Tip rules and skip permits by council
What 37 councils say about trade waste at the tip, skip permits on the road and fly-tipping penalties. Councils set their own rules, and they differ a lot. This is a pilot, not a full list.
Pilot: 37 of 361 councils, read from council pages and local news in October 2026. Rules, charges and penalties change. Some penalty figures come from older pages or news reports. Always check with the council before you rely on a figure. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
How to read the table
- Tip: whether a trader can take paid-for waste to the council tip, and what the council asks for.
- Skip permit: the council permit to put a skip on the road. It is a council fee, separate from the skip hire price. The skip company usually applies and passes the cost on.
- Penalties: what the council has published. “Not found” means we did not find a figure, not that there is none.
| Council | Trade waste at the tip | Council permit for a skip on the road | Published penalties | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England (20 councils) | ||||
| Birmingham | Trade waste refused at household centres; vans must pre-book (run by Veolia) | Skip permit £42 per week, 7 days max | Fine up to £50,000 quoted; no fixed penalty amount found | Inert waste capped at eight 25kg bags per visit Source: birmingham.veolia.co.uk; birmingham.gov.uk skip permit |
| Brighton and Hove | Trade waste called illegal; business-named vehicles, Luton, tipper and flatbed vans banned | Skip £89.10 per 28 days (standard), £174.90 (large) | 2023 stop day: 42 drivers checked, 10 fixed penalties for no transfer note | If you bring someone else's waste they must come with you and bring ID; gardeners told not to use the tip Source: brighton-hove.gov.uk household waste access and 2023 enforcement news |
| Bristol | Trade, business and construction waste illegal at the tips; business vehicles not eligible for permits | Skip permit £90 per calendar month | Household duty-of-care penalty doubled to £400 (local news) | Cancel a booking under 2 hours ahead and it counts as one of your 12 visits Source: bristol.gov.uk household waste permit scheme |
| Bromley | Commercial waste and sign-written vehicles barred; Luton vans and tippers banned | Skip licence £50 for 2 weeks (registered skip firms only) | £300 for failing to produce waste documents (2025); vehicle seizures | Vehicle seizures: eighth Transit tipper seized in six months, garden waste Source: bromley.gov.uk vehicle restrictions and 2025 news |
| Cornwall | Trade accepted at five sites, booked, with carrier licence and card payment | Skip licence £115 per month | Fixed penalties up to £1,000 (local news); vehicles can be seized | Pay the full-load price per material; mixed loads charged at the dearest material Source: cornwall.gov.uk commercial waste at HWRCs |
| Cotswold | Household only, booked; vans and trailers booked separately; staff can refuse even with a booking | Not found | Four £600 duty-of-care fines in six weeks | Booking system is explicitly an anti-trade control Source: cotswold.gov.uk; gloucestershirerecycles.com |
| Guildford | Same Surrey rules as above | Surrey CC licence £130 per 28 days | Penalties not published on the council page | Surrey county rules, not checked on a Guildford-specific page Source: guildford.gov.uk; surreycc.gov.uk |
| Kingston upon Thames | Household only; residents with booking; van visits capped at 12 a year | Skip licence £153.48 per skip for 28 days (highest in the sample) | £400 fly-tipping, £300 failing to produce documents or carrier authority | Number-plate recognition at the tip used to catch repeat trader visits Source: kingston.gov.uk accepted recycling; slwp.org.uk |
| Kirklees | Trade banned, including waste you have been paid to remove; vans under 3t need a permit (10 working days) | Skip £32 for 14 days; unlicensed skip £114, impounded skip release £594 | £200 fixed penalty to a resident; Transit tipper seized and destroyed | Tip bans paid clearance work outright; vehicle registration checked by tablet Source: kirklees.gov.uk/wastesites |
| Lambeth | Commercial waste and commercial vehicles refused; residents only, booked, photo ID plus proof of address | Skip licence £80 (skip company applies) | Current fixed penalties not found; 2024 town-centre fly-tipping patrols | Two-part ID on every tip visit Source: lambeth.gov.uk/node/1862 |
