How to apply for a street collection permit
Street collection permit
If you’re holding a street collection to collect money or sell articles for a charitable purpose, you must obtain a permit to do so; it’s the law.
The permits we issue make sure:
- collectors are properly authorised
- money is collected in a secure way
- the total proceeds collected are properly accounted for
Where can I collect?
You’ll need a permit if you want to collect money for charity in a street or public space. A public space is a place where the public has access all the time.
For example, if you’re collecting in the foyer of a supermarket, the public don’t have access when the shop is closed. So it’s not considered to be a public space, and you wouldn’t need a collection permit. Instead, you would need landowner’s permission. But if you’re in front of the supermarket or in the car park (these areas are public places), you would require a permit.
Please note; permits are restricted to enable charities to raise money without their collections clashing with those of other charities. It’s our policy to only allow one collection per week in the same area (unless it’s a special event), therefore demand is high.
Vancouver Quarter
If you wish to collect on behalf of a charity within the regenerated Vancouver Quarter of the King's Lynn town centre (between Kenneth Bush and Unit 19), you’ll need permission first. This is from the Vancouver Quarter Town Centre Manager. Please email info@vancouverquarter.com
Events
If you wish to collect on behalf of a charity at an organised event within the Borough, you'll need permission from the event organiser first.
Apply for a permit
You can apply online. There is no fee for the permit.
To apply for a street collection permit you’ll need to:
- apply four weeks in advance of your planned collection date
- check to see if the date you want is free using our online calendar
Cancelling a date?
If you need to change your collection date, please apply again using the form above. We'll ask you to confirm your original date and you can use our calendar to pick another that's free. If you want to cancel a planned date, but don't want to reschedule, please email us.
What happens next?
We will make a decision on your application. We’ll contact you if we cannot approve this or issue a permit authorising the collection for the applied date, time and area.
After your collection
Once the collections are complete, you need to send us a return form, detailing the monies collected. Please complete our online collection returns form within one calendar month of the collection date. Alternatively, a paper application form can be found at the bottom of this page.
Guidance
Street Collection regulations apply. Please see our street collection regulations document at the bottom of the page.