Sussex scaffold licences: what councils charge if a job overruns

If a scaffold stands on a Sussex pavement or road, the council licence has an end date. The three highway authorities covering most of our patch handle that end date differently, and the cost of missing it varies. This article sets out what their own pages say for 2026/27.

This is a round-up of published rules, not a breaking story. It matters when a roof job slips in November weather, because a licence that expires unnoticed can cost more than one extended on time.

Brighton and Hove: six weeks, then an eight-week renewal

Brighton and Hove City Council publishes its 2026 to 2027 highway licence fees. For a scaffold under 12 metres along the public highway, a new application costs £118.80 and the licence lasts six weeks. The minimum notice is three days. A renewal costs the same and runs for eight weeks.

At 12 metres or more, a new application or renewal costs £368.50.

The same table lists a higher fee for monitored contractor or retrospective applications: £236.50 under 12 metres and £487.30 at 12 metres and over.

The council's licence conditions make the contractor responsible for renewing if the scaffold is not removed before expiry. Leaving it up past the expiry date without the council's written permission is treated as a breach of the licence conditions.

West Sussex: one calendar month, and a £335 charge for missing the extension

West Sussex County Council covers Worthing, Horsham, Crawley, Shoreham and the rest of the county outside the coast towns of East Sussex. Its scaffold licence application page says a licence lasts one calendar month, and any extension is also one calendar month. The council asks for at least five working days between application and erection.

The council's scaffolding page sets out what happens if the date is missed:

• Extensions: the request must be made before the proposed end date, or a £335 charge is added to the licence.
• Unpaid charges: the council says it will withhold applications until the charge is settled.
• No licence at all: the structure is treated as unauthorised and referred to the council's legal team. It is charged £50 for each day it stays up, and a retrospective licence costs £425.
• Refunds: from 3 August 2026 a £35 administration fee is deducted from any refund.

The terms and conditions also require the council to be told within 24 hours of the scaffold coming down, and no later than the licence end date.

East Sussex: 28 days, and no backdating

East Sussex Highways acts for the county council in places such as Eastbourne, Lewes, Seaford and Hastings. Its fee table lists a scaffold licence at £127 for 28 days. It also lists a £68 one-off charge for a site inspection where one is deemed necessary. The page notes an increase in licence application fees from 1 April 2026.

The scaffold terms are strict on timing. An extension must be applied for at least five working days before the licence expires. A request to amend or backdate after expiry will be declined, and a new application is needed, including a pro-rata amount from the old expiry date.

The same terms say the fee is non-refundable if a licence is cancelled, and that there can be a further charge for each site visit following a reported breach.

What this means if your job runs over

The licence is a separate matter from the scaffold hire itself. Who ends up paying for an extension or a late charge depends on your contract, so it is worth settling before work starts. Our piece on who pays when scaffolding stays up longer than agreed covers the hire side.

• Ask for the licence end date and keep it with your paperwork.
• Ask who pays for an extension and for any council charge if the date is missed.
• Warn your scaffolder early if the roofer, builder or weather is pushing the job back. The deadlines above are measured in working days, not hours.
• Tell them when the work is finished so the scaffold can come down and the council can be told on time.

For the wider picture on when you need a licence at all, see our guide to scaffolding permits and pavement licences. Fees and rules change, so check the council page linked above before you rely on any figure here.

How HTK handles it

Our Scaffolding in Brighton page explains that a scaffold standing on or over the pavement or road needs a licence from the council, and that a parking bay suspension may be needed for deliveries. The council fees are shown on the quote, so the licence cost is visible before you agree to anything.