PCN Time Limits: When Can a Parking Notice Arrive?

Have you received a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) and are unsure about what to do next? You’ve come to the right place! Every month, more than 130,000 people visit our website for guidance on fines and parking tickets.

Receiving a PCN can be both confusing and frustrating. In this guide, we’ll explain:

The time limit within which a PCN can be issued after the offence.
How you can challenge the charge if you believe it’s wrong.
Different situations where you may not need to pay the PCN.
What could happen if you decide not to pay the PCN.

Churchill Motor Insurance reports that in 2022, UK councils issued 19,631 parking fines every day — that’s an increase of 12% from the previous year.¹ So rest assured, you’re not alone.

Don’t worry; we have the expertise to help you through this. So, let us walk you through the details…

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How long can they serve the notice?

For many postal council parking PCNs in England, the normal service limit is 28 days from the contravention, subject to statutory exceptions. This is not a universal limit for every PCN, jurisdiction or later Notice to Owner.

But this can be extended in certain situations, such as if the DVLA are too slow to respond to the issuing authorities’ requests for the car owner’s details.

How long does it take to arrive?

A Penalty Charge Notice could be left on your vehicle or handed to you by a parking warden, meaning you are served the PCN instantly.

A camera-issued postal notice often arrives within the relevant statutory service period. The deadline depends on the scheme and may be extended where the legal conditions are met.

A later Notice to Owner has different time limits. A supermarket’s private parking charge, including an Aldi car park notice, is a separate contractual matter and should not be used as an example of the council PCN rules.

How long can they pursue?

Do not assume an older PCN has expired. Ask the issuing authority to confirm the current stage and get advice if the case involves delayed service, an Order for Recovery or enforcement.

The early payment or challenge periods are not a limitation period for the whole debt. Later statutory notices and enforcement can follow if the penalty remains unpaid.

Check the right challenge process

Check whether you need to make an informal challenge, formal representations or an independent tribunal appeal. Follow the route and deadline printed on your notice. London cases generally go to London Tribunals; relevant cases in England outside London and Wales go to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. Other UK jurisdictions have different procedures.

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General information. The procedure depends on the notice and jurisdiction. Check the issuer’s instructions.

How do you pay the parking fine?

Your Penalty Charge Notice should list all the ways you can pay. The most common method is to pay online through an online payment portal if your council allows it.

To pay for your PCN online, visit your issuer’s website and enter your vehicle registration and PCN numbers. You can find the latter at the top of your PCN.

You can then see your PCN details and pay with a bank card.

If you pay your PCN within the first 14 days, you could get a discount of up to 50% of the fine!

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Can you appeal it?

You have the right to lodge an appeal against your PCN as long as you appeal within 28 days of receiving the PCN.

Most of the time, you will make a formal appeal officially called a representation.

A formal appeal requires you to create a detailed account and explain why you believe the PCN should be cancelled.

For example, you might argue that you shouldn’t be fined for driving in a bus lane because you had moved over momentarily to let an ambulance pass. Your representation should be supported with evidence, including photographs or statements.

For an on-street council parking PCN, you can normally make an informal challenge before a Notice to Owner is served. An informal challenge is not a mandatory prerequisite for later formal representations. A postal PCN may invite formal representations from the outset.

Formal representations are normally due within 28 days of service of the relevant Notice to Owner or postal PCN. Follow the document’s instructions and deadline; there is no universal day-29-to-day-56 window measured from the original PCN.

Successful representations usually result in the PCN being withdrawn. You can appeal to an independent tribunal if your representation is rejected.

The tribunal you must use depends on the location of the supposed offence.

Appeal Process Steps

When appealing your Penalty Charge Notice, due process must be followed, and it consists of several steps. Here’s a quick table summarizing all you need to know.

When	Action
On receiving a council PCN	Read the notice, keep it, gather evidence and note all payment and challenge deadlines.
Windscreen or handed-to-driver PCN	An informal challenge may be available before the Notice to Owner. Early challenge can preserve a discount under the authority’s policy; 14 days is not a universal final appeal deadline.
Postal PCN or Notice to Owner	Normally make formal representations within 28 days as stated on the notice. Do not assume there is an extra informal stage.
Representations rejected	The Notice of Rejection explains how to appeal to the appropriate independent tribunal, normally within 28 days.
Appeal unsuccessful	Pay by the deadline given in the decision or obtain advice on any available review. Further statutory charges can follow if you do neither.
Other ticket type	Private parking charges and FPNs use different procedures; follow the actual notice.

Further guidance: Traffic Penalty Tribunal; Citizens Advice.

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Reasons to Appeal the Charge

There are many reasons to appeal a PCN and get your appeal accepted. The most common PCNs issued are for parking offences, and some good reasons to appeal include the following:

Not receiving your PCN in good time
You were, in fact, parking correctly.
You overstayed because you had broken down
An emergency stopped you from getting to your vehicle
The payment machine was out of order

What is the time limit for a parking fine?

For England’s postal parking PCNs, start by checking the normal 28-day service rule and any applicable exception. A PCN handed to the driver or placed on the vehicle has already been served; a later Notice to Owner is a different document.

An extension can apply where the authority requested DVLA keeper details within the required time but did not receive them in time to serve the postal PCN. Check the particular legislation and evidence of the request.

Some statutory exceptions allow service up to six months after the contravention. Do not treat that as an automatic six-month allowance for every authority or notice.

How long do they have to send it?

In England and Wales, an operator seeking keeper liability under Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 normally must deliver its Notice to Keeper within 14 days if no notice was first left on the vehicle. Other statutory conditions also apply.

Where a windscreen notice was given, the usual keeper-notice delivery window is days 29 to 56. These are keeper-liability requirements, not a universal deadline for every claim against a driver.

Failure to meet a keeper-liability deadline can matter if the operator is pursuing the keeper under that legislation. It does not automatically cancel a valid claim against the driver. The same statutory keeper regime does not apply throughout the UK.

Delaying the fine has made it more difficult to make a successful appeal.

If you dispute a private charge, use the operator’s appeal procedure and provide evidence. Do not ignore a letter before claim or court papers.

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