How to appeal a council parking PCN, stage by stage
A council parking ticket runs through a fixed set of stages, each with its own deadline. If you know which stage you are at, you know what you can do next and by when. This guide covers council parking Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) in England, from the ticket on the windscreen to the court order stage.
First: is it a council PCN or a private parking charge?
Look at who issued it and what it is called.
- A Penalty Charge Notice from a council (or TfL in London) is a civil penalty under the Traffic Management Act 2004. This guide is about these.
- A Parking Charge Notice from a private company, for example at a supermarket or retail park, is a claim for money under a contract. It follows a different route, covered at the end.
- A Fixed Penalty Notice from the police is different again, and goes through the magistrates' court.
The stages below apply to council parking PCNs in England, under two sets of regulations from 2022: SI 2022/71 (general provisions) and SI 2022/576 (representations and appeals). Wales has its own regulations with similar stages, and Welsh appeals also go to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.
Stage 1: the ticket, the discount and the informal challenge
You have 28 days to pay a PCN. If you pay within the discount period, you usually pay half. The discount period is:
- 14 days for a ticket fixed to the car or handed to the driver;
- 21 days for a ticket sent by post on the basis of camera evidence.
Informal challenge. For a ticket on the windscreen, you can challenge informally straight away, usually through the council's website. Say clearly why you think the ticket is wrong and send your evidence, such as photographs of the signs or lines, a receipt or a valid permit. The council has discretion to cancel a ticket at any stage, including for compelling reasons such as a breakdown or a medical emergency.
The government's statutory guidance says councils should consider re-offering the discount for a further 14 days if they reject a challenge made within the discount period. Many councils do this as policy. Check your council's PCN pages.
Tickets sent by post. If your ticket came by post, for example from a camera, there is usually no informal stage. The postal ticket itself starts the 28-day window for formal representations, described in stage 2.
Our informal challenge guide goes into the detail of this stage.
The code printed on your ticket says which restriction the council thinks was broken. Our guide to PCN contravention codes explains each common code and what to check.
Stage 2: the Notice to Owner and formal representations
If a windscreen ticket is not paid within 28 days, the council can send a Notice to Owner to the registered keeper. It must do so within six months in the normal case.
The Notice to Owner starts the formal stage. You have 28 days, beginning with the day it is served, to make formal representations. Post is normally treated as served on the second working day after it was sent. Late representations can be disregarded, so count carefully and act early.
Formal representations must rely on one or more of the grounds set out in the regulations. In plain words, they are:
- the contravention did not occur;
- you were not the owner of the vehicle at the time;
- the vehicle had been taken without your consent;
- you are a hire firm and the vehicle was on hire under a qualifying agreement;
- the penalty is more than the amount that applies;
- the council made a procedural mistake (procedural impropriety);
- the traffic order behind the restriction is invalid;
- for a ticket sent by post because the officer was prevented from serving it, that the officer was not in fact prevented;
- the penalty has already been paid in full.
"Someone else was driving" is not a ground on its own: the registered keeper is liable. You can also ask the council to cancel for compelling reasons, even if no ground applies. Our guides to the grounds and the evidence each needs and what makes a PCN invalid go into each one, and the appeal letter template shows a layout.
Stage 3: the council's decision, and its 56-day deadline
The council must serve its decision within 56 days of receiving your formal representations. If it does not, the representations are treated as accepted, and the council must cancel the notice and refund anything you paid. Keep proof of when you sent your representations: without it, it is your word against the council's system.
If the council accepts your representations, the PCN is cancelled.
If it rejects them, you receive a Notice of Rejection. It explains how to appeal and warns that a charge certificate may follow. You then have 28 days to pay or to appeal.
Stage 4: the independent tribunal
You can appeal to an independent adjudicator within 28 days of the Notice of Rejection being served. The adjudicator can allow a late appeal in some cases.
- Outside London, appeals go to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. It also hears appeals from Wales.
- In London, appeals go to London Tribunals (the Environment and Traffic Adjudicators).
Appealing costs nothing. The adjudicators are independent lawyers. If your appeal is refused, you pay the full penalty, not the discounted amount, usually within 28 days. If the adjudicator finds no ground but sees compelling reasons, they can recommend that the council cancels. The council then has 35 days to respond; if it does not, the recommendation is treated as accepted.
If nothing is paid or challenged: charge certificate and Order for Recovery
If a PCN is not paid and no representations or appeal are made in time, the council can serve a charge certificate, which increases the penalty by 50%. At this stage there is no further representation or appeal route.
If the increased amount is not paid within 14 days, the council can register the debt at the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC), which is an office of the County Court, and an Order for Recovery follows.
