Pavement licence renewal
Your permission to put tables, chairs or a serving counter on the public pavement runs for a fixed term, not forever.
Your permission to put tables, chairs or a serving counter on the public pavement runs for a fixed term, not forever. Once it expires you have to reapply from scratch — it is not an automatic rollover — and the renewal cycle is a different length in each nation.
Trading with furniture outside once the licence has lapsed is an unauthorised obstruction of the highway again, exactly as if you had never applied. Councils can require immediate removal, and a lapsed licence also unpicks any outdoor drinking condition tied to your premises licence.
England
Councils can grant up to 2 years; most now issue the maximum. Reapply before the expiry date on your licence — treat 10 weeks out as your trigger, same as the first application.
Capped at £350 for a renewal.
A renewal is a fresh application — there is no automatic continuation once the licence expires.
Scotland
Most street café consents are issued for 12 months. Reapply before the expiry date — check the term on your own consent, as some roads authorities issue longer.
Fees vary by council; typically £150–£400 for renewal.
Confirm the exact renewal term with your roads authority — it is not fixed by statute.
Who this is for
Any venue with tables, chairs or other furniture on a public pavement or road.
What you’ll hold
- Renewed pavement licence / street café consent
- Up-to-date site plan if the furniture layout has changed
Watch out for
- Assuming the licence renews itself because nothing has changed outside. Both nations require a fresh application, fee and (in England) a further public notice period.
- Applying for renewal after the old licence has already lapsed, then carrying on trading outside in the gap while it is processed.
- Not updating the site plan when the furniture layout has changed since the original grant — a mismatch is a common reason renewals get queried or refused.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Pavement licences: guidance checked 2026-09-02
- legislation.gov.uk — Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, s.59 checked 2026-09-02
See also
- Pavement licence for tables and chairs— this becomes part of getting open →
- Premises licence annual fee
This is item 42 of 60 in the free UK Compliance Calendar. See the whole list →