Permits
Skip permit: Torbay Council
If the skip sits on a public highway in Torbay, only the owner of the skip can apply for the licence. Torbay’s page (checked 4 September 2026) lists £64.45 with over ten days’ notice, or £128.85 with ten days or less (or where a site visit is required). A standard licence lasts up to ten days. A skip wholly on private land you control does not need this licence.
You do not apply as a householder. The skip owner (usually the hire firm) applies. Failing to get a licence or to meet the conditions is an offence.
When you need one
- Public road or pavement in Torbay (Torquay, Paignton, Brixham and the rest of the unitary): yes – Torbay’s page covers skips on the road or pavement.
- Wholly on private land you control: no. National rule on Do I need a skip permit?.
- Any encroachment onto the highway counts as on the highway.
The statutory hook is still Highways Act 1980, section 139.
Who applies
Torbay’s page: only the owner of a skip can apply. The applicant needs Chapter 8 competence and a minimum of £5 million public liability insurance. Send a diagram or plan of the skip location with the application. Each licence is for one skip.
Fee, notice and duration
Figures below are from Torbay Council’s skip licence page on 4 September 2026. They will change. Recheck that page on the day you book.
| Item | What Torbay published |
|---|---|
| Over 10 days’ notice | £64.45 (new licences or renewals; non-refundable) |
| 10 days or less / site visit | £128.85 |
| Major works (10–28 days) | £64.45 – must apply 3 months in advance; renewals need 10 days’ notice, max 28 days |
| Standard works duration | Maximum 10 days |
| Emergency works | Maximum 10 days; enhanced charges apply |
| Who applies | Skip owner only. Chapter 8 + £5m PL. Plan required. |
You can also start an application via the GOV.UK skip licence finder linked from Torbay’s page.
Neighbours
Exeter, Newton Abbot and most of the two-tier county are Devon County Council – Skip permit: Devon County Council. Plymouth is the other unitary in the ceremonial county – Skip permit: Plymouth City Council. County map: Skip hire in Devon.
A sensible order
- Can it sit wholly on the drive? If yes, book that and skip the licence.
- If it has to go on the highway, tell the hire firm at booking. They apply as the skip owner. Prefer more than ten days’ notice to avoid the enhanced fee.
- Check their waste-carrier number – how to check a waste carrier licence.
- Size the job on the size guide.
Skip Clerk has no hire partners yet and no skip-hire prices on this page. The £64.45 / £128.85 figures are Torbay Council’s published permit fees, dated to the council page check above, not a hire quote.
Towns in this council
Local skip-hire guides that sit under Torbay Council. The permit rules on this page apply when the skip sits on the public road.
All areas: Skip hire by town.
Sources
- Torbay Council: skip licence – owner applies; fees; application types. Checked 4 September 2026.
- GOV.UK: skip licence (England and Wales).
- Highways Act 1980, section 139.
- Skip hire in Devon – three authorities, not one.