Question answered
Do you need a scaffold licence for roof work in West Sussex?
The short answer
Yes, if the scaffold will block part of a public road or footway. Section 169 of the Highways Act 1980 makes written permission from the council that looks after the road compulsory. In Worthing the body concerned is West Sussex County Council, which wants at least 10 working days' notice, while Brighton & Hove issues its own. The scaffold contractor makes the application, not the homeowner.
If the scaffold will occupy part of the road or footway, permission comes first. The firm putting the scaffold up makes the application, and the council sets the notice period and the fee.
What section 169 of the Highways Act says
The law is short. Section 169 of the Highways Act 1980 bars anyone from putting up or keeping scaffolding over or on a highway, for building work or for the repair, maintenance or cleaning of a building, where it gets in the way of the highway, unless the council responsible for that road has permitted it in a licence. Breaching that rule is an offence under section 169(5).
A roof job reaches the highway more often than people expect. A terrace with the front wall on the footway edge, a seafront property with a public path at its door, or a flat in a block served by a shared access road can all need the scaffold where people walk. A tall chimney stack or a street-facing gable has the same effect.
The licence deals with the obstruction, not the roof. Whether the work is a patch repair or a full replacement makes no difference to the rule. Our home page lists the services where scaffolding is common.
West Sussex: 10 working days and the published fees
The roads of Worthing and Adur are the responsibility of West Sussex County Council. The scaffolding page on its website, revised on 27 July 2026, asks for a minimum of 10 working days' notice, measured from the application until erection begins. Older summaries elsewhere online quote a shorter period, and the county's own figure is the one to rely on.
The published fees are £266 for one month of standard scaffolding, £178 for an extension, £95 for one week of tower scaffolding, £150 for two weeks and £295 for a month. Paying £52 more buys a fast-track licence in a single working day. A late extension is charged at £335.
Putting scaffolding up without a licence costs £50 a day, and a licence granted afterwards costs £425. For that reason the start date should follow the licence, and never run ahead of it. Allow the notice period when you book the job, and ask the roofer to confirm the date the licence is issued.
Brighton & Hove: a separate licence
The city council runs its own highways, so a roof job on a street it maintains falls under a different licence, with different fees. West Sussex does not issue it. Anyone working in Hove, Brighton or Portslade should assume the city's rules apply and check with the scaffold firm.
For 2026 to 2027 the council lists a new scaffold under 12 metres along the highway at £118.80, lasting six weeks and needing only 3 days' notice. From 12 metres upward it is £368.50. A retrospective licence is £236.50, or £487.30 for a monitored contractor, and renewals run for eight weeks.
The council restricts these licences to specialist firms, and expects the applicant to carry public liability cover at the level it requires. A scaffold that takes over a parking space also needs that bay suspended, under a separate permit. A homeowner cannot realistically apply alone, so the scaffolder deals with the process from start to finish.
Who applies, and what to check on the quote
The licence belongs to the scaffold, so the scaffolding contractor requests it. A roofer who hires in the scaffold arranges the booking, and one who subcontracts it passes the task along. Either way you should never be handed a highway form to fill in.
Two questions are worth asking before you accept a price. First, does the total cover scaffolding, and does that include the licence fee? MyBuilder's scaffolding guide (updated 21 August 2026) gives a typical two-storey house at around £850 to £1,200, with licence fees sitting inside that price or on top of it. Second, is VAT in the total? The page on VAT on roofing work explains the rate.
Our roofing costs guide shows where access sits among the other costs on a job, and once we have surveyed the roof you get a single written price.
If something goes wrong with the scaffold
A scaffold that lingers long after the work has finished, or one that goes up with no licence and draws a council notice, is a matter for the scaffold firm and for the roofer who engaged it. Put your concern in writing, with dates and photographs. How to complain about a roofer walks through the steps.
Licences run for a fixed period. Once the dates have passed and the scaffold is still standing, an extension fee applies, and a late extension costs noticeably more than one requested in time. Ask the roofer when the scaffold is due to come down, and what happens if the weather delays the work.
If a report or quote names a roof part that is unfamiliar, the roofing terms glossary explains each one, from the eaves and verges to the ridge.
Scaffold licences: two further questions
Does a scaffold tower for a small roof job need a licence too?
A tower that blocks part of the road or footway falls under the same section 169 rule. West Sussex lists its own fees for tower scaffolding, £95 for a week and £150 for two weeks, so towers are licensed in their own right and not overlooked.
What happens if the scaffold goes up before the licence arrives?
Erecting it without a licence is an offence under section 169(5). The county charges £50 per day for unlicensed scaffolding, and a retrospective licence costs £425. The sensible order is licence first, then the start date, which the scaffold firm can confirm.
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