How long can you be chased for a parking ticket?

Are you worried about an old parking ticket? Do you have questions about how long it can still be chased? Don’t stress. Every month, over 32,000 people just like you visit this site seeking guidance on tickets and fines.

In this easy-to-understand guide, we’ll share answers and tips about:

• The rules around when you might get a parking ticket.
• Understanding the difference between a parking charge notice and a penalty charge notice.
• Learning if there’s a time limit for a PCN to be issued.
• What could happen if you don’t pay a parking ticket.
• How to make an appeal and possibly beat your ticket.

We understand that dealing with fines can be scary. Our team has lots of experience with these issues, so we know how you feel, and we’re here to help. Let’s explore your options and discuss how to handle your old parking tickets in a simple way.

When would you get a parking ticket?

You’d get a parking ticket for a parking infringement. But you’d also get a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) for a minor traffic offence. Councils and other authorities issue PCNs to motorists, whilst private operators issue parking charge notices on behalf of landowners.

Is there a time limit for PCN to be issued?

UK legislation stipulates that PCNs sent through the post must be issued within 28 days of an alleged offence. But not always because the deadline could ‘otherwise be stated in the Regulations’.

Private car park management companies also have 28 days to issue you with a parking charge notice. But again, if the DVLA responds slowly to a request for details of a registered owner, the ticket could be sent to you later.

In short, when the DVLA is slow to respond to a request, a parking ticket could arrive through your post box much later as a result.

How does an issuer know where to send a parking ticket?

Councils and other authorities can access the DVLA database when an offence is recorded on CCTV. They get registered keepers’ details and send the PCN to them through the post.

Accredited car park management companies can also access the DVLA database to find registered keepers’ details.

What’s the difference between a parking charge notice and a penalty charge notice?

As mentioned, private landowners, like Aldi for example, authorise car park management companies to issue fines on their behalf. In short, private operators manage car parks for the landowners.

A parking charge notice is an invoice informing you of an outstanding amount owed to the operator. You get the parking ticket because you failed to abide by the T&Cs when parking on private land.

A parking charge notice is only enforceable when a court orders you to pay. An operator can’t legally demand payment from you without a court order. So, the operator must take you to court and win the case!

A penalty charge notice falls under the Traffic Management Act 2004. Civil enforcement officers (parking wardens) issue fines when you commit a parking offence.

But the police, Transport and Highways agencies also issue PCNs for traffic offences. An example is for turning left or right when it’s not permitted.

What happens when you don’t pay a parking ticket?

You should try to pay or appeal a parking ticket, whether it’s a penalty charge or a parking charge.

When you don’t pay, the issuers chase you for payment.

A private operator sends you letters to inform you of the outstanding amount. For example, a parking charge notice is an amount owed to an operator at this stage. But if an operator takes you to court and wins, the amount you owe becomes a ‘debt’ when payment is not received!

A debt collector can then chase you for an unpaid parking charge notice until you pay!

A local council, the police or other authority simply sends you a Charge Notice. When you still don’t pay a penalty charge notice, things escalate as does the amount you’d have to pay once an order of recovery is issued against you.

Enforcement agents (bailiffs) are instructed to recover the amount owed on an unpaid penalty charge notice!

Should you pay for a parking ticket within 14 days?

You could pay for a parking ticket within 14 days, so you pay a reduced fine. For example, a parking charge notice on private land could be discounted by up to 40%. Definitely worth thinking about.

On the other hand, when you pay a penalty charge notice issued by an authority within two weeks, the amount is reduced by 50%. Again, something worth considering.

However, only pay a parking ticket when you’re satisfied you deserve the fine and that it was issued correctly!

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How long do you have to appeal a parking ticket?

How long you have to appeal a parking ticket depends on who issued the fine. However, as a rule of thumb, filing an appeal against the fine is better when you file it within 14 days. That gives you enough time to determine whether the parking ticket is yours and that the details are correct.

Plus, if you challenge a parking ticket within two weeks, you may still get to pay a discounted fine if your appeal is rejected. Also, the issuer puts everything on hold while considering your appeal. So, you gain a little more time to pay!

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Does a parking ticket affect your credit score?

No. Getting a parking ticket won’t affect your credit score. However, if you ignore things and a fine goes unpaid, you could get a CCJ recorded on your credit history. It would make getting a loan, credit cards, bank loans or a mortgage more difficult for you.

How long can you be chased for a parking ticket?

How long can you be chased for a parking ticket is something that many motorists ask when a fine lands through their letterbox. Maybe you didn’t realise you’d committed a parking infringement which was caught on CCTV.

An operator can chase you for months through the courts. An authority issues a Charge Notice and eventually, enforcement agents (bailiffs) are instructed to recover the amount you owe. Both situations could lead to you earning a County Court Judgement (CCJ) on your credit history!

Always check the details of a parking ticket before paying it. Also, if you pay the fine and decide it’s wrong, you can’t challenge it. You can either pay or appeal, but you can’t do both!

Also, don’t deal with a parking charge notice the same way as you would a penalty charge notice. They look the same, but they are not. A penalty charge notice is enforceable straight away. A parking charge notice isn’t!

Thanks for reading this post. I hope I’ve provided you with food for thought if you’ve been asking the question, ‘how long can you be chased for a parking ticket?’. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t simple because it depends on who issued the ticket and how it was served!