Council PCN vs private parking charge: costs, appeals and risks

What to do first

If you find a ticket on your windscreen or one arrives in the post, do these things straight away: work out who issued it, note the date it was issued or served, and decide within 14 days whether to pay or challenge. Those 14 days matter because both council and private notices usually offer a reduced amount for early payment, and in many council cases the discount survives a quick challenge.

Whatever you decide, do not ignore it. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal puts it bluntly: whatever you do, don’t just ignore it. The same applies to private tickets, as POPLA explains below.

Council PCN or private parking charge: the difference

Both notices are commonly shortened to PCN, which causes real confusion. As POPLA explains, they are issued by different types of organisations, under different legal frameworks and with different appeal routes.

Penalty Charge Notice (council or TfL)

A Penalty Charge Notice is issued by a local council, Transport for London (TfL) or another public authority using powers set out in legislation, such as the Traffic Management Act 2004. It is a statutory penalty for breaking parking or traffic restrictions on public roads or council controlled land. It is not a contract between you and the authority.

According to GOV.UK, you can get one not only for parking but also for:

• breaking some traffic rules, for example going against a no right turn sign or driving in a bus lane
• not paying the London congestion zone, low emission zone or Dartford Crossing (Dart Charge) charge on time

Havering Council gives typical parking examples: parking without the required permit or payment, or on a double yellow line, as well as stopping in a yellow box.

Parking Charge Notice (private operator)

A Parking Charge Notice is issued by a private parking operator, typically on private land such as retail or leisure car parks. It usually refers to a parking charge and to the parking terms and conditions displayed on site. These charges are often detected remotely, for example by ANPR cameras or CCTV, according to the government consultation on the private parking code.

How to check your notice

POPLA suggests looking at:

• the issuer’s name and logo: a council or TfL logo usually indicates a Penalty Charge Notice, a private operator’s name usually indicates a Parking Charge Notice
• the wording: private notices talk about a parking charge and terms and conditions, while a Penalty Charge Notice identifies the issuing authority and the legal basis
• the appeals information printed on the notice, which points you to the correct route

Council PCN prices and discounts

The amount depends on the council and the type of contravention. As an example, the London Borough of Havering lists:

• parking, Band B: £90, reduced to £45 if paid within 14 days from the date of issue
• bus lane contraventions: £160, discounted to £80 if paid within 14 days
• moving traffic contraventions: £160, discounted to £80 if paid within 14 days

The discount period is not identical everywhere. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal, which covers local authorities in England outside London and in Wales, says the PCN will contain details of any applicable discount period, either 14 or 21 days. Always check the notice itself rather than assuming 14 days.

GOV.UK states that you have 28 days to challenge a PCN, and if you do so within 14 days and your challenge is rejected, you may only have to pay 50% of the fine. Bear in mind that the Traffic Penalty Tribunal mentions discount periods of 21 days in some areas, so the exact window you get depends on the authority.

Private parking charge prices and discounts

For private Parking Charge Notices, the government consultation refers to:

• a current industry cap of £100 on parking charges
• a current 40% discount for early payment within 14 days of receiving the parking charge

The government is consulting on whether to include the £100 cap and the 40% discount in a new government code of practice, so these figures may change. Separately, the industry body the IPC says on its publications page that from 31 December 2026 all aspects of its code must be complied with for all sites, after a first stage of compliance for new signage and new sites from 1 October 2024.

How to pay

According to GOV.UK, you can pay online for a PCN from a local council, a PCN from Dart Charge and a red route PCN from TfL. You will need the PCN number. Councils usually also accept payment by post: Croydon Council, for instance, takes postal payments at Croydon Council Parking Services, PO Box 1462, Croydon CR9 1WX, and asks you to enclose a stamped self addressed envelope if you want a receipt.

Croydon also notes that a ticket can be placed on the vehicle by a civil enforcement officer, or, if the contravention is caught on camera, sent by post to the registered owner.

For a private charge, follow the payment instructions printed on the notice from the operator. Paying closes the matter, so only pay if you do not intend to appeal.

How to appeal a council PCN

You cannot go straight to a tribunal. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal says you must first challenge the PCN directly with the enforcement authority.

