If you’ve received a parking ticket and don’t think you should pay, you might be wondering what your rights are. Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Did you know that there are 23,000 private parking tickets and nearly 20,000 council issued parking tickets issued every month here in the UK? That’s a staggering amount!
Getting a parking ticket can leave you with a range of emotions, but the main ones are frustration and anxiety. That’s why we’ve written this guide to help walk you through the appeals process of appealing a parking ticket in 2024, regardless of whether it’s council or privately issued.
How many kinds of parking tickets are there?
Two.
The type of parking ticket you’ll receive will depend on where you parked your vehicle.
If you parked on a council owned property, you’ll receive a penalty charge notice (PCN).
If you parked on privately owned property, you’ll receive a parking charge notice (PCN).
Note that both parking tickets have the same acronym of PCN. It is thought that private parking companies deliberately used the same acronym to confuse people into thinking their parking tickets are legally enforceable.
And, while they have the same acronym, they should also be dealt with differently. That’s why it’s important to know which one you have so that you can take the right action against your parking ticket.
What’s a Penalty Charge Notice?
A penalty charge notice is a ticket that’s issued to motorists from the local council for committing a parking contravention on public land. They are mainly issued for parking offenses, but can sometimes be issues for other contraventions, like driving in a bus lane.
You’ll receive a penalty charge notice in one of three ways:
- Handed to you by a parking warden, otherwise known as a Council Enforcement Officer.
- Left on the windshield of your vehicle.
- Through the post.
There are lots of good reasons for appealing a penalty charge notice, and it’s totally possible to successfully appeal against one! So if you’re wondering whether making an appeal is worth it, it definitely is to avoid paying the fine!
It’s important to understand that penalty charge notices are enforceable, so it’s best not to ignore it. Your best bet is to either appeal or pay the fine. We’ll talk in detail later about the appeals process for council related parking fines.
What’s a Parking Charge Notice?
A parking charge notice is issued to you when you break the terms and conditions when using a private car park. Private car parks can be standalone, but they are very often attached to a supermarket chain or restaurants as a way of managing the parking in a busy area.
Landowners can choose to manage the car park themselves, but they will often employ a parking management company to do the legwork for them. This means that if you park on private land and don’t follow the rules laid out, you may be issued with a parking charge notice. This may be left on your vehicle or sent to you through the post if your contravention was caught on CCTV.
NOTE: don’t interact with private parking management companies that aren’t a member of an Accredited Trade Association (ATA). You can easily check this online. Essentially, if they aren’t a member of an ATA, all they can do is leave a parking charge notice on the windshield of your vehicle. They do not have permission to ask the DVLA for your details to post a PCN to you.
Sadly, most private parking operators are members of an ATA, but it’s definitely worth checking!
Can you appeal a parking ticket?
Yes! You can appeal both council and private parking tickets.
However, the type of ticket you’ve received will affect the appeals process, which is why it’s important to understand which one you’ve been issued. We will explain both later in this article.
Can I appeal after paying my parking ticket?
No, you can’t appeal after paying for your parking ticket. This includes both council and privately issued tickets. Basically, once you’ve made a payment, you’ve automatically accepted guilt and paid your dues, which means your case will then be closed.
So, if you plan on appealing your parking ticket, don’t pay up!
In both cases, you have 28 days to make an appeal against your parking ticket. Keep in mind that with both, if you pay within the first 14 days, you’ll get a discount on your ticket by up to 50% (depending on whether it’s a council fine or a private parking fine)!
If you’re unsure on what applies to your parking ticket, your best bet is to get in touch with the authority that issued it and check the facts.
How can I appeal a parking ticket?
As mentioned earlier, the type of ticket you’ve been issued will affect the appeals process. We have full guides on appealing a penalty charge notice and appealing a parking charge notice, but we’ll explain the basics below.
How to appeal a penalty charge notice
The first thing to remember when appealing a penalty charge notice is that it is legally enforceable. So, if you believe it’s been wrongly issued, you will need to appeal to the council that issued the PCN. If you’re successful, your fine will be wiped!
If your penalty charge notice was handed to you or left on your car, you can start your appeal by making an informal appeal to the local council. An informal appeal must be made within 14 days of the date on the penalty charge notice. This will involve writing a letter or looking for contact details on the local council’s website.
However, if your penalty charge notice came through the post, you can only make a formal appeal. You’ll need to do this within 28 days of the date on the penalty charge notice. To make a formal appeal, you’ll need to write a letter to the issuing council explaining why you’re appealing along with solid evidence to back up your case. This is what’s known as a representation letter, which can seem confusing, but it really isn’t! As long as you include the reason for appeal, evidence, plus other details like your address, registration number and the number on the PCN, you have a great chance of winning your appeal.
The issuing council then has 56 days to make a decision regarding your appeal. If they don’t respond after those 56 days, you automatically win your appeal!
If your appeal is successful, you’ll receive notice that the fine has been wiped. If you’re unsuccessful, you’ll receive a notice of rejection that will contain details on your options.
Can I appeal against the council’s decision?
Yes!
Your notice of rejection letter will have details on how you can contact the General Regulatory Chamber to make a further appeal.
How to appeal a parking charge notice
Appealing a parking charge notice is a different process. To begin with, you should contact the private parking management company or landowner and ask them to withdraw the fine. You’ll still need to give a valid reason and provide evidence, but sometimes this is enough to have the fine taken away. This is known as an informal appeal.
They will then have 56 days to take your appeal into consideration and give you a decision. Again, if they don’t respond after 56 days, you’ll have automatically won your case.
However, if they reject your appeal, the process is a little bit different from there on out, as private parking operators don’t accept formal appeals. Read on to find out more!
Can you formally challenge private parking tickets?
