Have you received a parking ticket in the post that you were unaware of? If so, you might be wondering whether a parking ticket needs to be placed onto your car. You might be wondering if it’s still valid if you only receive it in the post, or whether you have grounds for appeal.
We’ve put together this article to clear up any misconceptions you may have about parking tickets, how you can receive them, and what your rights are when it comes to paying, ignoring, or appealing.
Does a parking ticket need to be placed on the car?
No, a parking ticket doesn’t need to be placed on your car or other vehicle. While this does happen, sometimes you’re ticketed after you’ve left your parking spot. This happens when car parks use ANPR cameras in their car parks and the footage reveals that you’ve broken one of their terms and conditions.
If you’ve parked in a council owned car park, they can request your details from the DVLA to send the ticket to your home address.
However, if you’re parked in a privately owned car park (supermarkets, hospitals, restaurants), the company that manages the car park on behalf of the landowner must be a member of an Accredited Trade Association (ATA), otherwise they aren’t legally allowed to request your details from the DVLA.
Essentially, this means that if you’ve broken a rule when parking in a car park that isn’t a member of an ATA, you’re unlikely to ever receive a ticket in the post from them because they can’t legally get your details.
It’s not all bad though!
One thing to note is that if you received your parking ticket in the post, you actually have longer to pay the fine at a discounted rate. If the ticket was left on your windshield, you’d have 14 days to pay the reduced amount. But, if you get it through the post, you have 21 days to pay the reduced fine.
However, there are some downsides. If you received it through the post, you can no longer make an informal appeal. Instead, you’ll need to start a formal appeals process if you want to appeal against the ticket.
We’ve written a full guide on how to appeal your parking ticket that we recommend reading before starting your process. Not only that, we’ve even written a parking ticket appeal letter template that you can use to help you win your case!
How long do you need to be parked before you get ticketed?
In short, 10 minutes.
Back in 2015, the Government brought in a new law that allowed motorists to have a ten minute grace period to move your vehicle or pay for a ticket.
So, if there are parking attendants in either a private or council owned car park, you should get ten minutes before they consider ticketing you. If you do end up receiving a ticket, you’ll have solid grounds for appeal as long as you can prove you were parked for ten minutes or less.
Will I be ticketed if my car has broken down?
Yes, you can be ticketed if your car has broken down.
But, if you can provide proof that your vehicle had broken down, you should be able to appeal the ticket and win. For example, you could get your mechanic to sign a letter explaining what happened or provide proof of when your vehicle had been towed away.
Can I appeal a parking ticket?
Yes, and if you feel the ticket was issued unfairly, you should as well!
Parking tickets are issued for breaking rules and regulations laid out by the owner of the car park. However, sometimes people make mistakes – even parking attendants!
The appeals process will depend on what kind of ticket you’ve received. We’ve written full guides on how to appeal a council parking ticket and also how to appeal a private parking ticket.
What counts as good evidence for a parking ticket appeal?
As mentioned earlier, gathering as much evidence as possible for your appeal will help strengthen the grounds of your appeal. There are lots of different kinds of evidence you could provide, but here are some of the most common:
- Photo of unclear or misleading signage
- Proof that the payment machine wasn’t working (photo/video)
- Footage of poor or missing road markings
- GPS time stamps of your vehicle’s location
- A doctor or mechanic note
- Statements from witnesses
Don’t forget that this list isn’t exhaustive. If you possess something you believe would prove your innocence, you should submit it as evidence to support your appeal.
What if the parking ticket has the wrong registration number?
If you’ve noticed that your parking ticket isn’t displaying your registration number, you should definitely look into why that is. The ticket may have been removed from another vehicle and placed on yours, so you should check with the issuing authority whether you actually were ticketed in the first place.
However, sometimes mistakes are made, and your registration number might have been entered in wrong when the ticket was issued to you. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean you’ll get out of paying for the ticket! You’ll still need to appeal with a solid reason and evidence.
Source: Money Saving Expert
How do I know if my parking ticket is real?
Unfortunately, there are some scams going around to try and trick motorists into paying for a ticket that they never actually received, so it’s important to stay vigilant when it comes to paying for a parking ticket.
However, there are normally obvious signs that they’re fake. Look out for things like:
- Poor spelling and grammar.
- Whether the “issuing authority” is real or not. You can look this information up online and find alternative contact details to check the legitimacy of the ticket.
- Real parking tickets give you time to decide what you’re going to do (up to 21 days in some cases). If you’re being pressured to immediately pay up, your ticket might be a scam.
- You’ll never receive a parking ticket via email.
We’ve written a full guide one how to spot a fake parking ticket and what your next actions should be if you have received one. In the short of things, don’t pay up until you’ve found out if it’s legitimate or not.
What are the rules if I’m a Blue Badge holder?
While it’s true that Blue Badge holders can park in more spaces than other road users, it doesn’t mean you can park anywhere you want, and it isn’t a solid grounds for appeal. You can still receive a parking ticket if you’ve got a Blue Badge, and it may not be left on your windshield either.
To avoid being ticketed, we’d advise that you check the Government website that dictates where you can and can’t park.
Alternatively, you could check with your local council to see if there are any other rules that you need to follow so that you can avoid being ticketed. Not only that, reading the car park signage may also dictate any rules you need to follow as a Blue Badge holder.
What Happens if the Parking Ticket Isn’t Placed on my Car?
If your parking ticket wasn’t placed on your car, it’s still valid. However, we do recommend checking the legitimacy of it as well as whether or not you broke any of the rules in the first place. Don’t forget that we have a free parking ticket appeal letter template that you can download, edit and use to help you win!