Step 1: challenge the council

GOV.UK explains that the route depends on how you got the ticket:

• received on the spot, for example on your windscreen: make an informal challenge with the council
• received in the post, for example a notice to owner: make a formal challenge, called a representation, with the council
• Dart Charge PCN: make a representation with Dart Charge

Most councils use an online form. Havering’s informal challenge form asks for the PCN number and vehicle registration, and Islington accepts postal challenges at Islington Parking Services, PO Box 384, Sheffield, S98 1TA. Islington says your case is put on hold until you get a decision. If you lose your ticket, GOV.UK advises contacting the issuer to find out how to challenge.

Havering points out that appeals do not go through the council’s complaints process, and that letters from councillors or MPs do not affect the assessment.

Step 2: the council’s decision

If the council accepts your reasons, it cancels the PCN and there is nothing to pay. If it rejects your representations, Croydon says you can:

• pay the discounted fee, provided your objection was received within 14 days of the PCN
• pay the full fee if your objection arrived outside the discount period but within 28 days of the PCN
• appeal to the independent adjudicators on specific grounds within 28 days of the notice of rejection being delivered

According to London Tribunals, if the authority fails to respond to formal representations within 56 days, it is deemed to have accepted your grounds and must cancel the notice and refund any sums paid.

Next step: the independent tribunal

GOV.UK confirms you may appeal to an independent tribunal against any PCN issued in England or Wales for parking, moving traffic contraventions, or late payment of the Dartford Crossing, London congestion or low emission zone charge. In London this is London Tribunals; elsewhere in England and in Wales it is the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.

Be realistic about mitigating circumstances. In a London decision, the adjudicator noted that if a contravention occurred, the appeal must be dismissed even where there are circumstances that make it understandable but not legally excusable. The council itself can take such circumstances into account, so raise them at the challenge stage.

How to appeal a private parking charge

Appeal first to the operator, using the details on the notice. If the operator is in the BPA Approved Operator Scheme and rejects your appeal, you can go to POPLA:

• you have 28 days from the date the operator rejects your appeal
• each charge needs its own appeal, using the unique 10-digit verification code generated by the operator for that PCN
• evidence and grounds cannot be transferred from one appeal to another
• POPLA does not provide a free returns envelope with its postal appeal form

According to POPLA’s appeals process, there are only 2 possible outcomes: the charge is cancelled or you are asked to pay. Use your own words, be honest and submit accurate evidence. If your appeal fails, Citizens Advice can help.

Remember that POPLA cannot handle council Penalty Charge Notices.

What happens if you ignore them

Ignoring a council PCN

The Traffic Penalty Tribunal sets out the escalation:

• 28 days after receiving a notice to owner or a postal PCN without paying or making representations, the authority can issue a Charge Certificate and increase the charge
• if it remains unpaid 14 days after the Charge Certificate, the debt can be registered with the Traffic Enforcement Centre at Northampton County Court
• an Order for Recovery is then sent to the registered keeper with a Witness Statement form
• if that is ignored too, the debt can be passed to bailiffs, now often called Civil Enforcement Agents

A witness statement is only possible on set grounds, for example that you never received the notice to owner or PCN, that you made representations within 28 days but never got a Notice of Rejection, or that you had already paid in full. If the case has already reached enforcement agents, Havering says an Out of Time Witness Statement is needed.

Ignoring a private parking charge

POPLA warns that some online advice says private charges can be ignored. In reality, if the operator pursues an unpaid charge, the claim is heard by the county court like any other civil debt. If the operator obtains a County Court Judgment by default, it is recorded against you and can affect your credit file for 6 years.

Checklist before you drive in the UK

• Read signs and terms in private car parks: a breach can mean a charge of up to the current £100 industry cap.
• Check whether you need to pay the London congestion zone, low emission zone or Dart Charge, as late payment can trigger a PCN.
• Keep parking receipts, permits and photos of signs until you are sure no notice will follow.
• If you get a notice, identify the issuer from the logo and wording before doing anything else.
• Diary the 14 day discount date and the 28 day challenge or appeal deadline.
• Challenge in writing, keep copies and never ignore later letters such as a Charge Certificate, Order for Recovery or court claim.