Licences and permits

The permissions a business needs before it can trade, each one tied to the law that creates it and to the body that issues it. We point at GOV.UK for fees and forms, and never copy them.

9 of 426 licences for Street trading and markets

Choose from all 48 activities

A

Auction premises registration

To sell goods by auction in a stall or other premises you might need to register with your local council

Your council · England · No national statute

Street trading and markets

C

Child work permit (England and Wales)

To employ a child in the UK, you may need to get a work permit from your local authority

Your council · England and Wales

Any trade

G

Goods vehicle operator licences

You need a goods vehicle operator’s licence if your business uses a goods vehicle with either a gross plated weight (the maximum weight that …

Traffic Commissioners · England, Wales and Scotland

Any trade

H

Holiday resort exemption from Sunday trading (Northern Ireland)

You need a licence to get an exemption from Sunday Trading laws in Northern Ireland

Your council · Northern Ireland

Retail: manufacturing and wholesale · Street trading and markets · Tourist accommodation, including hotels and campsites

M

Market operators licence (Scotland)

You need a market operators licence if you run a private market (including car boot sales, craft fairs and fêtes) in Scotland

Your council · Scotland

Events · Retail: manufacturing and wholesale · Street trading and markets

Market stall licence

To run a market stall as a trader, you need either a temporary ('casual') or permanent licence from the local council.

Your council · England and Wales

Events · Retail: manufacturing and wholesale · Street trading and markets

S

Second hand dealers registration (Scotland)

Contact your council if you want to register as a second hand dealer in Scotland - exemptions, restrictions, fines and penalties

Your council · Scotland

Street trading and markets

Street trader's licence (Scotland)

You may need a licence from the local council to work as a street trader in Scotland.

Your council · Scotland

Retail: manufacturing and wholesale · Street trading and markets

Street trading licence

Your council

England and Wales · Northern Ireland

Retail: manufacturing and wholesale · Street trading and markets

Where GOV.UK lists a licence separately for each nation, it appears here once with a link to each nation's version. They are separate licences in law, often resting on different legislation.

1 licence on this list has no national enabling statute behind it. The regime is council byelaws or a local Act, or a statute that reaches only part of the area, and those pages say so plainly rather than citing something that does not apply to you. We have not yet mapped an enabling instrument for 1 licence on this list. That is a gap in our graph, not a statement about the law, and those pages say so rather than guessing.

Checking approvals more broadly?

A licence is one of several things you may need before your first day of trading. The pre-trading quick check walks the registrations, insurances and approvals alongside it.

Run the pre-trading quick check

Not sure which of these apply to you?

Our guides on finding a licence and dealing with your local council walk through the questions that decide it.

Find a licence