on the day you book.

Item What Kent published
Permit (2026 to 2027) £45 per week (7 calendar days)
Permit (2025 to 2026) £43 per week (7 calendar days) – previous column on the same table
Notice Apply at least 5 working days before placement; about 3 days’ notice expected for a renewal
Size limit (terms) Not more than 5 metres long or 2 metres wide
Unlicensed skip on highway Inspection fee £120 plus retrospective permit fee £45 (terms, checked 2 October 2026)
Failure to comply / failure to license (fees table) £120 standard defect fee (2025–26 and 2026–27 columns)
Who applies Skip company / owner – not the householder. £5m PL to register

Neighbours

Medway Council is a separate unitary for Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham – do not use Kent County Council’s skip licence there. London boroughs sit to the west (for example Hounslow – Skip permit: London Borough of Hounslow). County map: Skip hire in Kent.

A sensible order

  1. Can it sit wholly on the drive? If yes, book that and skip the licence.
  2. If it has to go on the road, tell the hire firm at booking. They apply. Give them at least five working days.
  3. Check their waste-carrier number – how to check a waste carrier licence.
  4. Size the job on the size guide.

Skip Clerk has no hire partners yet and no skip-hire prices on this page. The £45 / £43 figures are Kent County Council’s published permit fees, not a hire quote. Hire firms sometimes add admin on top – that is their charge, not the council table. When we add a booking link it will be marked as an affiliate link.

Towns in this council

Local skip-hire guides that sit under Kent County Council. The permit rules on this page apply when the skip sits on the public road.

All areas: Skip hire by town.

Sources