Do you need a skip permit?

No. Skip permits only apply to the public highway — the road, pavement, verge or any other space the council maintains. On your own driveway, garden or any private land you have permission to use, no permit is needed, no paperwork is involved, and the skip can stay as long as your hire runs. If the skip does have to sit on the road, the permit costs £40, covers an initial two-week period, and we apply for it as part of your booking — to Leeds City, Wakefield or Kirklees council, whichever covers your postcode — with lights and cones supplied as standard. Don't be tempted to chance it: an unpermitted skip on the highway risks a fine of up to £1,000 under the Highways Act, and the council can remove the skip at your cost. Pick the road option at booking and the whole thing is handled.

£40, covering an initial two-week period, arranged by us as part of your booking. You don't apply to the council yourself — Leeds, Wakefield and Kirklees all expect the application to come from the licensed skip operator, so we submit it, pay it and add the £40 to your booking total. Lights and cones for the skip are supplied as standard at no extra charge. If your hire runs past the initial period, we renew the permit alongside your extension.

The skip company. Leeds City Council and Wakefield Council both direct skip permit applications through the licensed operator placing the skip, not the householder — which is why 'do I need to fill in a form?' has a pleasant answer: no. When you book with Onyx and tell us the skip is going on the road, we handle the application, the fee and the conditions attached to it. All you do is pick the road option at booking. If a firm asks you to sort your own permit, treat it as a warning sign.

The permit we arrange covers an initial two-week period — comfortably more than the seven days' hire included with every Onyx skip. If the job overruns, ring the office before your collection date and we'll extend the hire and renew the permit together, so the skip never sits on the road uncovered. Permits are also specific to one spot: if the skip needs to move down the street, that's effectively a new permission, so call us rather than dragging it.

Placing a skip on the public highway without permission is an offence under section 139 of the Highways Act 1980, carrying a fine of up to £1,000 — and the council can also remove or reposition the skip and recover its costs. An unlit, unpermitted skip that causes an accident at night is a genuine liability. Since the permit costs £40 and we do all the work of arranging it, going without is a poor trade. If you're not sure whether your spot counts as highway, ask us — we'll tell you straight.

Only with a permit, and often not even then. Pavements count as public highway, so the same rules apply as the road — but councils are reluctant to grant permits that force pedestrians, pushchairs and wheelchairs into the carriageway, so a pavement placement is frequently refused or moved to the road itself. If your street is tight, tell us when you book: we'll suggest the placement most likely to be approved, and our drivers are good at tucking skips where they cause the least grief.