Apply for a Section 50 road opening licence
You will need to apply for a Section 50 road opening licence if you want to carry out works that involve breaking the surface of a road, footway or verge.
You must also comply with part III of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.
No work will be allowed on, over or under an adopted highway until your application has been approved.
How to apply
You can apply for a Section 50 road opening licence by doing the following:
- complete the application form (includes instructions)
- if needed complete the HAUC temporary portable traffic signals application form (includes usage notes)
- email your completed application with all supporting documents to TechSupportStreetCareBMR@southglos.gov.uk
Guidance notes
If you need more information you can read our guidance notes on Section 50 (NRSWA).
All applications must be submitted at least one month in advance of the proposed works start date. You should allow 10 working days for us to process your application.
Fees
New apparatus
For new apparatus the fee is £589.
This includes a:
- £250.29 administration fee
- £159.10 capitalised fee in lieu of annual charge
- £179.61 inspection fee for the first 200m
Repairing existing apparatus
For repairing existing apparatus the fee is £429.90.
This includes a:
- £250.29 administration fee
- £179.61 inspection fee for the first 200m
Additional fees
For works exceeding 200m in length there will be an additional charge of £179.61 per every 200m.
If there are any changes to the application after the licence has been sent out an admin fee of £24.50 will apply.
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Road closures
If any part of the road needs to be closed you should email Streetworks at streetworks@southglos.gov.uk. These applications can take between 6 to 12 weeks to process.
Section 50 applications associated with Section 278
These are Section 50 applications related to new developments where a new road connects to the existing public highway and works are needed within that highway.
How to apply
You can apply by doing the following:
- complete the application form
- if needed complete a Section 278 advance notice application form to book the road space before all details of the works are finalised
- email your completed application with all supporting documents to TechSupportStreetCareBMR@southglos.gov.uk
Fees
An admin fee of £24.50 applies to process the application and add notice to the live system.
Contact us
If you need more information or have any questions contact us by email at TechSupportStreetCareBMR@southglos.gov.uk.