Apply for a Roads & Footway Permit

If you're planning on occupying or digging up a road or a pavement in Glasgow, you need to get permission from us.

There are a number of different permits depending on what you intend to do. Before you start to apply, please read the particular terms and conditions for each permit, as you'll be asked to confirm you agree to them when you apply. Links are also given to the relevant legislation so that you know your responsibilities when working on a road.

All types of works and activities on the public road or footway require traffic management in one form or another depending on the nature of the works and/or the nature of the road or footway.

Traffic management includes signing and guarding, parking suspensions, traffic control measures or even full road closures. In all cases, traffic management equipment must be deployed, maintained and removed by qualified personnel. Permit applicants who are not suitably qualified should contract out this duty to accredited traffic management contractors. The following legislation applies in the use of traffic management:

• The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (as amended)
• New Roads and Street Works Act 1991
• Traffic Signs Manual, Chapter 8 (as amended)
• The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016
• Safety at Street Works and Road Works - A Code of Practice 2014

You also have to pay for the permit before we'll consider your application and our charges can be found in the  book of charges [445kb].

Please note that your application does not mean that you have obtained permission. It takes us 28 working days to process an application, so please apply as early as you can. If the application requires a supporting traffic order then the timescales may be significantly extended. (up to three months).

LEZ

Please note that any permit application made after 1 June 2023 for Glasgow City Centre has to take the implementation of Glasgow's Low Emission Zone (LEZ) into account. All vehicles entering the City Centre zone area will need to meet the less-polluting emission standards or face a penalty charge. More information can be found at https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/LEZ.

Christmas Period

We operate a works embargo period at Christmas time, the embargo period is to minimise any impact to the vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the city at this busy time of year. Any permit applications that may impact the city traffic flow at this this time, will normally be rejected.