PCN code 50: performing a prohibited turn

Moving traffic PCN · England · Code 50 · Higher level outside London · Last checked 23 October 2026

Code 50 is used when a camera records a vehicle making a turn that a sign prohibits: a no-left, no-right or no U-turn. Councils outside London can only enforce it once they have been designated for moving traffic enforcement, and every one of these tickets depends on the sign the driver could see.

What code 50 means

50: Performing a prohibited turn

Standard wording as published in council code lists: Department for Transport statutory guidance, Annex B (suffixes: j camera enforcement, l no left turn, r no right turn, u no U-turn). Some councils use slightly different wording or add a letter suffix to the code.

A turn ban is created by a traffic order and shown by a circular sign with a red border (a crossed-out arrow). It may apply at all times or only at times shown on a plate below, and a plate may exempt some vehicles, such as buses or cycles.

Councils outside London need a designation order from the Secretary of State before they can enforce moving traffic contraventions. The statutory guidance says that before designation, a council's chief executive must confirm that the restrictions, signs and markings to be enforced have been reviewed, comply with the regulations and are in a good state of repair.

How much it costs

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.

Situations where code 50 is issued

• Turning at a junction where the ban applies only at peak times, without seeing the time plate.
• A U-turn in a road where a no U-turn sign was some distance back.
• Satellite navigation routing a driver through a turn that was banned recently.
• A sign hidden by foliage, a parked van or roadworks.
• A driver in a vehicle covered by an "except" plate, such as a bus or a cycle, wrongly ticketed.

Evidence that matters

• The sign, from the driver's view. Photograph your approach to the junction at driving height, showing whether the sign was visible in time to choose another route. Note any obstruction.
• The time plate, if there is one, and the time on the PCN.
• Any "except" plate and whether your vehicle fits it.
• The camera footage or still images, free on request outside London (SI 2022/576 reg 3).
• When the ban started. If the layout is new, dated street-level imagery or local news can show the change, and supports a request about warning notices.

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

Representations often use the contravention did not occur (the sign was not visible, or the vehicle was exempt, or the time was outside the ban), the traffic order is invalid in rare cases where the order behind the sign was not properly made, or procedural impropriety. A turn made to avoid an obstruction or an accident may be a compelling reason.

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.

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 50

Can councils outside London fine me for a banned turn?

Yes, if they have been designated to enforce moving traffic contraventions under Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. The PCN comes by post, based on camera evidence.

I did not see the no right turn sign. Is that a defence?

It can be, if the sign was obscured, missing or not visible in time. Photograph your approach at driving height and include it with your representations.

Should I get a warning notice for a first banned turn?

Outside London, statutory guidance says councils should issue a warning notice for a first contravention at a camera location in the first 6 months of enforcement there.

Does EvidenceCanvas cover prohibited turn PCNs?

No. Its PCN route covers council parking PCNs in England only. This page is general information you can use yourself.

Related codes: Code 52: vehicle prohibited · Code 31: box junction · Code 53: pedestrian zone · 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; 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; 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.