Section 254 Licence
What is this licence?
You need a licence from a planning authority to place certain items and equipment on, under, over or along a public road. This is known as a Section 254 Licence.
The licence is required to erect, construct, place or maintain a cable, wire pipeline (among other appliances). It doesn't apply where a statutory undertaker is completing works under a public road.
When do I need it?
You will need a licence from a planning authority to place on, under, over or along a public road the following items or equipment:
- Vending machine
- Town or landscape map for indicating directions or places
- Fence, scaffold or hoarding
- Advertisement structure
- Cable, wire or pipeline
- Overground electronic communications infrastructure and any associated physical infrastructure (e.g. a telephone pole or cabinet)
- Telephone kiosk or pedestal
- Any other appliance, apparatus or structure specified in regulations made by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage or by an Act of the Oireachtas that requires a licence
A common example is an application for a licence to place tables and chairs outside a hotel, restaurant, public house or other venue. For this reason, it's sometimes known as a "street furniture" licence.
How to apply
For more information on how to apply for a licence, contact your local planning authority.
What if my application is rejected?
It is possible to make an appeal on a Section 254 licence decision. Appeals are possible where the planning authority has made a decision to:
- Grant a licence
- Refuse a licence
- Withdraw a licence
- Continue a licence
You can appeal the planning authority's decision to An Bord Pleanála.