| Leeds | Trade redirected to Kirkstall (charged); vehicles with business signage cannot tip business-related waste | Not found | £300 fixed penalty (2016); vehicles seized and crushed | Signage rule: a branded van cannot tip the waste of its own business Source: leeds.gov.uk waste permit scheme; news.leeds.gov.uk |
| Maidstone | Kent rules: hire vans and tippers banned; panel vans need vouchers; ANPR and body cameras | Not found (only a 2009 Kent policy) | Roadside checks reported; fly-tipper fined £2,000 and van seized | Council waste team stops vans to check carrier registration and transfer notes Source: climatechange.maidstone.gov.uk; kent.gov.uk |
| Manchester | Business waste banned; free van permit, 18 visits a year, household waste only | Skip permit £44, 7 days max | Prosecutions reported; no fixed penalty amount found | Greater Manchester van permit accounts must be updated or they are deleted Source: recycleforgreatermanchester.com/van-permit |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Suspected trade vehicles turned away and trade users prosecuted; liveried vehicles need a larger-vehicle permit | Skip licence £38 standard, £113 if late | Fixed penalties £250-£700; business cases go to court | Permit system pauses 23 Dec to 6 Jan and no rubble taken at any site Source: newcastle.gov.uk recycling centres and fly-tipping |
| North Norfolk (Norfolk CC tips) | Trade accepted for a charge at seven Norfolk sites, booked, Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri only | Skip licence £55.94 per 28 days | Not found on the district's pages | Everyone, including people on foot, must book a slot Source: norfolk.gov.uk trade waste and skips |
| Richmond upon Thames | Trade accepted Mon-Fri 8am-3.30pm at Townmead Road with carrier licence; strict van size limit; paid by card | Skip licence £75.50 for 3 weeks; bay admin £150.10 | Fly-tipping £1,000 fixed penalty; vehicles can be seized and destroyed | Underpaying at the trade weighbridge can be treated as illegal dumping, up to £2,500 Source: richmond.gov.uk/townmead_road |
| Sheffield | Household only; yearly van permit 12 visits, only if the van is the household's only vehicle | Skip permit £17, 15 days (cheapest in sample) | £200 for using an unregistered carrier; up to £50,000 for misuse of the tip | Cheapest skip permit of those checked Source: sheffield.gov.uk van permit and skip permits |
| Surrey Heath | Surrey rules: business waste excluded; residents only; £10 permit, 12 visits a year | Surrey CC skip licence £130 per 28 days | Fly-tipping £1,000; householder duty of care £600; £300 failing to show documents | Hired man-with-a-van counts as business waste and must use a charged transfer station Source: surreyheath.gov.uk FPN policy; surreycc.gov.uk |
| Tower Hamlets | Trade waste banned; sign-written and commercial vehicles refused; vans weighed and driver signs a household declaration | Licence needed, 1-28 days, fee on parking charges page | From May 2024: fly-tipping up to £1,000; householder duty-of-care £600 | Council no longer runs the Northumberland Wharf transfer station; points traders elsewhere Source: towerhamlets.gov.uk reuse and recycling centre; May 2024 news |
| Woking | Same Surrey rules as above | Surrey CC licence £130 per 28 days; suspension £90 per bay for 3 days | Council news: £400 (probably out of date) | Skips need warning lights from 30 minutes after sunset Source: woking.gov.uk; surreycc.gov.uk |
| Wales (6 councils) | ||||
| Cardiff | Household tips refuse sign-written vans; separate Commercial Recycling Centre open to any trader with a carrier licence | Skip £44/7 days or £88/28 days; skip firms need a Goods Vehicle Operator's Licence | £300 householder, £400 trader dumping (undated) | Skip traders must hold a Goods Vehicle Operator's Licence Source: cardiff.gov.uk commercialrecycling; skippermits |
| Gwynedd | Household only; free van permit, 18 slots a year; hire vans ineligible | Skip permit £74 per month | £150 for using an unlicensed carrier, £180 illegal disposal | Van permits introduced because traders had been using tips free Source: gwynedd.llyw.cymru van permit |
| Newport | Any goods-carrying van refused at Docks Way, even with household waste | Skip permit £63.63 for 14 days | £400 fly-tipping, £300 duty of care (2020); licence checks and hotspot surveillance | A goods van cannot use the tip at all Source: newport.gov.uk HWRC and skips |
