PCN code 05: parked after the expiry of paid for time
Code 05 means the vehicle was in an on-street pay and display or pay-by-phone bay after the time paid for had run out. It is a lower level code. The detail that matters most is the 10-minute grace period: by law, a PCN must not be issued until the vehicle has overstayed by more than 10 minutes.
What code 05 means
05: Parked after the expiry of paid for time
Standard wording as published in council code lists: Knowsley Council and Wandsworth Council. Some councils use slightly different wording or add a letter suffix to the code.
The officer records the expiry time on the ticket on display, or on the cashless parking session for the vehicle registration, and the time they saw the vehicle still there. In car parks the equivalent code is 82.
The grace period. Regulation 5 of SI 2022/71 says no penalty charge may be imposed where a vehicle in a designated parking place is left beyond the permitted parking period by no more than 10 minutes. So the gap between the expiry time and the time of the PCN must be more than 10 minutes.
How much it costs
| Where | Penalty | If paid within the discount period |
|---|---|---|
| England outside London (council's band 1 or band 2) | £40 or £50 | £20 or £25 |
| London (band A or band B, from 7 April 2025) | £110 or £90 | £55 or £45 |
This is a lower level code. Outside London the bands are set by Schedule 3 to SI 2022/71; London levels are set for all boroughs together. If a charge certificate is issued, the penalty goes up by 50%. Check the amount on your PCN against the published level for your area: charging the higher level for a lower level contravention is a ground for representations.
Situations where code 05 is issued
- Returning a few minutes after the ticket ran out.
- Trying to extend a phone or app session, and the extension failing or being refused because the maximum stay had been reached.
- Buying a ticket for the wrong length of time, or misreading the tariff board.
- A clock difference between the ticket machine and the officer's handheld device.
What to check first
- The 10 minutes. Compare the expiry time on your ticket or app receipt with the time on the PCN. If the gap is 10 minutes or less, the penalty charge should not have been imposed.
- The clocks. Ticket machine clocks can drift. A photo of the machine's display next to a phone clock, taken soon afterwards, can help.
- The payment record. For cashless parking, the session record shows the registration, location code, start and end. A typo in the registration or the wrong location code is a common cause of PCNs where payment was in fact made.
Grounds and evidence that fit code 05
Representations usually rely on the contravention did not occur (paid time had not expired, or the overstay was within the grace period) or, where payment was made but recorded wrongly, ask the council to exercise its discretion. Evidence that matters:
- The original pay and display ticket, kept flat, or a screenshot and email receipt for the app session.
- A bank or card statement showing the payment and its time.
- The officer's photos of the ticket on display.
- Photos of the tariff board and maximum-stay signs, if the instructions were unclear.
Common pitfalls
The grace period covers the end of paid time, not the time it took to find a working machine at the start. Codes for not paying at all (06, or 11 for some pay-by-phone bays) are different. If you were late because of something outside your control, such as a medical appointment overrunning, that is a "compelling reasons" request, which the council can consider but does not have to accept. Keep it separate from the legal grounds.
Deadlines for this PCN
This code is usually issued by a civil enforcement officer, with the PCN fixed to the vehicle or handed to the driver. The clock runs from the dates on your notices, and post is treated as served on the second working day after posting (SI 2022/71 reg 3).
| Stage | Time limit |
|---|---|
| Discounted payment | 14 days, beginning with the day the PCN was served |
| Informal challenge | Any time before a Notice to Owner; challenging inside the 14 days keeps the discount question open, and councils should consider re-offering it if they reject an early challenge |
| Notice to Owner | Can be sent once 28 days pass without payment, and normally within 6 months (reg 20) |
| Formal representations | 28 days, beginning with the day the Notice to Owner is served |
| Council's decision | 56 days from receiving your representations, or they are treated as accepted (SI 2022/576 reg 6) |
| Appeal to the tribunal | 28 days, beginning with the day the Notice of Rejection is served (reg 7) |
The dates printed on your own notices set your deadlines; where the count is in doubt, work to the earlier date. Our stage-by-stage guide to council PCNs explains each stage, and the one-page PCN deadlines checklist has space to write your own dates.
Questions people ask about code 05
- How many minutes grace do I get before a code 05 PCN?
- The regulations give 10 minutes after the paid time ends. A PCN for code 05 should only be issued if the vehicle is still there more than 10 minutes after the expiry time.
- My app session was paid but I still got a code 05. What now?
- Check the session record for the registration and location code. If both are right and the time had not run out, send the receipt with your representations. If you typed something wrong, explain it and include proof of payment.
- Is code 05 a higher or lower level PCN?
- Lower level. Outside London that is £40 or £50 depending on the council's band, halved if paid within the discount period.
- Can I pay again to stay longer?
- Only if the signs allow it. Many bays have a maximum stay and some councils prohibit buying a second ticket to extend the stay. Check the tariff board.
Related codes: Code 06: no valid ticket displayed · Code 19: invalid permit or ticket · Code 30: overstayed a free bay · All contravention codes
Last checked 23 October 2026. Sources: Knowsley Council, Standard PCN codes: on-street; Wandsworth Council, PCN contravention codes (London levels); SI 2022/71 reg 5 (10-minute grace period); SI 2022/71 Schedule 3 (penalty bands outside London); Wandsworth Council, London-wide penalty charge changes from 7 April 2025; SI 2022/71 (General Provisions Regulations 2022); SI 2022/576 reg 5 (grounds for representations); Traffic Penalty Tribunal; London Tribunals. General information about council enforcement in England, not legal advice about your ticket. Wales has its own regulations; Scotland and Northern Ireland have different systems.