Appealing a private parking charge

Private parkingLaw checked 22 October 2026

You can appeal against a private Parking Charge Notice in two stages: first to the operator that issued it, then to an independent appeals service. Both are free. This is a different process from challenging a council PCN, and the council tribunals cannot hear private parking appeals.

The rules below come from the industry's code of practice, which every member of the two trade associations must follow. Some change when the government's code comes into force, expected about 21 December 2026.

Stage 1: appeal to the operator

• Appeal within 28 days of getting the notice. The notice says how, usually online, by email or by post. The operator cannot make you send a stamped addressed envelope.
• The operator must reply within 28 days, or tell you when it will decide.
• Keep the discount. If you appeal within the 14-day discount period and the operator rejects your appeal, it must let you pay the discounted amount for 14 more days from the rejection.
• Late appeals. The operator must consider an appeal made after 28 days if you have evidence of exceptional circumstances, for example you were away or in hospital, or the notice went to the wrong address through no fault of yours.
• Do not pay first. Once you have paid, you usually cannot appeal.

Explain clearly why the charge should be cancelled and send your evidence (see below). If you are the keeper and were not driving, you do not have to say who was: see when the registered keeper has to pay, which also explains the deadlines the operator's notices must meet.

The Appeals Charter

The industry's code includes an Appeals Charter: cases where, with evidence, the operator should cancel the charge or reduce it.

The charge should be cancelled where, for example:

• you paid for your whole stay before leaving a car park run with number plate cameras;
• you paid but made a small slip typing your number plate, such as 0 for O, or 1 for I;
• you stopped briefly on a private road, such as an industrial estate, to check directions;
• the emergency services or the landowner told you to drive in, or an emergency such as serious illness forced you to;
• the vehicle was an emergency vehicle on duty, a doctor's or nurse's vehicle on an emergency call, a breakdown truck recovering a broken-down vehicle, or part of a funeral;
• the operator broke the code when issuing the charge, or in a way that stopped you keeping to the terms.

On private roads with "no stopping" rules, such as some airport roads, a charge should be cancelled if you stopped to avoid an accident, to help in an accident or emergency, to let an emergency vehicle pass, at a closed gate or level crossing, for people using a zebra crossing, or because traffic was queuing.

The charge should be reduced to £20, if paid within 14 days, where:

• you paid but entered the wrong number plate, for example your previous car's or another car in your household;
• you or a passenger fell ill, a medical appointment overran, or childcare arrangements delayed you;
• the vehicle broke down;
• you hold a valid permit but did not display it;
• a Blue Badge holder was in the vehicle but the badge was not displayed (this does not cover an unpaid parking fee);
• the payment machines were out of order and there was no other way to pay;
• you were allowed to park but did not enter your number plate in a terminal as the terms required.

The £20 offer applies only to the first charge of that kind for the vehicle, and not if you take the appeal on to the independent appeals service. Under the government's code, several of these cases will lead to cancellation instead (see the end of this page).

Stage 2: the independent appeals service

If the operator rejects your appeal, it must tell you how to appeal further. Which service hears it depends on the operator's trade association, shown on the notice and on the car park signs:

• POPLA needs the 10-digit verification code from the operator's rejection. The operator only has to give you one if you appealed to it within 28 days, and the code lasts 28 days. POPLA usually takes about 6 to 8 weeks and decides once: it cannot look at your appeal again. It decides whether the charge was issued correctly, so it cannot allow an appeal on mitigating circumstances alone, but it can send serious circumstances outside your control, with evidence, back to the operator to reconsider.
• IAS can also hear an appeal after the 28 days if the operator agrees, but you then pay £15 and the decision binds you as well as the operator. A standard IAS decision binds only the operator.
• No debt collection meanwhile. While your appeal is with POPLA or IAS, the operator must not start debt collection or court action, and must pause any it has started.
• You lose the discount. If you take the appeal to POPLA or IAS and lose, you owe the full charge. The operator must give you 28 days from the decision to pay.

If the appeals service allows your appeal, the operator must cancel the charge. If it does not, the operator will expect the full charge. Unless you chose a binding late appeal to IAS, you can still dispute the charge if the operator takes you to court: get free advice first, for example from Citizens Advice.

Evidence that helps

Send copies, not originals, and keep a record of what you sent and when:

• photos of the signs at the entrance and near where you parked, especially if they were missing, hidden, unlit or unclear;
• your ticket, app or bank record showing what you paid and when;
• a receipt showing you were a customer, if parking was for customers only;
• your permit or Blue Badge;
• evidence of a breakdown, illness, an overrunning appointment or an emergency, such as a garage invoice or a letter from the hospital;
• the notice itself and the envelope or email it came in, to check the dates.

Changes when the government's code comes into force

• Late appeals for good reasons, such as a holiday, a hospital stay, a family emergency or moving house, must be considered, the 28 days start again and any court action is paused.
• You can appeal within 30 days after paying if you had to pay to get out of a car park, for example at a barrier, or if evidence later shows the operator did wrong.
• Illness, overrunning medical appointments, childcare delays, breakdowns and broken payment machines lead to cancellation, not £20.
• The £20 for a permit not displayed, a wrong number plate or a number plate not entered is no longer limited to the first time; a Blue Badge not displayed stays first time only.
• Separately, the government plans stricter standards for POPLA and IAS, with no date set yet, including allowing an appeal where the operator did not apply the Appeals Charter correctly.

See the government's Private Parking Code of Practice.

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.