Dropped kerbs and driveway access in Middlesbrough

Why you need a dropped kerb and a licence

A dropped kerb, also called a vehicle crossing or pavement crossing, lowers the kerb and strengthens the footpath so cars can cross it without damaging the pavement, pipes and cables beneath, or the kerb itself. Footpaths are built for people, not vehicles. Driving over a full-height kerb, or using ramps, can crack paving slabs and damage services underneath, and it can be treated as an offence under highways law.

The pavement belongs to the highway authority, which in Middlesbrough is Middlesbrough Council. So even though the driveway is on your land, the crossing is work on the public highway and needs the council's permission. Middlesbrough Council's guidance is clear: you need a vehicle pavement crossing licence before any work begins.

Having a dropped kerb also matters for parking. It means people should not park across your driveway entrance, and it allows you to use the drive legally.

The Middlesbrough Council process step by step

Middlesbrough Council's highways team handles vehicle pavement crossing licences. Based on the council's published guidance and fees:

1. Check you have room. Your drive must be big enough for a car to park fully off the pavement without overhanging it. Councils generally assess things like the depth of the front garden, visibility, nearby junctions, trees, lamp posts, street furniture and utility covers.
2. Ask for an assessment. Email highwaylicences@middlesbrough.gov.uk. The council lists a vehicle crossing request assessment at £25.50 for 2026/27, with 14 days' notice.
3. Apply for the licence. If the crossing is acceptable, a vehicle crossing licence costs £173.40 for 2026/27, again with 14 days' notice.
4. Use an insured contractor. The council says you or any contractor working on your behalf needs valid public liability insurance of £5,000,000, and you indemnify the council against claims arising from the works.
5. Build to the council's specification. The crossing must be built to the highway authority's specification, with the right kerbs, depth of construction and surface. Roadworks must be signed in line with traffic signs regulations, and the relevant notices must be lodged on the streetworks register. Any skip on the road needs its own licence.
6. Maintenance period. You maintain the work to the council's satisfaction for two years from completion. If the conditions are breached, the council can carry out the work itself and charge the licence holder.

Always confirm the current process and fees with the council before you start, as they are reviewed every year. The council's full list of highway licence fees is on its website.

How much does a dropped kerb cost?

There are two parts to the cost: the council's fees and the construction work.

Council fees in Middlesbrough (2026/27): £25.50 for the assessment plus £173.40 for the licence, so just under £200 before any work, according to the council's published list.

Construction: Checkatrade's 2026 guide gives an average of around £1,800 to create a new vehicle access point and around £1,100 to widen an existing one. MyJobQuote's September 2026 guide puts the typical cost at around £2,000. The cost depends on:

• How many kerbs need lowering. A standard single-car crossing is usually a few kerb units wide, plus a tapered kerb at each end.
• The pavement surface. Flagged, block or tarmac footpaths are rebuilt differently.
• Grass verges. Crossing a verge means extra excavation and construction.
• Utilities. Shallow pipes or cables can need protecting or lowering, which is arranged with the utility company and can add significant cost.
• Traffic management on busier roads.

Sources: Middlesbrough Council highway fees, Checkatrade dropped kerb cost guide, MyJobQuote dropped kerb costs.

If you are planning a new driveway at the same time, mention the dropped kerb at the survey so the drive and crossing are designed together. The levels have to meet neatly, and planning both at once helps avoid a step or a puddle at the boundary.

If you live outside Middlesbrough borough

Several towns around Middlesbrough are covered by different councils, each with its own process.

• Redcar and Cleveland Council (Ormesby, Eston, Normanby, Guisborough, Redcar and surrounding villages) has an online dropped kerb application, to be completed by the property owner. The council does not publish a fee on that page. Its planning decisions note that crossing works are carried out at the applicant's expense by the council or its approved contractors. See Redcar and Cleveland: dropped kerbs.
• Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (Thornaby, Ingleby Barwick, Stockton, Billingham, Norton) calls it a driveway crossing. You can apply for a quote from the council, or use a private contractor, who must meet the council's criteria and get an "Opening Up licence" first. See Stockton: apply for a driveway crossing.
• North Yorkshire Council (Great Ayton, Stokesley and villages to the south) charges a £310.20 licence fee for a domestic dropped kerb when you use a contractor from its approved list, or £102.36 for a council quote to build it. See North Yorkshire Council: pavements and kerbs.

GOV.UK also has a postcode lookup that sends you to the right council's dropped kerb page.

Dropped kerbs and planning permission

A dropped kerb onto a classified road, such as an A or B road, can also need planning permission, as well as the highway licence. Many councils treat classified roads differently because of road safety and traffic flow. If your house is on a main road, ask the council's planning team before applying.

Separately, the surface of your new driveway has its own rules. Since October 2008, more than five square metres of impermeable surface on a front garden that drains onto the road needs planning permission. Permeable surfaces such as resin bound, gravel or permeable block paving, or a drive that drains into your own garden, avoid that.

Questions people ask