Yes! However, the process for private parking tickets is different to council issued parking tickets. If your appeal is rejected, don’t worry! If you want to appeal your case further, this is where a formal appeal comes into play. You’ll need to ask an independent tribunal to look at your case. There are two independent groups you can use:
- Independent Appeals Service (IAS)
- Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA)
The independent group you end up using will depend which ATA the private parking company is a member of:
- You’ll use the Independent Appeals Service (IAS) if the company is a member of the International Parking Community.
- You’ll use Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) if the company is a member of the British Parking Association.
Can I appeal if the parking ticket machine was broken?
While this can be a valid reason to back up your appeal, this excuse doesn’t always work. That’s because there are often terms and conditions listed on signage in both council and privately owned car parks stating that if a machine is out of order, then you shouldn’t use the car park.
However, if the terms and conditions don’t list this, then you might be able to appeal if the parking ticket was broken. You will still need to provide evidence, so if this ever happens to you, be sure to take a photo or video so that you can prove it was broken. Many motorists have been caught out by this, as the machine may have been repaired or replaced since the incident!
What’s the time limit to issue a parking ticket?
Again, the type of parking ticket you’ve been issued will depend on how long either the council or the parking management company has to issue the ticket.
If you’ve received a penalty charge notice, the issuing authority has 28 days to issue the parking ticket.
If you’ve received a parking charge notice, the private parking management company or landowner must issue it within 14 days of the parking contravention.
That’s why it’s important to check the dates on parking tickets, especially when you receive them through the post. If the issuer didn’t give you a parking ticket in time, you’ve got solid grounds for appeal.
How can I avoid a parking fine?
On this occasion you might not be able to avoid getting a parking fine, but there are lots of things you can do to avoid getting one in the future. If you take the time to learn and understand a few simple rules, you should be able to successfully completely avoid getting a parking ticket in the future:
- Park in designated bays, and make sure your vehicle isn’t crossing over any markings. If your vehicle is very wide, pay for two parking tickets and display both.
- Read and understand parking signs. All car parks must have proper signage that displays the terms and conditions you need to follow in order to park there. It might even be a good idea to take a photo of the car park signage in case you need it in the future.
- Making sure you pay the correct fee will also help you avoid getting a parking ticket in the future. If you’re worried about making it back to your vehicle in time, you might be better off paying for much longer than you need to avoid a hefty parking ticket. Lots of car parks all over the UK also allow you to pay by card now, so it’s easier than ever to make sure you’ve paid the correct amount!
What are some good excuses to appeal a parking ticket?
There are lots of great reasons you can use when it comes to appealing your parking ticket. We’ve covered a large list of parking fine loopholes here, but here are some valid reasons that might be applicable to your case:
- You’re a blue badge holder
- You weren’t given a grace period
- The ticket wasn’t issued in time
- You parked correctly
- You paid for your parking
- The road markings weren’t visible
- The signage was unclear
- Parking machines were out of order
- Other extreme circumstances.
There are caveats and certain criteria you’ll need to meet for each of these, but it’s definitely worth looking into if you don’t believe you were given a parking ticket fairly.
How long do I have to wait for a decision on my parking ticket appeal?
For both council and private related parking ticket appeals, the decision must be made within 56 days. This means that if 56 days have passed and you haven’t heard back from the issuing authority, you’ve automatically won your case.
There may be some circumstances where this deadline may be extended, but you’ll be made aware of that from the authority that issued the ticket. Essentially, keep an eye on the length of time that’s passed!
What happens if my parking ticket appeal is rejected?
If your parking ticket appeal is rejected don’t worry, you can still appeal further! However, the appeals process is different, and will depend on what kind of ticket you’ve received. We’ll explain below.
Council related parking fine or a Penalty Charge Notice appeal rejection
If the council that issued the parking charge notice to you rejects your formal appeal, you’ll receive what’s known as a notice of rejection. Basically, this will entail why your appeal has been rejected, and where you can appeal further if you disagree with their decision.
You’ll now need to contact the General Regulatory Chamber to make a further appeal. Make sure you keep hold of all of the evidence and correspondence to back up your appeal.
Private related parking fine or a Parking Charge Notice appeal rejection
If your private related parking fine is rejected, don’t worry! If you want to appeal your case further, this is where a formal appeal comes into play. You’ll need to ask an independent tribunal to look at your case. There are two independent groups you can use:
- Independent Appeals Service (IAS)
- Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA)
The independent group you end up using will depend which ATA the private parking company is a member of:
- You’ll use the Independent Appeals Service (IAS) if the company is a member of the International Parking Community.
- You’ll use Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) if the company is a member of the British Parking Association.
Are parking tickets legally enforceable?
This will depend on what kind of parking ticket you’ve received. If you’ve received a penalty charge notice, the ticket is legally enforceable.
However, if you’ve received a parking charge notice, it’s not legally enforceable yet. Some private parking management companies or landowners won’t want to take court action for such a small amount of money, but it’s not unheard of either. This means that if you choose not to pay your parking charge notice, it’s not enforceable unless they decide to take you to court.
Can I ignore my parking ticket?
You could, but it won’t make the problem go away. Both the council and private car park management companies will pursue you for the fine they believe you owe to them. Ignoring your parking ticket could lead to court action, and could leave you with a mark on your credit report if you still don’t pay up.
Our advice would be to either pay the ticket, or go down the route of appealing your parking ticket. Remember that you’ll need a good reason to appeal your parking ticket as well as solid evidence to back that appeal up.
Are parking tickets a criminal offence?
No, getting a parking ticket isn’t a criminal offence. It’s seen as a civil matter because the only thing you did wrong was commit a minor road offence. That means that the only penalty for this can be through a financial penalty, not a criminal one.
