I parked before the suspension signs went up. Can I challenge a code 21?

You can. Ask the council for its record of when the signs were placed and send any evidence showing when you parked, such as dated photos or travel bookings.

How much notice must the council give of a bay suspension?

Councils set notice periods in their own suspension policies. Ask for the policy and the record for your bay, and compare the two.

The suspension only covered part of the bay. Is my ticket valid?

Check whether the signs made clear which part of the bay was suspended, and where the vehicle was. Photos showing the distance between the sign and the vehicle are useful evidence.

Is code 21 higher or lower level?

Higher level. Outside London that is £60 or £70 depending on the council's band, halved if paid within the discount period.

PCN code 21: parked wholly or partly in a suspended bay or space

Council parking PCN · England · Code 21 · Higher level · Last checked 23 October 2026

Code 21 is issued when a vehicle is in a bay the council has suspended, usually for building works, a house move, filming or an event. The suspension is shown by temporary signs, often a yellow notice on the post or bags over the bay sign. Timing is everything: when the signs went up, and when the vehicle was parked.

What code 21 means

21: Parked wholly or partly in a suspended bay or space

Standard wording as published in council code lists: Knowsley Council and Wandsworth Council (Knowsley: "Parked in a suspended bay or space or part of bay or space"). Some councils use slightly different wording or add a letter suffix to the code.

A suspension temporarily removes the right to park in a bay, or part of one. Redcar and Cleveland's published code list describes the usual signs: a placard, cones, or posts and flags, placed within the bay where possible, or as close as reasonably practicable. Wandsworth describes a yellow sign giving the dates, times and area suspended.

Code 21 is higher level, so a suspension ticket costs more than an overstay in the same bay.

How much it costs

Where	Penalty	If paid within the discount period
England outside London (council's band 1 or band 2)	£60 or £70	£30 or £35
London (band A or band B, from 7 April 2025)	£160 or £140	£80 or £70

This is a higher 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%. The amount printed on your PCN is the one that applies to you: if it does not match the published level for your area, that is itself a ground for representations.

Situations where code 21 is issued

A vehicle parked legally overnight, and a suspension started the next morning.
A resident away for a week returned to find a PCN for a suspension signed while they were away.
The suspension sign was on one post but the bay was long, and the vehicle was at the far end.
The suspension covered only part of the bay, and it was not clear which part.
The suspension sign gave dates that did not match the day of the PCN.

The questions that decide it

When were the signs put up, and when was the vehicle parked? Ask the council for its record of when the suspension signs were placed and checked. If you can show the vehicle was there before, say so with evidence.
Were the signs clear and close enough? Was the sign visible from where the vehicle was, and did it say which bays or which length of bay?
Do the dates and times on the sign cover the time on the PCN?

Grounds and evidence that fit code 21

The contravention did not occur: the suspension was not in force at that time, or did not cover where the vehicle was, or was not adequately signed.
Procedural impropriety, if the council did not follow its own suspension procedure.
Evidence: dated photos of the vehicle in place before the suspension (phone photos keep a timestamp); travel tickets or bookings showing you were away; photos of the suspension notice and its distance from the vehicle; the council's suspension record.

Common pitfalls

If the vehicle was moved by the council to another street ("relocated") rather than removed to a pound, check whether any PCN or fee is involved, and ask where it was taken. Keep representations factual about timing. If you could not have seen the signs because you were away, the travel evidence carries the weight, not the frustration, understandable as it is.

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 21

I parked before the suspension signs went up. Can I challenge a code 21?: You can. Ask the council for its record of when the signs were placed and send any evidence showing when you parked, such as dated photos or travel bookings.
How much notice must the council give of a bay suspension?: Councils set notice periods in their own suspension policies. Ask for the policy and the record for your bay, and compare the two.
The suspension only covered part of the bay. Is my ticket valid?: Check whether the signs made clear which part of the bay was suspended, and where the vehicle was. Photos showing the distance between the sign and the vehicle are useful evidence.
Is code 21 higher or lower level?: Higher level. Outside London that is £60 or £70 depending on the council's band, halved if paid within the discount period.

Last checked 23 October 2026. Sources: Knowsley Council, Standard PCN codes: on-street; Redcar and Cleveland Council, PCN contravention codes and charges; Wandsworth Council, PCN contravention codes (London levels); 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.