Dropped kerb in Surrey: the rules and fees
Surrey County Council charges £383 to apply and wants a parking space at least 4.8 m deep and 2.4 m wide. The fee is not refunded. Re-marking the agreed crossover, if you want it: £116.
Read from Surrey County Council’s own pages on 11 October 2026. Surrey. The 11 district and borough councils decide planning and must confirm it in writing first.
- Fee: Surrey County Council charges £383 to apply, not refunded; Re-marking the agreed crossover (optional).
- Space: a parking space at least 4.8 m deep and 2.4 m wide, 6 m deep in front of a garage.
- Junctions: Not at busy junctions where it creates conflict between road users.
- Who builds it: Surrey uses its approved contractors.
- Decision: An officer visits and marks out the crossover within 20 working days of the application.
Surrey’s rules, one by one
| Rule | What Surrey asks | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Depth of the space | At right angles 2.4 m by 4.8 m; end-on in front of a garage 2.4 m by 6 m; parallel 6 m by 2.4 m, only where there is no footway and no on-street parking. Measured to the nearest part of the house, including steps, bays and porches. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, space criteria table |
| Width of the space | At least 2.4 m wide; 6 m for parallel parking. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, space criteria table |
| The crossing it builds | The standard is 3 dropped kerbs with a sloping kerb (raker) each side, about 4.6 m along the kerb; a widening adds one kerb at most. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, our requirements and checks |
| Distance from a junction | Not at busy junctions where it creates conflict between road users. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, safety criteria |
| Seeing along the road | From 2.4 m back from the kerb (2.0 m for a single home where 2.4 m cannot be had), a clear view between 0.6 m and 2.0 m high along the road for the Y distance: 22 to 25 m at 20 mph, 40 to 45 m at 30 mph, 63 to 70 m at 40 mph in towns. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, safety criteria, table 2 |
| Street trees | No crossover within 1 m of a tree trunk or 4 times its circumference at about 1.5 m, whichever is greater. Highway trees are not removed. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, our requirements and checks |
| Street lights | Not closer than 1 m to a lamp column or any other street furniture that cannot be moved; moving a street light, where possible, costs upwards of £1,500. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, safety criteria and checklist |
| Other street furniture | Not closer than 1 m to signs, telegraph poles, broadband cabinets or bus stops. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, checklist |
| Bus stops | Not closer than 1 m to a bus stop or any other street furniture that cannot be moved. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, checklist (bus stops are street furniture) |
| Slopes | Refused if the slope across the footpath would be steeper than 1 in 12. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, safety criteria |
| Pedestrian crossings | Not where it conflicts with a designated pedestrian crossing point. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, safety criteria |
| Parking bays and laybys | A formally designated on-street parking space at or near the crossover, in a controlled parking zone or not, means refusal. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, our requirements and checklist |
| A second crossing | A second or widened crossover may be refused where on-street parking demand is very high, unless it brings a proven safety benefit. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, our requirements and checks |
| Turning space on busy roads | On particularly busy roads, refused if cars cannot turn within the driveway. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, safety criteria |
| Drainage | A non-porous hard standing must drain to a drain inside the property; over 5 m² non-porous needs planning permission. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, our requirements and checks |
| Loose gravel | A loose gravel drive needs a way of keeping the gravel off the highway. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, you must check |
| Permission from the owner | Only the freeholder can apply; tenants of a housing association upload its written authorisation. | SCC householder guidance, Guidance, you must check |
What it costs in Surrey
| What you pay | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Application (stage 1)Not refunded for incomplete, unsuccessful or ineligible applications. | £383 | SCC crossover page |
| Re-marking the agreed crossover (optional) | Optional, £116 | SCC crossover page |
| Building the crossingAverage building cost with an approved contractor On lane rental roads, up to £1,500 a day at peak times (the guidance says £1,500 to £3,000 a day). | about £1,800 | SCC crossover page |
Surrey uses its approved contractors. Only the council’s approved contractors may build it. You pay the full contractor quote to the council up front (stage 2); the council inspects the work.
Applying, and what happens next
- You must first get written confirmation from your district or borough council of whether planning permission is needed (it may charge, and take up to 6 weeks).
- An officer visits and marks out the crossover within 20 working days of the application.
- The licence is valid for 6 months.
- You can ask for a review by a senior engineer, setting out why the criteria were applied wrongly; the aim is a reply within 10 working days, and that decision is final.
Planning permission in Surrey
The highway consent and planning permission are separate. Nationally, an access on to an unclassified road and a porous or drained hard surface are permitted development for a house; Surrey adds:
- Surrey says an A, B or C road needs planning permission, and a D road may. (SCC householder guidance)
- Written evidence from the district or borough council is required either way. (SCC householder guidance)
Also worth knowing in Surrey
- Owning an electric vehicle does not change the criteria. (SCC crossover page)
- A ditch or stream beside the road may need a pipe or bridge; the watercourse consent costs £50 and is handled in the process. (SCC householder guidance)
Questions
Does Surrey refund the fee if it refuses?
No. The £383 is not refunded, so check the frontage against the rules first.
Can I use my own contractor in Surrey?
Only the council’s approved contractors may build it. You pay the full contractor quote to the council up front (stage 2); the council inspects the work.
How long is a Surrey approval valid?
The licence is valid for 6 months.
Related
- Check your driveway in 3DEvery rule for your council, in 3D.
- Dropped kerb rules comparedDepth, width, splays, junctions, trees.
- What it costsFees from £55.06 to £500, and the works.
- Hampshire rules and fees£211.90 to apply, a space 4.8 m deep.
- Kent rules and fees£500 to apply, a space 4.8 m deep.
- Hertfordshire rules and fees£139 to apply, a space 5 m deep.
Sources: Surrey County Council, Vehicle crossovers or dropped kerbs; Surrey County Council, Vehicle crossover guidance for householders (reviewed 22 May 2026); all read on 11 October 2026. National rules: Highways Act 1980, s.184, GPDO 2015, Part 2 Class B and Part 1 Class F. legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK content is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0; council figures are quoted as facts with their source, not copied text. Not legal advice and not a decision: the council decides after its own site visit. Not affiliated with any council or government department.