Scaffold licences
Do you need a scaffold licence for roof work in West Sussex?
The short answer
Only when some of the scaffold occupies or overhangs the public highway. Section 169 of the Highways Act 1980 puts scaffolding that obstructs a highway under the control of the highway authority, and it must grant a licence first. In West Sussex that authority is the county council, and your roofer should confirm who makes the application. The council asks for at least 10 working days' notice and charges £266 for one month.
When a scaffold on the pavement needs a licence, who arranges it and what it costs in West Sussex and just over the border in Hampshire.
When the law asks for a licence
Section 169 of the Highways Act 1980 stops anyone from erecting or retaining scaffolding on or over a highway that it obstructs, without a licence from the authority responsible for the road. The test is therefore where the poles stand. A scaffold built wholly on your own drive or garden, with nothing reaching over the footway or the road, is not on the highway. One standing on the pavement, or sheeted across it, is.
That catches many town roofs. Terraces and semis in Bognor Regis often open straight onto the footway, and a scaffold at the eaves needs the space in front of the house. The licence comes from the highway authority, not the district council, so a decision from Arun on building control does not stand in for it. Your roofing quote should say whether scaffolding is in the total, and our answer on scaffolding for roof replacement shows why access weighs so heavily on the price.
Who applies and how long it takes in West Sussex
For roads in Arun, Chichester, Adur, Worthing and Horsham, the licensing body is West Sussex County Council. Its scaffolding page, last updated on 27 July 2026, wants a notice period of at least 10 working days before the date the scaffold is due to go up. A fast track, decided within 1 working day, costs an additional £52.
The licence itself is issued by the highway authority, and the council's published terms do not settle who sends in the paperwork, so settle with your roofer before you sign which of you handles it. The timing affects your roof. With 10 working days to allow for, a job cannot begin the day after you say yes, so build the notice period into your plan and ask your roofer how the scaffold will be booked. A small repair that needs only a ladder, or a short job from a compact tower, may not need a licence at all, which is one reason the survey comes first.
What West Sussex charges
For a scaffold, the council lists £266 for one month, with an extension at £178. A late extension costs £335. Putting scaffolding up without authority is charged at £50 per day, and a retrospective licence costs £425. From Monday 3 August 2026 the council also applies a £35 administration fee to refunds.
These are council charges, passed on through the scaffold firm. They are separate from hiring the scaffold itself, which depends on the size of the house and the access. For a national guide figure, Checkatrade's scaffolding guide, updated in February 2026, puts the hire at around £875 per month for a typical two-storey semi. Whether the licence and the scaffold are included in a quote differs from firm to firm, so ask each one to confirm in writing. Our answer on why roofing quotes vary shows where else the totals can part company.
Over the border: Hampshire and Portsmouth
Our patch reaches Havant, Hayling Island and Portsmouth, and the rules change at the county line. Hampshire County Council, the highway authority for Havant and East Hampshire, asks scaffold firms to allow 10 clear working days ahead of the date they intend to start. It charges £211.90 for the first two weeks and £72 for each further two-week period, does not offer extensions, and requires scaffolding companies to apply on behalf of their customers.
Portsmouth is a unitary council and acts as the highway authority for its own streets, so talk to the city council about its process. For work in any of these areas, ask your roofer to confirm which authority covers your road. Our page on roof replacement explains how the scaffold fits into the programme, and our roof repairs page covers the smaller jobs that may not need one.
Planning your scaffold around the rest of the job
Because the licence takes time, it sets the start date, and a slipped licence date can push back the first day of work. Agree it with your roofer when you accept the written quote, and ask who will tell you when the licence is granted. If the scaffold goes up on a Monday, you want the roofing crew booked for that week and the weather outlook sensible, not a licence that lands a fortnight late.
Tell the roofer about parked cars, bin day and any neighbour who shares an access path, since a scaffold that narrows a footway has to leave room for people to pass, including anyone with a pushchair or a wheelchair. Our roofing services include the survey that settles the access question, and our answer on how many roofing quotes to collect helps you compare how each firm treats scaffolding before you decide.
Related questions
Scaffold licence questions
Does a small repair need a scaffold licence?
It depends on whether anything stands on or over the highway. A repair that needs only a ladder or a compact access tower may not need a licence, while a full scaffold on the footway does. Ask your roofer to say so at the survey, and to confirm that any licence cost is inside the written total.
Can I put the scaffold on my drive to avoid a licence?
Only if it genuinely stays off the highway and does not overhang it. Roof access is often the reason a scaffold needs the footway. The layout is best checked at the survey, so have the roofer confirm in writing whether a licence is needed.