Background information
Traffic wardens and the police used to enforce all parking in England and Wales by issuing Fixed Penalty Notices. Parking offences were criminal offences, dealt with through the criminal justice system, and not paying could mean a trip to the local magistrates' court. Today almost every council enforces parking itself, as a civil matter.
The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984
The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 is still the Act under which councils make traffic regulation orders: the legal orders behind yellow lines, parking bays, parking charges and permits. Breaking an order was a criminal offence, enforced by the police and traffic wardens through the magistrates' courts.
The Road Traffic Act 1991: decriminalised enforcement
The Road Traffic Act 1991 made the London boroughs responsible for most parking enforcement, which moved from the police to the boroughs by the end of 1994. Parking contraventions there stopped being criminal offences: they were "decriminalised". Instead of fines, councils issued Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), with a right of appeal to independent adjudicators, and unpaid penalties were recovered through the county court.
Councils outside London could choose to take on the same powers, known as decriminalised parking enforcement (DPE). Their appeals went to the National Parking Adjudication Service.
The Traffic Management Act 2004: civil parking enforcement
On 31 March 2008, Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 replaced the 1991 Act's parking rules in England and Wales. Decriminalised parking enforcement became civil parking enforcement, parking attendants became civil enforcement officers, and penalties were split into a higher and a lower level depending on how serious the contravention is. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal took over from the National Parking Adjudication Service, and in London the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service was renamed London Tribunals in 2015.
All 22 councils in Wales and almost every council in England now use civil parking enforcement. In the few areas that do not, parking restrictions are still enforced by the police as criminal offences: see the list of councils and their parking pages. The police can also act anywhere against dangerous or obstructive parking.
The main changes since 2008
| Year | Change |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Clamping and towing on private land without lawful authority became a criminal offence in England and Wales, and private car park operators gained the right to pursue the registered keeper if they follow strict notice rules (1 October 2012) |
| 2013 | Wales replaced its 2008 rules with new regulations that also cover bus lanes and moving traffic. Cardiff became the first Welsh council to enforce moving traffic, in 2014 |
| 2014 | The paper tax disc was abolished (1 October 2014) |
| 2015 | In England, cameras could no longer be used for most on-street parking contraventions (1 April 2015), and a 10-minute grace period was introduced at the end of paid or free parking time (6 April 2015) |
| 2016 | The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 replaced the 2002 rules for traffic signs and road markings (22 April 2016) |
| 2019 | Blue Badges in England were extended to people with hidden disabilities (30 August 2019). Wales had widened eligibility in 2014 and 2016 |
| 2022 | England's parking rules were remade (31 May 2022). Councils outside London could apply for powers to enforce moving traffic contraventions such as yellow box junctions and banned turns |
| 2025 | London's penalties rose for the first time since 2011, to up to £160 (7 April 2025) |
| 2026 | A new Act allows area-wide pavement parking bans in England, once regulations are made (29 April 2026). The government laid a statutory code of practice for private car parks before Parliament (20 October 2026) |
See enforcement and fairness, CCTV evidence, pay and display bays, parking on pavements and PCN fine amounts for the details.
This page was checked against the law in England and Wales on 22 October 2026. It is general guidance, not legal advice: see the legal disclaimer.