Guides
How each kind of parking ticket and penalty notice works in England and Wales, what the dates mean, and the grounds that get them cancelled. Written and checked by the ByeFine editorial team, with the official pages they come from. How we check our guides
Guides last updated .
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How do I appeal a parking ticket?
Start here: the steps in order, the letter, the dates and the free routes.
- Appealing a parking ticket Which kind of ticket you have, the steps in order for council and private tickets, what to put in an appeal and what happens next.
- PCN appeal letters What a strong challenge letter contains, what to leave out, the evidence that backs it up and how to send it.
- Notices to Owner What a council's Notice to Owner means, how it differs from a private company's Notice to Keeper, and the deadlines that follow each.
- Free routes and paid services Every free way to challenge a council or private parking ticket, where to get free help, and what to check before you pay a service to do it for you.
Council tickets and road penalties
Penalty Charge Notices from councils and Transport for London, by cameras or by an officer.
- Council parking tickets What a Penalty Charge Notice is, the dates that matter, and the grounds councils and tribunals accept.
- Bus lane penalties How camera-issued bus lane penalties work and what makes one worth challenging.
- Yellow box and banned turns The actual yellow box rule, the common camera mistakes, and the grounds that succeed.
- ULEZ and Clean Air Zones What you can and cannot argue against a road charge penalty, and who decides.
Private parking charges
Invoices from car park companies on private land.
What if my appeal is refused?
The independent services that decide next, all free to use yourself.
How does ByeFine check a notice?
What the free check reads and what an appeal from us will never say.
More guides
- Rail, tram and bus penalty fares What a penalty fare is, the four grounds the rules give for a train penalty fare, the short time limit, and where to get help.
- Tolls and crossing charges How crossing charges differ, who hears a challenge, the usual steps and what to check on the notice.
- Other penalties and charges How to tell what you have been sent, which penalties have a written way to challenge them, and the police and court papers ByeFine does not handle.
- Speeding notices What a speed camera sends you, the request for the driver's details that has its own time limit, the 14 day rule, and the grounds that can get a notice withdrawn.
- Red light, phone and other police tickets The two ways a police ticket can go, the dates on a fixed penalty notice and a conditional offer, what the camera or the officer has to show, and the grounds that are worth raising.
Which kind of ticket do I have?
The two kinds follow different rules and end at different appeal services. Your notice says which it is.
| Council or TfL ticket (a PCN) | Private parking charge | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A civil penalty set by law. Not a criminal fine: it does not go on your licence. | An invoice from a company that says you broke the terms on its signs. Not a fine. |
| Who issues it | A council or Transport for London. | A private company that runs the car park. |
| Your first challenge goes to | The council, in a formal challenge. If you ignore the ticket, a Notice to Owner follows to the registered keeper. | The company itself, in an appeal. |
| If they refuse | An independent adjudicator, free: London Tribunals for a London ticket, the Traffic Penalty Tribunal for the rest of England and Wales. See tribunal appeals. | POPLA if the company belongs to the British Parking Association, the IAS if it belongs to the International Parking Community. Both are free, within 28 days of the refusal. See POPLA and IAS appeals. |
| Who can be held liable | The registered keeper, once the council has sent a Notice to Owner. | The driver. The keeper only if the company follows the strict notice rules in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. |
These guides are general information, not legal advice. The rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and every notice prints its own dates: always go by the notice in your hand.