Parking fines are issued if you park in a council car park without paying or if you park on private land without following the rules.
Penalty charge notices differ from private parking charges in a couple of ways, which I’ll explain in this post.
I’ll also explain what the two different parking fines are and how to figure out if you need to pay or not.
Difference between parking charge notices and penalty charge notices
The first thing I want to do is clear up some confusion. This confusion was created by private car park companies who want you to think their charges have the same legal weight as the council’s.
They don’t.
A penalty charge notice (PCN) is a fine issued by a local authority for parking illegally on public land.
A parking charge notice (PCN) is a charge issued by a private company for parking illegally on private land.
Both look very similar, both sound very official and both often use emotive language and threat to convince you to pay.
Here’s a table that summarises the key differences between PCNs and parking charge notices:
| Feature | Penalty charge notice | Parking charge notice |
| Issued by | Local authority | Private company |
| Land | Public land | Private land |
| Enforcement | Stronger | Weaker |
| Appeal process | More complicated | Simpler |
Penalty charge notice
PCNs are fines issued by local authorities for a variety of parking infractions, including parking in a disabled bay without a permit, parking in a loading bay, and parking in a restricted zone.
PCNs are enforced by the local authority. If you do not pay a PCN, you may be taken to court.
Fines range from £50 to £200 depending on where you live in the country and the infraction you’re being fined for.
You have 28 days to pay the charge. If you don’t pay on time, 50% is added to the fine as a ‘charge certificate’.
If you don’t pay, you’ll probably receive a court order demanding payment and may have to go to court.
Parking charge notice
Parking charge notices are issued by private companies for a variety of parking infractions, including overstaying your parking time, parking in a restricted area, and parking without displaying a valid parking permit.
Parking charge notices are not enforced by the police or the courts, and they are typically much lower than PCNs.
However, if you do not pay it, the private company may take further action such as sending debt collectors.
Fines can range from £20 up to £300-400. There’s no upper limit.
You are typically told you have 14 or 28 days to pay otherwise further action may be taken.
However, private companies have no power to send court orders. Parking charge notices are not fines, they are invoices and do not carry the same weight in law.
What to do if you receive a penalty charge notice
If you receive a penalty charge notice from the council, your first action is to check it. Make sure it was you in that place at that time.
If it was you, there may be a discount offered for paying within 14 days. I suggest paying quickly if possible.
If it wasn’t you, or there was a good reason, you can appeal your PCN. The paperwork should include appeal instructions. If not, your council’s website should include them
It’s usually a case of writing to the council, explaining what and why, including the parking ticket if you have one and any extra evidence to support your appeal.
For example, if the parking sign is covered by bushes, include a photo showing that. If the machine wasn’t working, say so.
Citizen’s Advice has a lot of detail on how to appeal PCNs which is worth reading.
What to do if you receive a parking charge notice
If you receive a parking charge notice, you should do the same. Check it was you, check the circumstances and make sure it’s a legitimate charge.
If you plan to pay, do so using the instructions on the paperwork. Some companies offer discounts for paying within 14 days.
If you plan to appeal, collect the evidence, prepare your appeal and lodge it with the parking firm.
If the firm is a member of British Parking Association (BPA) or the International Parking Committee (IPC), you should find their details on the respective organisation’s website to verify.
Write to them with your appeal, tell them why the charge isn’t legitimate and provide the evidence.
Give the company time to respond and if you’re not happy, take it up with the BPA or IPC.
What not to do if you receive a parking charge notice or penalty charge notice
There are also things you should not do if you receive a PCN.
Do not ignore it. Take some form of action whether that’s paying it or appealing it.
It’s often worth appealing, as some chance is better than none. If the appeal doesn’t go your way, you can either pay or take it further.
Just be aware that taking it further can result in more costs and a higher penalty at the end. Weigh up what it’s worth and how strong your principles are.
If you’re clamped while parking on private land, don’t remove it yourself. It is illegal for private landowners or private parking firms to clamp vehicles.
Only the council, DVLA or the police has the legal authority to clamp vehicles.
If your car has been clamped by anyone other than legitimate authority, call the police on 101 as they are the ones who will need to deal with it.
If you remove it yourself, you may be liable for damaging the clamp.
Dealing with parking charges
Parking charges are all kinds of wrong, but that’s the system we have right now. Drive in the US, in France, Spain or most other countries and you will never have to pay to park.
It’s only here in the UK and a select few other places that think it’s okay to charge rent on a parking space.
Be that as it may, this is the system and we have to live within it.
Be aware of where you park, check the rules and make sure you give the council or parking firm no excuse to charge you anything other than the price of the ticket.
It takes a couple of extra seconds when you park, but it could save you a lot of time, money and hassle!
