PCN contravention codes: what each one means
Every council Penalty Charge Notice carries a two-digit contravention code. It tells you what the council says happened and whether the higher or lower penalty applies. Find your code below for what it means, the exemptions that matter, the evidence worth gathering and your deadlines.
This list covers the codes councils in England use most often. It is based on the standard code lists councils publish (for example Knowsley and Wandsworth) and the Department for Transport's list of bus lane and moving traffic codes. Codes 80 to 99 are mostly used in council car parks; code 99 is the exception, used on the street at pedestrian crossings.
Check who issued it first. These codes appear on PCNs from councils (and TfL in London). A "Parking Charge Notice" from a private company at a supermarket or retail park is a different thing, with its own appeal route: see our stage-by-stage guide.
Waiting and loading restrictions
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| Code 01 Higher level | Parked on a single or double yellow line while the restriction applied. Official wording: Parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours |
| Code 02 Higher level | Waited, or loaded or unloaded, where yellow kerb marks show a loading ban. Official wording: Parked or loading/unloading in a restricted street where waiting and loading/unloading restrictions are in force |
| Code 25 Higher level | Parked in an on-street loading bay during its hours without loading or unloading. Official wording: Parked in a loading place during restricted hours without loading |
| Code 27 Higher level | Parked across a dropped kerb at a driveway or pedestrian crossing point. Official wording: Parked in a special enforcement area adjacent to a footway, cycle track or verge lowered to meet the level of the carriageway |
| Code 62 Higher level | Parked with one or more wheels on the pavement, verge or land between carriageways. Official wording: Parked with one or more wheels on or over a footpath or any part of a road other than a carriageway |
Paid parking, permits and bays
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| Code 05 Lower level | Stayed in a paid on-street bay after the time paid for ran out. Official wording: Parked after the expiry of paid for time |
| Code 06 Lower level | Parked in a pay and display bay without a valid ticket clearly on show. Official wording: Parked without clearly displaying a valid pay and display ticket or voucher |
| Code 12 Higher level | Parked in a residents' or shared-use bay without a permit, voucher or ticket. Official wording: Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place or zone without clearly displaying either a permit or voucher or pay and display ticket issued for that place |
| Code 16 Higher level | Parked in a bay reserved for a specific permit, such as a business or doctor's bay, without one. Official wording: Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid permit |
| Code 19 Lower level | Displayed a permit, voucher or ticket in a residents' or shared bay that was not valid there. Official wording: Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place or zone displaying an invalid permit, an invalid voucher or an invalid pay and display ticket |
| Code 21 Higher level | Parked in a bay that had been suspended, for example for works or a removal. Official wording: Parked wholly or partly in a suspended bay or space |
| Code 23 Higher level | Parked in a bay reserved for another type of vehicle, such as motorcycles or car club cars. Official wording: Parked in a parking place or area not designated for that class of vehicle |
| Code 24 Lower level | Parked with part of the vehicle outside the marked bay. Official wording: Not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space |
| Code 30 Lower level | Stayed longer than the maximum time in a free limited-waiting bay. Official wording: Parked for longer than permitted |
| Code 40 Higher level | Parked in a disabled bay without a valid Blue Badge correctly displayed. Official wording: Parked in a designated disabled person's parking place without clearly displaying a valid disabled person's badge in the prescribed manner |
| Code 83 Lower level | Parked in a council car park without a valid pay and display ticket clearly on show. Official wording: Parked in a car park without clearly displaying a valid pay & display ticket or voucher or parking clock |
Stopping restrictions (some camera-enforced)
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| Code 47 Higher level | Stopped, even briefly, on a bus stop clearway during its hours. Official wording: Stopped on a restricted bus stop or stand |
| Code 48 Higher level | Stopped on school keep clear zig-zags while the upright sign showed the restriction applied. Official wording: Stopped in a restricted area outside a school when prohibited |
| Code 99 Higher level | Stopped on a pedestrian crossing or the zig-zag area either side of it. Official wording: Stopped on a pedestrian crossing or crossing area marked by zig-zags |
Bus lanes and moving traffic (camera-enforced)
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| Code 31 Higher level | Entered a yellow box junction and had to stop because the exit was not clear. Official wording: Entering and stopping in a box junction when prohibited |
| Code 34 Higher level | Drove in a bus lane during its hours of operation without being a permitted vehicle. Official wording: Being in a bus lane |
| Code 50 Higher level | Made a banned left turn, right turn or U-turn at a camera-enforced site. Official wording: Performing a prohibited turn |
| Code 52 Higher level | Drove where a sign bans that type of vehicle, for example a timed school street or a traffic filter. Official wording: Failing to comply with a prohibition on certain types of vehicle |
| Code 53 Higher level | Drove into a pedestrian zone while vehicles were restricted. Official wording: Failing to comply with a restriction on vehicles entering a pedestrian zone |
What to do next, whatever the code
- Write down the date the PCN was served and work out the 14-day discount date (21 days for a camera PCN sent by post).
- Photograph the signs, lines and bay markings at the location, from where the driver would have seen them, as soon as you can.
- Ask the council for its photos or camera footage.
- Read the code's page for the exemptions and the evidence that fits it.
- Follow the stages in our PCN appeal guide and keep the deadlines checklist next to your notices.
Questions people ask
- Where is the contravention code on my PCN?
- It is a two-digit number printed near the description of the alleged contravention, sometimes followed by a letter suffix such as j (camera enforcement). The code tells you which restriction the council says you broke and whether the higher or lower penalty applies.
- What is the difference between higher and lower level codes?
- Higher level codes cover the more serious contraventions, such as parking where parking is not allowed at all. Lower level codes cover parking in a place where parking is allowed but without the right payment or for too long. Outside London the levels are £70 and £50 in band 2, or £60 and £40 in band 1. In London they are higher.
- Are the codes the same everywhere in England?
- Councils across England use a standard list of codes, so code 01 means the same in Leeds as in Lambeth. The wording can differ slightly between councils, and some councils add letter suffixes. Moving traffic codes are only used by councils that have been designated to enforce them.
- Does the code decide whether I can challenge?
- No. Any PCN can be challenged on the statutory grounds, such as the contravention did not occur or the council made a procedural mistake. The code tells you which rules and exemptions to check, and which evidence matters most.
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); DfT statutory guidance, Annex B: bus lane and moving traffic codes; SI 2022/71 Schedule 3 (penalty bands outside London); Wandsworth Council, London-wide penalty charge changes from 7 April 2025; SI 2022/576 reg 5 (grounds for representations); Traffic Management Act 2004, Part 6. General information about council enforcement in England, not legal advice.