PCN code 52: failing to comply with a prohibition on certain types of vehicle
Code 52 covers signs that ban certain vehicles from a road: "no motor vehicles", timed school streets, weight limits for goods vehicles and some camera-enforced traffic filters. These restrictions usually carry exemptions on a plate, such as "except for access" or "except permit holders", and the plate is often where the answer lies.
What code 52 means
52: Failing to comply with a prohibition on certain types of vehicle
Standard wording as published in council code lists: Department for Transport statutory guidance, Annex B (suffixes include m motor vehicles, g goods vehicles over the weight shown, b buses, s solo motorcycles, j camera enforcement). Some councils use slightly different wording or add a letter suffix to the code.
The suffix on your PCN tells you which prohibition the council says applied. For example, 52m means motor vehicles were prohibited; 52g means goods vehicles over the weight shown were prohibited. Read the sign at the entry point and any plate beneath it. Plates commonly set times (for a school street, typically around the start and end of the school day) and exemptions.
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.
Situations where code 52 is issued
- Driving into a timed school street during its hours.
- Driving through a camera-enforced filter in a residential area.
- A van over the weight limit entering a road signed for lighter vehicles, when it was not loading there.
- A resident or carer with a valid exemption whose registration had not been added to the council's exemption list.
- A visitor to a home in the restricted road, under an "except for access" sign.
Exemptions and permits
- "Except for access" generally means you may enter if you need to get to premises in the restricted area. You may not use the road as a through route. Evidence of where you were going (an appointment, a delivery, a visit) is important.
- Permit or registration exemptions for residents, carers, Blue Badge holders or businesses are run by the council. If your vehicle should have been on the list, send proof of the exemption and when you applied.
- "Except for loading" plates on weight limits allow heavy vehicles in to load or unload at premises in the area.
Evidence that matters
- Photos of the entry sign and plate, from the driver's view, with the times and exemptions readable.
- The camera footage or still images, free on request outside London (SI 2022/576 reg 3).
- Proof of your destination for "except for access": a booking, an invoice, a letter from the person visited.
- Exemption or permit records, and the date you applied.
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 usually rely on the contravention did not occur (the vehicle was exempt, the time was outside the restriction, or the sign was not visible). If a traffic filter is new, ask when camera enforcement started there and whether a warning notice should have been sent.
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 52
- What does "except for access" mean on a code 52 sign?
- Generally that you may enter if you need to reach premises within the restricted area, but not to drive through it. Keep evidence of where you were going.
- I live in a school street. Why did I get a code 52?
- Residents usually need to be on the council's exemption list. Check whether your registration was registered, and send proof of the exemption and when you applied.
- What does the letter after 52 on my PCN mean?
- It is a suffix showing which vehicles the sign prohibits, for example m for motor vehicles or g for goods vehicles over the weight shown. A j means the PCN was issued from a camera.
- Does EvidenceCanvas cover code 52 PCNs?
- No. Its PCN route covers council parking PCNs in England only. This page is general information you can use yourself.
Related codes: Code 53: pedestrian zone · Code 50: prohibited turn · Code 34: bus lane · 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.