Scaffolding on the pavement or road: licences, barriers and lighting

Terraced houses, shops and city blocks often stand right on the back edge of the footway. As soon as a painter, roofer or window fitter needs a scaffold on that elevation, the structure stands on land that belongs to the public. The job is then no longer a private matter: the local authority has a say, pedestrians must get past safely, and whoever puts the scaffold up carries part of the responsibility for every passer-by underneath it.

Details differ between countries and even towns. This guide covers the usual sequence; it is not legal advice, and the binding answer comes from the responsible local authority.

When a scaffold on public land needs permission

Roads, footways, cycle lanes and parking bays are dedicated to traffic. Placing a structure there for days or weeks goes beyond normal use, so in practically every country it needs a permit, licence or consent. Typical cases are:

• standards or base plates standing on the footway, cycle lane, parking bay or carriageway;
• a scaffold based on private ground that oversails the footway, for example with outside brackets or a protective fan;
• storage areas, hoarding, skips and site fencing on public land;
• hoists and rubbish chutes that reach into the public space.

Two examples: British contractors apply to the local highway authority for a scaffold licence before building on the public highway, and hoarding usually has its own licence. In many other countries the town hall, the roads department or the traffic authority issues a comparable permit. Where traffic is affected, for instance by a parking suspension or a diverted footpath, a separate traffic management approval is often required on top. Some authorities combine both in one application, others run two procedures.

If the scaffold stands on a neighbour's land rather than on the public footway, other rules apply; see scaffolding on a neighbour's land.

Preparing the application

Whether contractor or client applies is a matter of agreement; if you erect your own scaffold, you apply yourself. A sequence that works almost everywhere:

1. Find out who is responsible and ask for forms, processing time and the fee basis. Do not guess any of these; each authority sets its own.
2. Measure the area: length along the elevation, depth from the wall including sole boards, brackets and barriers, and the width of footway that remains free.
3. Draw a site plan: scaffold footprint, pedestrian route, barriers, any temporary walkway in the carriageway, parking suspension and storage.
4. Fix start and end dates with a realistic margin for weather and delays.
5. Photograph the footway, kerb, trees and street furniture before work starts.
6. Submit everything with the name and mobile number of a responsible person who can be reached throughout the job, including evenings.
7. Read the conditions in the licence carefully: minimum widths, lighting, signs and time limits are often written there.

Worked example: how much footway does a scaffold take?

A shop with a 10 m frontage sits on a footway 2.80 m wide. A facade scaffold of width class W06 is about 0.70 m wide and stands roughly 0.30 m off the wall. Sole boards that project slightly and a barrier line on the outside add another 0.30 m or so, giving a depth of about 1.30 m. At each end, end barriers and the end guard rail add a few decimetres, so the footprint is roughly 10.80 m long. The application therefore states about 14 m², and 1.50 m of footway remains for pedestrians. Whether that is enough, or whether a covered walkway under the scaffold is needed, is decided by the authority against its own standards. Width classes are explained in load classes and width classes.

What the authority usually asks for

Processing takes from a few days to several weeks. Fees are usually based on area and duration and are set locally.

Getting pedestrians past

There are two basic options: through the scaffold or around it.

Covered walkway through the scaffold

With passage frames the bottom lift is built wide and high enough for people to walk underneath. A closed deck above, often with a fan or canopy, catches falling objects. This keeps the footway open and is usually the better option in narrow streets. Clear width and headroom follow from the licence conditions and the manufacturer's instructions for assembly and use. Pay attention to:

• no trip hazards from base plates, jacks or sole boards in the walking line;
• standards in the walkway clearly marked, with red-and-white tape or padding at head height;
• a tight deck above so that dust, water and small parts cannot drop through;
• lighting inside the walkway after dark.

Temporary footpath outside the scaffold

If the footway is too narrow, pedestrians are led along a fenced route in the parking lane or carriageway, protected from traffic by barriers. Ramps at the kerbs make the route usable with wheelchairs and prams, and barriers with a tapping rail help blind and partially sighted people detect the edge with a cane.

Barriers, impact protection and lighting

A scaffold in the street must be visible by day and night:

• barriers and traffic cones or beacons at the ends and on the traffic side, set up stable rather than leant against the scaffold;
• warning lamps on barriers, checked regularly, because flat batteries are only noticed when it is too late;
• reflective marking on corner standards and on base points facing the road;
• impact protection where vehicles come close, for example at driveways and loading bays: a van reversing into a standard can damage the whole structure.

After any impact the scaffold is taken out of use and inspected before it is used again. British rules (Work at Height Regulations 2005) demand a check after anything that may have affected stability; American sites under OSHA's Subpart L of 29 CFR 1926 get a competent-person check ahead of every shift. In other countries, apply whatever national rules govern scaffolds there. More in scaffolding inspection.

Protecting people below and street furniture

Work goes on above the footway, so tools, render, paint mist and small parts must not reach passers-by. Fully boarded lifts with toe boards, netting or sheeting on the outside and a fan over the walkway take care of that. Remember that nets and sheeting raise the wind load and the tie pattern must be designed for it. When material is hoisted over the walkway, nobody stands below; a short closure during lifting may be needed.

The footway itself holds things that must stay accessible or undamaged: fire hydrants and valve covers, cellar gratings and light wells that cannot carry a base jack, street trees and their roots, lamp posts, signs and post boxes. Bridge gratings with boards or beams, and put a load-spreading sole board under every base jack so that paving slabs do not crack.

Common mistakes

• Applying too late: scaffold ordered and painter booked, but no licence yet.
• Area understated: brackets, fan or storage missing from the application; a correction costs time.
• Licence expired: the job runs over and nobody asks for an extension.
• Remaining width not checked: at the narrowest point a pram no longer fits.
• No photos: afterwards nobody can prove which crack in the paving was already there.
• Access left open: a scaffold on the street attracts the curious. Remove the bottom ladder in the evening; see protecting scaffolding against theft and intruders.

When the job is finished, sole boards, barriers and signs come away, the footway is swept and any damage is reported. Some authorities want a formal sign-off or a joint walk-round. If you need passage frames, fan brackets or sole boards for a walkway, have a look at our scaffolding components.