Appeal a parking fine (Penalty Charge Notice or PCN)

If you’ve received a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN), you can challenge it. You must appeal in writing – we cannot accept appeals by phone.

Before you start

You’ll need:

• your Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) number
• your vehicle registration number

Do not pay if you want to appeal. Paying means you accept the fine. If you pay and appeal, the payment will be taken and the appeal will not be considered.

How to appeal

You have 2 opportunities to challenge a PCN - informal challenge and formal representation. 

1. Make an informal challenge

• You can make an informal challenge within 28 days of the penalty being issued.
• If you challenge within 14 days and it’s rejected, you’ll get another 14-day discount period from the date of the rejection letter.

Start informal challenge

2. Make a formal representation

• If the fine hasn’t been paid or cancelled, the registered owner will receive a Notice to Owner after 28 days of the penalty being issued.
• You can make a formal representation within 28 days of the Notice to Owner being issued.

Start formal representation

After your appeal

• If your appeal is rejected, you’ll be told how to take it further (for example, to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal).
• Every appeal is considered on its individual merits.

Grace period

There is a 10-minute grace period:

• after a paid-for parking period ends
• at the start time of a controlled parking bay
• after a free parking period ends

The grace period does not apply:

• on yellow lines, loading bays, footways or when double parked (such as being anywhere outside a parking bay)
• after the first 10 minutes where the bay reverts from being uncontrolled to controlled, and a vehicle is parked in a restricted parking bay without permission, without a permit or without having paid

If you’ve received a debt recovery letter

If you’ve received a letter from Rundles, Debt Recovery Agent, contact them directly on 0800 081 6000.

You may also want legal advice from:

• Citizens Advice
• Traffic Penalty Tribunal England and Wales
• Patrol UK
• Traffic Enforcement Centre

Parking appeals policy

Surrey County Council and district councils have a policy to ensure a consistent approach to appeals.
The policy gives general information on when a cancellation of a penalty may be considered.