The government's Private Parking Code of Practice
Not in force yet
On 20 October 2026 the government laid its Private Parking Code of Practice before Parliament, under the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019. On 22 October 2026, when this page was checked, it was not in force.
- Parliament has 40 days to object. The 40 days stop running while Parliament is dissolved or prorogued, or while both Houses are adjourned for more than 4 days.
- If neither House objects, the government plans to issue the code on 30 November 2026.
- It comes into force 21 days after it is issued: about 21 December 2026 if that plan holds.
- It then replaces the industry's own code of practice, which operators follow until then. The arrangements for phasing in the new standards are to be published on GOV.UK when the code comes into force.
The code covers private car parks and private land in England, Wales and Scotland. Until it starts, the rules on the other private parking pages apply: private parking tickets and appealing a private parking charge.
What changes for drivers
- 5 minutes to decide. Every car park except pre-booked parking must give you at least 5 minutes after arriving to read the signs and decide whether to stay; free car parks with more than 500 spaces must give 10 minutes.
- 10 minutes to leave. Every car park except short-stay ones (under 30 minutes) must give you at least 10 minutes after your paid or free time ends. Both periods are minimums, not automatic cut-offs: operators must still look at the circumstances in an appeal.
- No charge if you pay before you leave a car park run with number plate cameras (for stays of more than 24 hours, pay within 24 hours of arriving), or, in a free camera car park, if you enter your number plate in the terminal before you leave. No charge either if you are stuck in traffic inside the car park, or if you decided not to park and were held up leaving.
- Charges cancelled on appeal, with reliable evidence, if you or a passenger fell ill, a medical appointment overran, childcare arrangements delayed you, the vehicle broke down, the payment machines were out of order with no other way to pay, you made a small slip typing your number plate, you stopped briefly to check directions, the emergency services or the landowner told you to drive in, an emergency forced you to drive in, or the operator broke the code.
- £20 for honest slips. After a first appeal, the charge is cut to £20, to be paid within 14 days, if you hold a valid permit but did not display it, entered the wrong number plate (such as a partner's car or your previous car), or did not enter your number plate in a terminal. This is no longer limited to the first time. For a Blue Badge that was not displayed, the £20 applies the first time.
- Late appeals. The operator must consider an appeal made after the 28 days for good reasons, such as a holiday or work trip, a hospital stay, a family emergency, a house move or the notice going to the wrong address. The 28 days then start again and any court action is paused.
- Appeals after paying. You can appeal within 30 days of paying if you had to pay to get out, for example at a barrier, or if evidence later shows the operator did wrong.
- A new address means a fresh start. If the operator finds a new address for you, it must send the notice again at the original amount, with another 28 days to pay or appeal.
- Clearer notices. A notice must say whether it relies on the keeper rules in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, must not assume the keeper was driving, and must not look like a council penalty. Every letter about a charge must link to a new GOV.UK guide for motorists, once that guide is published.
- Independent oversight. Once the code is in force, the government will start setting up a Scrutiny and Oversight Board, independent of both the parking industry and motorists' groups. It will review how well the code works, and whether the government should appoint a single appeals service.
- Certified operators. Independent bodies will certify that operators follow the code, and the trade associations will only be able to admit certified operators. This is expected to take until around April 2027; until then the trade associations' own sanction points continue.
What stays the same
- The £100 maximum charge.
- At least 40% off for paying within 14 days, so £60 or less on a £100 charge.
- The £70 limit on debt recovery fees, kept for now. The code says this does not mean the fee will be fair or recoverable in every case, and the government has said it will consult "as soon as possible next year" (2027) on cutting the limit or banning these fees.
- Two stages of appeal: the operator, then POPLA or the Independent Appeals Service. The government also plans stricter standards for these two services, with no date set yet: decision makers with no links to the parking industry, trade associations no longer owning or running them day to day, and appeals allowed where the operator did not apply the Appeals Charter correctly.
How the code is enforced
Breaking the code will not itself be an offence or a reason to sue an operator, but a court can take the code into account. The government must take an operator's record into account when deciding whether the DVLA gives it the keeper details it needs to chase unpaid charges, and whether a trade association stays accredited. An operator that breaks the code risks losing access to DVLA records.
How the code got here
Parliament passed the Parking (Code of Practice) Act in 2019. A first code was published in February 2022 but withdrawn in June 2022 after parking companies challenged its lower charges and its ban on debt recovery fees in the courts. After a call for evidence in 2023 and a consultation in 2025, which received 4,526 responses, the government laid this code on 20 October 2026.
We will update this page and the other private parking pages when the code comes into force.
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.