PCN code 31: entering and stopping in a box junction when prohibited
Code 31 is a camera-enforced moving traffic contravention. The rule is narrower than many drivers think: it is not about stopping in the box, but about entering it so that you then have to stop because of stationary vehicles. What happened at the moment you entered is what counts.
What code 31 means
31: Entering and stopping in a box junction when prohibited
Standard wording as published in council code lists: Department for Transport statutory guidance, Annex B and Wandsworth Council; camera PCNs often show it as 31j. Some councils use slightly different wording or add a letter suffix to the code.
Paragraph 11 of Schedule 9 Part 7 to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 says the yellow criss-cross marking means that a person must not cause a vehicle to enter the box junction so that the vehicle has to stop within it due to the presence of stationary vehicles. A vehicle that stops with only part of it inside the box counts as being within it.
The Department for Transport's statutory guidance tells councils that the contravention can only occur because of circumstances present when the vehicle enters the box, and not as a result of anything unexpected that happens afterwards.
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 (within 21 days) |
| London (all boroughs, from 7 April 2025) | £160 | £80 |
Outside London, bus lane and moving traffic contraventions are all charged at the higher level of the council's band (SI 2022/71, Schedule 3). If a charge certificate is issued, the penalty goes up by 50%. Your PCN states the amount and the discount period that apply to you.
The right-turn exemption
At a box junction at a junction between roads, the prohibition does not apply to a driver who enters the box to turn right and stops only for as long as they are prevented from completing the turn by oncoming traffic, or by other vehicles waiting to turn right (TSRGD 2016 Schedule 9 Part 7 para 11(3); Highway Code rule 174). This exemption applies to junction boxes. It does not apply to boxes at roundabouts or gyratory systems, where the Highway Code says you must not enter the box unless you can cross it completely without stopping.
Emergency services are also exempt where obeying the rule would hinder them.
Situations where code 31 is issued
- Following the vehicle in front into the box, then stopping when traffic beyond the exit stopped.
- Entering with a clear exit, then another vehicle cut in from a side lane and took the space.
- Waiting to turn right behind another right-turning vehicle (often exempt).
- Stopping because a pedestrian stepped out at the exit.
- Edging forward in queuing traffic and stopping with the rear of the vehicle still over the yellow lines.
Evidence that matters
- The camera footage. Ask for it: outside London you can view the recording or get still images free of charge (SI 2022/576 reg 3). Watch the moment of entry frame by frame. Was the exit clear at that point?
- Your own dashcam, which often shows the space beyond the exit better than the council's camera.
- Why you stopped. If it was a pedestrian, a cyclist or a vehicle that moved into your path after you entered, the stop was not due to stationary vehicles present when you entered.
- The marking. Photographs of the box, and whether its extent is clear. The guidance warns councils against enforcing boxes where the exit cannot be seen before entering.
First-time warning notices
The Department for Transport's statutory guidance says councils outside London should issue a warning notice, not a PCN, for a first moving traffic contravention at a camera location during the first 6 months of enforcement there, including at any new camera location. If your PCN came from a camera that had recently started, and it was your first contravention there, ask the council when enforcement began at that location. Councils must have regard to the guidance, and an adjudicator may treat an unexplained failure to follow it as a procedural impropriety.
Grounds that often fit
The grounds for a camera PCN include that the contravention did not occur, procedural impropriety (including failure to follow the warning-notice guidance without explanation) and that the penalty exceeded the amount applicable. "I was only stopped for a second or two" does not answer the rule on its own; what matters is why you stopped and what the exit looked like when you entered.
Deadlines for this PCN
Outside London, these PCNs come only from approved cameras and arrive by post. There is no windscreen ticket, no informal stage and no Notice to Owner: the PCN itself starts the formal process.
| Stage | Time limit (England outside London) |
|---|---|
| PCN sent | Normally within 28 days of the contravention; longer only if the DVLA was asked for keeper details within 14 days and was late (SI 2022/71 reg 10) |
| Discounted payment | 21 days, beginning with the day the PCN is served (second working day after posting) |
| Representations | 28 days, beginning with the day the PCN is served |
| Camera evidence | You can ask to view the recording, or for still images, free of charge (SI 2022/576 reg 3) |
| Council's decision | 56 days, or the representations are treated as accepted (reg 6) |
| Tribunal appeal | 28 days from service of the Notice of Rejection, to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal |
In London, bus lane and moving traffic PCNs are issued under separate London legislation and appeals go to London Tribunals. The stages are similar, but follow the periods printed on your PCN.
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 31
- Is it a contravention just to stop in a yellow box?
- No. The rule is about entering the box so that you have to stop there because of stationary vehicles. If your exit was clear when you entered and something unexpected happened afterwards, that is different.
- Can I wait in a box junction to turn right?
- Yes, at a box at a junction, if you are stopped only by oncoming traffic or other vehicles waiting to turn right. This exemption does not apply to boxes at roundabouts.
- How do I see the box junction footage?
- Ask the council in writing. Outside London, you can view the recording or get still images free of charge under regulation 3 of SI 2022/576. Watch the moment you entered the box.
- Should I have had a warning notice?
- Outside London, statutory guidance says councils should send a warning notice for a first contravention at a camera location within 6 months of enforcement starting there. Ask when enforcement began.
- Does EvidenceCanvas cover box junction PCNs?
- No. Its PCN route covers council parking PCNs in England only. This page is general information you can use yourself.
Related codes: Code 50: prohibited turn · Code 34: bus lane · Code 52: vehicle prohibited · All contravention codes
Last checked 23 October 2026. Sources: DfT statutory guidance, Annex B: bus lane and moving traffic codes; DfT statutory guidance: bus lane and moving traffic enforcement outside London; TSRGD 2016, Schedule 9 Part 7 (box junctions, para 11); The Highway Code, rule 174 (box junctions); SI 2022/71 reg 10 (postal PCNs); SI 2022/576 reg 3 (right to see camera evidence); SI 2022/71 Schedule 3 (penalty bands outside London); Wandsworth Council, London-wide penalty charge changes from 7 April 2025; Wandsworth Council, PCN contravention codes (London levels); 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.