You then have 21 days, beginning with the day the order is served, to pay or to file a witness statement on court form TE13 with the TEC (not the council). You tick one reason only:
- A. you did not receive the Notice to Owner (or other enforcement notice);
- B. you made representations within 28 days but did not receive a rejection;
- C. you appealed within 28 days but received no response, or the appeal was not decided before the charge certificate, or it was decided in your favour;
- D. you had already paid in full.
TE13 carries a statement of truth. Making a false statement in it can lead to proceedings for contempt of court. If the statement is valid, the order is revoked and the charge certificate cancelled. For reason A the council may then serve a fresh notice; for the others the matter goes to the adjudicator.
If you are past the 21 days, or need more time, form TE14 asks for permission to file late. Gov.uk published TE13 and TE14 on the TEC forms page on 14 October 2026. Older guidance may still name forms TE9 and TE7. Use the form your order names.
After this stage, the council can pass the debt to enforcement agents (bailiffs), whose fees are set by law. If that is where you are, get free debt advice now:
The deadlines in one table
| Stage | What starts the clock | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| Discount | Ticket served | 14 days (21 for a camera ticket by post) |
| Pay in full | Ticket served | 28 days |
| Formal representations | Notice to Owner (or postal ticket) served | 28 days |
| Council's decision | Your representations received | 56 days, or treated as accepted |
| Tribunal appeal | Notice of Rejection served | 28 days |
| Charge certificate | 28 days without payment or challenge | Penalty plus 50% |
| Order for Recovery | Charge certificate unpaid for 14 days | 21 days to pay or file TE13 |
The dates printed on your own notices set your deadlines. Councils often print "within 28 days from" a date, which can be one day later than the regulations' "beginning with" count. Working to the earlier date never loses you anything.
Private parking charges: a different route
A private parking charge is not a PCN under the 2004 Act, and the council tribunals cannot hear it. You challenge the operator first. If that fails, you can appeal to POPLA (for members of the British Parking Association) or the Independent Appeals Service (for members of the International Parking Community). Under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Schedule 4, the registered keeper can be liable if certain conditions are met. Do not ignore a private charge either: unpaid charges can be pursued through the courts. Gov.uk's challenging a parking ticket page covers both routes.
Where EvidenceCanvas fits. EvidenceCanvas covers council parking PCNs in England. You enter the dates on your own notices and it works out each deadline, showing the regulation behind each date and the earlier date where counting is in doubt. You choose the ground; it drafts formal representations from the facts you type, marking anything you still need to confirm. It does not send anything to the council or the tribunal, and it never tells you whether to pay. At the Order for Recovery stage it works out the 21-day date and names the TE13 and TE14 forms, but it does not fill them in. It does not cover private parking charges, bus lanes or moving traffic, such as box junctions. Our comparison of PCN appeal services sets out the alternatives, including doing it yourself.
Questions people ask
- How long do I have to appeal a council PCN?
- For a windscreen ticket, you can challenge informally straight away. Formal representations are due within 28 days of the Notice to Owner being served. A tribunal appeal is due within 28 days of the Notice of Rejection. The dates on your own notices set your deadlines.
- Is it worth appealing a PCN?
- Only you can decide, on your facts. Appealing to the tribunal is free, and the council should consider re-offering the discount if it rejects an early challenge. If the tribunal refuses your appeal, you pay the full penalty rather than the discounted amount.
- What happens if the council does not reply to my representations?
- The council must serve its decision within 56 days of receiving your formal representations. If it does not, the representations are treated as accepted, and the council must cancel the notice and refund anything paid. Keep proof of when you sent them.
- What is an Order for Recovery for a parking ticket?
- It is the court stage. If a charge certificate is unpaid for 14 days, the council can register the debt at the Traffic Enforcement Centre. You then have 21 days to pay or file a witness statement on form TE13, or ask for more time on form TE14.
- What is the TE9 form?
- TE9 was the older witness statement form for an unpaid penalty charge. Since 14 October 2026, gov.uk lists form TE13 for this stage and TE14 for late statements. Older guidance may still name TE9 and TE7. Use the form your order names.
Checked on 21 October 2026, from the V08 and V09 fact checks of 17 and 18 October 2026: Traffic Management Act 2004, Part 6; SI 2022/71 (regs 2, 20 to 23, Schedule 2); SI 2022/576 (regs 5 to 7); DfT statutory guidance on parking enforcement; gov.uk, challenging a parking ticket and the court order stage; Traffic Enforcement Centre forms (TE13, TE14, PE3); Traffic Penalty Tribunal; London Tribunals; Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Schedule 4. General information about council parking enforcement in England, not legal advice about your ticket.