| Powys | Business waste refused; commercial-type vans need a permit and booked slots | Fee not found | £400 fixed penalty to a DIY fly-tipper | Separate CVT permit policy page not read Source: en.powys.gov.uk CVT permits |
| Swansea | Commercial waste only at the Baling Plant for a gate fee; household permit Swansea residents only, 12 visits | Skip permit £58 per 28 days | £300 for using an unlicensed carrier (may be a proposal) | Number-plate cameras at tips; data may go to Natural Resources Wales Source: swansea.gov.uk hwrcpermit |
| Wrexham | Commercial waste refused, including home-run businesses; proof of Wrexham residence | Skip permit £65 for 7 days | £400 fly-tipping, £300 householder duty of care | City-centre skips can only be placed or removed on Sundays or 6.30-10.30pm Mon-Thu; ANPR bollards Source: wrexham.gov.uk skips and recycling centre |
| Scotland (7 councils) | ||||
| City of Edinburgh | Trade banned; vans can book only 8.30-10am; liveried vans, flatbeds, Luton vans banned | Skip £42 a week (up to 14 yards), £126 a week for larger | Fly-tipping £200; court up to £40,000 | Strictest van rules of the Scottish sample: liveried vans banned, 12 visits a year, hire vans over 5 days banned Source: edinburgh.gov.uk HWRC rules and charges |
| Dundee City | Commercial vans not allowed; logo vehicles need an authorisation letter; trade must use Baldovie | Skip £70 a day or £205 a month | Fixed penalty amount not found; court up to £40,000 | Height barriers, CCTV, DVLA checks and body cameras aimed at traders (2017 trade press) Source: dundeecity.gov.uk HWRC policy |
| Fife | Trade only at two weighbridge sites; vans, pickups and trailers book at every site, one visit a week | Skip permit £26 per week | £200 for illegal dumping | Arrive more than 10 minutes late and you are refused; only the booked registration is admitted Source: fife.gov.uk HWRC access policy |
| Glasgow City | Trade through a weighbridge account (booked); resident vans at some sites only | Skip permit £92 first week city centre, £55 elsewhere; allow 28 working days | Maximum council fixed penalty £200 | Any parking suspension needs a traffic order that can take up to 3 months Source: glasgow.gov.uk road permits |
| Highland | Trade and all construction or DIY rubble refused; vans only at nine sites, one booking per week | Skip £102 first week, £51 after | Fixed penalty rising to £200 | Council may visit the property to check where waste came from; false booking info can suspend access Source: highland.gov.uk HWRC page |
| Orkney Islands | Trade on commercial account at two separate sites; carrier registration needed | Fee not found | Amounts not found | Council can close a tip for days if banned waste is dumped there Source: orkney.gov.uk access to recycling centres |
| Scottish Borders | Paid Trade Access Permit valid one year, own waste only (excludes carrying customers' waste) | Skip £55 per month | Householder can be fined up to £5,000 if a hired carrier dumps their waste | Keep permit stubs for two years for duty of care Source: scotborders.gov.uk commercial access |
| Northern Ireland (4 councils) | ||||
| Belfast City | Commercial waste refused; vans must book a 10-minute slot; no Sunday van bookings | Skip consent is from DfI Roads, not the council | £400 larger-scale fly-tipping, £300 duty of care failure (Oct 2025 report) | No van bookings on Sundays Source: belfastcity.gov.uk van booking |
| Derry City and Strabane | Commercial operators pay at the cash desk for a voucher; small van £51.50 to large van and trailer £103 | Skip consent is from DfI Roads | Not found on the council's pages | Businesses pay £30 a year for duty of care paperwork Source: recycling.derrystrabane.com |
| Fermanagh and Omagh | Business account at two sites; fully sorted recyclables free; residual £175 a tonne | Skip consent is from DfI Roads | Not found | Charged by weight, so a clean sorted load can be free Source: fermanaghomagh.com business bins |
| Mid Ulster | Commercial customers on a prepaid swipe card at three centres | Skip consent is from DfI Roads | Not found | Only 3 of 11 centres take commercial waste Source: midulstercouncil.org commercial waste |
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Your council is not on the list? The pack prints a checklist page for every council you work in, with what to ask and where to look. See the pack
More: Rules by council and country · Council rules guide · What is in the price of a garden clearance
General guidance, not legal advice. Disclaimer.