Street works fines doubled in 2026: what changed

From 5 January 2026, the fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for the most common street works offences in England roughly doubled. At the same time, overrun charges for works that run on too long now apply at weekends and on public holidays, not just on weekdays. If you dig up a road, manage the people who do, or plan temporary traffic management on a live carriageway, these two changes affect how you schedule and document your work.

This article covers England only. Scotland runs its own roads legislation, and Wales has its own arrangements, so do not assume these figures apply there without checking with the relevant authority. Everything below is accurate as of October 2026.

What changed on 5 January 2026

The government chose to double the level of fixed penalty notices for a set of street works offences. The new amounts apply to offences committed on or after 5 January 2026. Each penalty has a full rate and a reduced rate for early payment.

Offence	Before	From 5 January 2026 (full / reduced for early payment)
Working without a permit	£500 / £300	£1,000 / £600
Breaching permit conditions	£120 / £80	£240 / £160
Late registration of reinstatement, or late works start and stop notices (NRSWA sections 70, 74 and 74A)	£120 / £80	£240 / £160

The first two rows come from a published summary of the change, which gives the pre-change figures directly. The last row is my reading of the government’s statement that penalties were doubled. I could not find a primary document that lists its pre-change figures, so treat that row as derived.

Usually the highway authority, normally your local council, issues these notices.

Overrun charges now run at weekends

Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 lets highway authorities charge for works that occupy the road for longer than the permit allows. Until this change, those charges only applied on working days. Under the new rules, they apply on weekends and public holidays too.

The change covers permits for works that start on or after 5 January 2026. Charges are counted by calendar day. The definition of a working day has not changed, and it still matters for some steps in the process, such as the two working days an authority has to tell a promoter about an overrun.

The government’s consultation outcome describes overrun charges of up to £10,000 a day under the existing rules. The practical point for planning is simple: a job that runs over the weekend now costs money on Saturday and Sunday as well.

Do not plan a programme by treating weekends as working days to stretch the permitted duration. Weekend working is acceptable when the permit allows it, but overrunning because of it can still count as a breach of permit conditions.

Late notices can now be fined every day

Notice rules are where many smaller crews get caught out. Works starts and stops must be notified within set windows. The two-hour requirement for starts and stops has applied since April 2023. From 5 January 2026, the Code of Practice no longer stops penalties being issued for late notices given on non-working days. A late notice given at the weekend can now lead to a fixed penalty.

The windows, as summarised in the HAUC guidance on the change, are these:

When work starts or stops	Notice must be received
00:00 to 07:59	By 10:00 the same day
08:00 to 16:30	Within 2 hours of the start or stop
16:31 to 23:59	By 10:00 the next day

Check the current Code of Practice and your permit conditions before relying on these windows for a specific job, since a permit can set its own terms.

Who is affected

Utility companies and their contractors, who carry most of the permits and the risk of overrun.
Traffic management firms, who set up and maintain the signs, cones and temporary signals that keep a road open safely.
Highway authorities, which must enforce the rules and publish how they spend the money they collect.
Residents and businesses near long-running works, who can raise concerns with the council’s street works team.

How to plan for the new rules

Read your permit conditions. Check whether weekend working is allowed and what the permitted duration counts as.
Calendar your overrun risk. A delay on Friday afternoon can now run into two extra charged days.
Give notices on time. Build the notice windows into your start-of-shift routine, including weekend starts.
Keep a log. Record when works start and stop, when equipment is placed and removed, and who gave each notice. This is your evidence if a charge or penalty is disputed.
Confirm the current guidance. Check the latest version of the Code of Practice and your council’s guidance, because local schemes can add their own rules.

Reliable equipment matters more under these rules. Temporary traffic signals that run for long periods without a mains connection are a good example. SRL Solar PLUS is a solar-powered portable traffic light system offered for hire across the UK. The provider says it reduces visits to live carriageways for battery swaps and sends a low-battery warning 24 hours ahead. Check the provider’s current terms before you rely on any of those claims.

Key points

From 5 January 2026, England doubled fixed penalty notices for the main street works offences. The full rate for working without a permit is now £1,000.
Overrun charges apply on weekends and public holidays for permits covering works that start on or after 5 January 2026.
Late notices can be penalised on any day, so weekend starts and stops need notifying on time.
Plan durations in calendar days and keep a record of every start, stop and notice.

Frequently asked questions

Did street works fines really double? In England, yes. For offences committed on or after 5 January 2026, the fixed penalty levels for the main street works offences were doubled. The full rate for working without a permit is now £1,000, with a reduced rate of £600 for early payment.

Do the new rules apply in Wales or Scotland? This article covers England only. Scotland has its own roads legislation, and Wales has its own arrangements. Check with the relevant authority before applying these figures.

Do overrun charges now apply at weekends? Yes, for permits covering works that start on or after 5 January 2026. Charges are counted by calendar day.

How long do I have to notify a works start? For work starting between 08:00 and 16:30, the notice must be received within two hours of the start. Outside those hours, different deadlines apply, as set out above.

Who issues fixed penalty notices? Usually the highway authority, which in most cases is your local council.

Where can I check the current rules? Start with the HAUC guidance on the January 2026 changes, the current Code of Practice for the co-ordination of street and road works, and your council’s street works team.

This article is general information, not legal advice. If you face a charge, a penalty or a dispute with a council, speak to a qualified professional who works on highways and street works law.