Appealing against a penalty charge notice (PCN)
You can challenge a council Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) in up to three stages: with the council informally, with the council formally, and then with an independent adjudicator. Challenging and appealing cost nothing. The main risk is losing the 50% discount for paying early, so the time limits below matter.
How you start depends on how you got the PCN.
If the PCN was put on your vehicle or handed to you
- Informal challenge. Write to the council, usually online, saying why the PCN should be cancelled. Do it within 14 days of the date of the PCN if you can. Many councils hold the penalty at the discounted rate while they consider a challenge made in that time, but they do not have to, so check what the council says. If they reject it, the official guidance in England and in Wales recommends that they consider offering the discount for a further 14 days.
- Notice to Owner. If the penalty is not paid, the council can send a Notice to Owner to the registered keeper. It cannot be sent until the 28 days given on the PCN have passed, and not more than 6 months after the PCN. It asks for the full penalty.
- Formal representations. You then have 28 days from the Notice to Owner to make formal representations to the council, on the legal grounds or compelling reasons. This is a fresh chance even if your informal challenge was rejected. The council must reply within 56 days. If it does not, your representations count as accepted and the penalty is cancelled.
- Appeal to the adjudicator. If the council rejects your representations, it sends a Notice of Rejection. You then have 28 days to appeal to the independent adjudicator.
If the PCN came by post
A council sends a PCN by post when the contravention was caught on an approved camera, or when the civil enforcement officer was prevented from issuing it or the vehicle was driven away before they could finish. A postal PCN is the formal notice, so there is no informal stage and no separate Notice to Owner, except for London bus lane PCNs (below).
The council must serve a postal parking PCN within 28 days of the contravention, or within 6 months if it asked the DVLA for the keeper's details within 14 days and did not get them in time. If yours came later, say so in your representations.
- Formal representations to the council within 28 days of the PCN being served.
- Appeal to the adjudicator within 28 days of the Notice of Rejection, if the council rejects them.
London bus lane PCNs work differently. The PCN asks for payment within 28 days, and many councils will consider an informal challenge in that time. If it is not paid, the council sends an Enforcement Notice, and you make formal representations within 28 days of that notice. See how to fight a bus lane or bus gate penalty.
You can pay at the discounted rate within 21 days for a camera parking PCN, or within 14 days when the PCN was posted because the officer could not issue it. In London, bus lane and moving traffic PCNs have a 14-day discount period. In Wales, if the council rejects your representations against a postal PCN, it must by law offer the discount again for a further 21 days.
Time limits at a glance
| Stage | Time limit |
|---|---|
| Pay at the 50% discount | Within 14 days of the PCN (21 days for a camera parking PCN sent by post) |
| Postal parking PCN served | Within 28 days of the contravention, or 6 months if the council is waiting for the keeper's details from the DVLA |
| Informal challenge (PCN on the vehicle) | Best within 14 days, so the council can keep the discount open |
| Notice to Owner | Not before the 28 days on the PCN have passed, and no later than 6 months after the PCN |
| Formal representations | Within 28 days of the Notice to Owner or postal PCN (for a London bus lane PCN, of the Enforcement Notice) |
| Council's decision | Within 56 days of your representations, or they count as accepted |
| Appeal to the adjudicator | Within 28 days of the Notice of Rejection |
| Charge certificate (penalty increased by 50%) | Can be sent if the penalty is still unpaid 28 days after the Notice to Owner or postal PCN (when no representations were made), the Notice of Rejection (when there was no appeal) or the adjudicator's decision |
If you miss a deadline because of something outside your control, contact the council straight away: councils and adjudicators can accept late representations and appeals when there is a good reason. Ignoring a PCN leads to the steps described in paying a PCN.
Where to appeal
Always challenge the council first. Only once the council has rejected your formal representations can you appeal to the adjudicator:
- London Tribunals for PCNs from London boroughs and Transport for London.
- The Traffic Penalty Tribunal for PCNs from councils in England outside London and in Wales.
The process and the legal grounds are the same in England and Wales. To contact your council, see the list of council parking pages.
A Parking Charge Notice from a private car park operator is not a council penalty: these steps and tribunals do not apply to it. See appealing a private parking charge.
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.