Driving advice Parking ticket FAQs
If your valid parking ticket falls onto the floor, you may be able to appeal
Do I still have to pay a ticket if I drive off before it's fixed to my car?
Yes, in most cases. If it's a police officer or police traffic warden, then the parking ticket will stand even if you drive off before they physically issue it.
Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) can also be issued to you by post if the Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) could not serve it because of abusive behaviour or because the motorist drove away after the CEO had started to issue it.
My pay-and-display ticket fell off my windscreen after I left my car and I got a parking ticket. Can I appeal?
Technically, no. In accordance with the pay-and-display system, it is your responsibility to buy the correct ticket and make sure that it's properly displayed.
However, it's still worth writing to the authority that issued the parking ticket explaining what happened, and enclosing a copy of the pay-and-display ticket. Some councils do exercise their discretion and cancel tickets issued for this reason.
If the council rejects your parking ticket appeal, you might still have a case for getting the parking ticket cancelled.
Independent adjudicators have the power to refer back to the council for reconsideration cases where a contravention took place but there were mitigating circumstances. A valid ticket falling onto the floor could well be deemed a mitigating circumstance.
I wasn't driving when the parking ticket was issued – do I still have to pay?
Yes, unless your car was reported stolen at the time. The various laws that govern parking fines say that the owner of a vehicle is normally liable for the penalty charge when a contravention occurs.
What if I didn't own the vehicle at the time the parking ticket was issued?
You should return the parking ticket correspondence with a letter explaining the situation. Ensure you give the details of the person who you sold the vehicle to and enclose copies of any documents you have regarding the transaction.
My ticket doesn't include the correct car registration number. Can I appeal?
When issuing a parking ticket, parking attendants must record a number of details, including the registration number of the vehicle.
If key details such as the registration number are recorded incorrectly, the parking ticket is invalid.
However, if the parking ticket error is slight – such as the vehicle colour noted as being grey instead of silver – this alone is unlikely to invalidate the parking ticket.
I'm making a formal appeal. What evidence should I send to the adjudicator?
The adjudicator will not have any prior information on your PCN parking ticket and will decide your appeal based purely on evidence provided by you and the issuing council. You should therefore provide copies of anything that may support your case.
Evidence could include:
- receipt for sale, if you no longer own the vehicle
- delivery details and documentation, if you're claiming exemption because you were loading or unloading goods, not parking
- photographs (of signs or road markings, for example)
- tax disc details, if you are claiming that a PCN parking ticket was never fixed to your vehicle
- witness statements (for example, if you had stopped to attend an accident).
Whether your case is being examined at a postal or personal hearing, the local authority must send you a copy of its evidence at least three days before the hearing. If you're concerned that any evidence may not fully explain your case, you may request a personal hearing.
