Challenge or appeal a parking fine

From 1 April 2023 Elmbridge Borough Council will no longer be responsible for on-street parking enforcement including administration of resident on-street permits or visitor permits.

Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued on street after 1 April 2023, will need to be paid or appealed with Surrey County Council.

If you have a PCN which was issued on-street prior to 1 April 2023, you need to pay or appeal your PCN with Elmbridge.

If you have been issued a PCN in one of the council car parks please pay or appeal to Elmbridge. For more information visit Surrey County Council - changes to parking.


Challenge or appeal a parking penalty  

To challenge a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN), you will need the:

  • Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) number

  • Your vehicle registration number

You have two opportunities to challenge a PCN dependent upon its current stage:

Start informal challenge

An informal challenge is made within 28 days of the penalty being issued.

If you make your challenge within 14 days of the date on which the PCN was issued and your challenge is rejected, the discount period will be reset for a further period of 14 days from the date of the rejection letter.

Start formal representation

If full payment has not been received against the penalty, or the penalty has not been cancelled, a Notice to Owner will be served on the registered keeper of the vehicle after 28 days of the penalty being issued.

A formal representation can be made within 28 days of the Notice to Owner being issued.

Make a formal appeal if you have received a Notice to Owner and wish to make representation against it.

About your appeal

If you chose to appeal your PCN, do not make payment.  Payment of a PCN is considered an admission of liability.  If both the appeal and a payment are made, the payment will be taken, and the appeal will not be considered.

Please note that you have to appeal your parking penalty in writing and therefore we cannot take an appeal by telephone.

10 minute grace period

There is a 10 minute grace period in the following circumstances:

  • After the expiry time of a paid for period

  • At the start time of a controlled parking bay

  • After a permitted 'free' parking period expires

The 10 minute grace period does not apply in the following instances:

  • On yellow lines, loading bay, footway, when double parked such as being anywhere outside of 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 made payment.

Parking debt

If you have received a letter from a Debt Recovery Agent called Rundles about your parking fine please don’t contact us. You will need to contact Rundles directly on 0800 0816000.

In this circumstance we recommend that you seek legal advice from the organisations listed below.

Our Commitment

Every appeal against a Parking Fine (PCN) is considered on its individual merits.

A general policy guide on parking appeals has been developed by Surrey County and District Councils to ensure a consistent approach when considering parking appeals.

The policy gives a general guide to circumstances and grounds where the cancellation of a penalty will be considered.

There are two policy guides - one for on street penalties and one for off street penalties (car parks):

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