Parking fines: council penalties, private charges and how to appeal each

Council PCNs and private parking charges follow different rules. Discount windows, appeal routes and when paying is the better choice

A ticket on the windscreen or a letter through the door is not the end of the matter. Council penalty charge notices and private parking charges look similar but are governed by different law, have different appeal routes and different consequences if ignored. This guide tells them apart and sets out what to do with each.

Key figures: council PCNs are usually halved if paid within 14 days. Private charges are usually reduced by 40% within 14 days and capped at £100 under the industry code. Appeal to the operator first, then POPLA or the IAS for private charges. Never ignore either; both can end in court or bailiffs.

Council or private

	Council PCN	Private parking charge
Issued by	Local authority, or TfL in London	A parking company on private land
Legal basis	Traffic law	Contract law, based on the signs
Name on the notice	Penalty Charge Notice	Parking Charge Notice, or similar
Discount	50% within 14 days	Usually 40% within 14 days
Appeal body	Traffic Penalty Tribunal, or London Tribunals	POPLA or the IAS
If ignored	Increased charge, then bailiffs	County court claim

The name is deliberately similar. Look for the issuer. A council or Transport for London logo means a PCN. A company name and a reference to the "British Parking Association" or "International Parking Community" means a private charge.

Appealing a council PCN

Do not pay if you intend to appeal. Paying closes the case.
Within 14 days, make an informal challenge to the council in writing. Say why the ticket is wrong and attach photos. Common grounds: unclear signs, a valid permit or ticket displayed, loading exemptions, the car was not where the notice says, or the contravention code is wrong.
Most councils extend the 50% discount if the informal challenge is rejected. Check the reply.
If rejected, wait for the Notice to Owner and make a formal representation. The council must respond with a Notice of Rejection.
Appeal to the independent tribunal within 28 days. It is free, done online or by phone, and the adjudicator's decision binds the council.

Tribunals uphold many appeals where signs or road markings are poor. Photograph the whole area, not just your car.

Appealing a private parking charge

Private charges are a claim that you breached the contract set out on the signs. Grounds that succeed:

Signs not visible, unclear, or not at the entrance.
A grace period was not honoured. The industry code requires 10 minutes at the end of a paid period and 5 minutes to read the signs and decide whether to stay.
The charge exceeds the cap or was not proportionate to the loss.
You were not the driver and the operator did not follow the keeper liability steps under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.
A payment machine was broken and you tried to pay.

The process:

Appeal to the operator within 28 days using the reference on the notice. Most operators keep the discount open if they reject your appeal, but check.
If rejected, the operator must give a code for the independent appeal body. BPA members use POPLA; IPC members use the IAS. Appeal within 28 days. It is free.
If that fails, the operator may pursue the debt through the county court. You can defend the claim there.

The government's statutory Private Parking Code of Practice was consulted on in 2025 and is expected to set a single set of rules for the whole industry. Until it is in force, the industry's own joint code from October 2024 applies, including the £100 cap and the grace periods.

When paying is the better choice

If you clearly overstayed or parked where you should not, the discount is worth taking. A failed appeal can mean the full amount plus recovery fees, and a lost court case adds costs. Weigh the discount against the strength of your evidence, not your irritation. Pay online and keep the confirmation.

Watch out for

Notices arriving by post months later for a private charge. Keeper liability has time limits: a notice to keeper must normally arrive within 14 days where there was no windscreen ticket. Late notices are a strong appeal ground.
Debt collection letters. They cannot add fees not allowed under the code and have no powers of enforcement. Only a court judgment does.
Bailiffs. Only council PCNs can reach that stage, and only after several notices. If you receive one, act immediately rather than waiting for the knock.

Information only, not personal advice.