Lost Parking Ticket? Your Next Steps

Ever had a parking ticket and lost it before you could pay? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Each month, over 32,000 people come to our site looking for advice on tickets and fines. It might seem a bit scary, but we’re here to help.

In this article, we’ll tell you:

• Why you might get a parking ticket.
• What to do if you’ve lost your parking ticket.
• What happens if you don’t pay a parking ticket.
• How you can try to beat your ticket.
• What to do if your appeal against a lost parking ticket is not successful.

Our team knows a lot about these things. We’ve offered guidance to many people who were in the same spot as you, so we understand that it can feel stressful when you get a parking ticket, especially if you lose it. But we’re here to help you understand what to do next. Let’s dive in and learn more about how the tackle the situation.

What do I do if I’ve lost my PCN? SNIPPET

First, don’t panic. Stay calm and contact the issuer. If it’s a private operator, you should be able to contact them online, by email, or by phone. You generally have to email the authority to retrieve the details when it’s a council parking fine (penalty charge notice).

What do you need to retrieve lost parking ticket details?

First, you must be the registered keeper to retrieve the details of a lost parking ticket. 

Without the details, you can’t challenge or pay the fine.

Second, check whether the PCN is a fine issued on private land by an operator. Or was it issued on public land by a local council, police, or Highways Agency?

Third, contact the relevant issuer once you’ve determined who gave you the parking fine.

You’ll need to provide some information to retrieve lost parking ticket details, such as:

• Your vehicle registration number (VRN)
• Where you were parked and the approximate date

Suppose a local council or other authority issued the parking ticket. In that case, you could usually find out who it was by checking the postcode where you were parked. Plus, you may be asked to provide further information such as:

• Your driving licence
• Vehicle logbook

Please don’t send the originals. Always send copies of the logbook and your driving licence in case they get lost in the system.

So, how do you pay for a lost parking ticket?

You can’t pay for a parking ticket without having all the relevant information. But rather than search for the ticket, which could waste valuable time, determine who issued the fine.

Chances are a private operator already contacted you because a parking charge notice remains outstanding.

The operator sends out payment demands if you don’t pay within 28 days.

You’ll have the relevant details to pay the fine in this case. The downside is, of course, you’ll have to either pay the full amount or appeal the fine!

But don’t ignore any payment demands because it could get expensive!

When you get a parking ticket on public land, it’ll have been issued by a local council or another authority. This could be the police or Highways agency. 

If you’ve already got a Notice to Owner (NtO), you have 28 days to pay or challenge the fine. Moreover, the NtO contains all the relevant information, which includes the date the fine was issued and the PCN reference number.

Again, the downside is you’ll have to pay the full fine! Plus, you could be chased for a parking fine from 4 years ago!

What if your appeal against a lost parking ticket is rejected?

You’ll get a Notice of Rejection from the authority if the fine is a penalty charge notice. Details on how to escalate an appeal must be included in the notice. This involves appealing to an independent tribunal.

In London, it’s the London Tribunals. But elsewhere, it’s the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.

The tribunal decision is final!

Plus, the process is different if the fine was issued in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

When a private operator rejects your appeal, you have the right to take the matter further. But, first, check whether the operator is accredited by either the British Parking Association (BPA) or the International Parking Community (IPC).

A BPA member must provide details on the letter of rejection on how to appeal to Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA).

If the operator is an IPC member, you should file an appeal against their decision with the Independent Appeals Service (IAS).

So, how do you appeal a lost parking ticket?

As mentioned, you’ve probably already received a Notice to Owner if the penalty charge notice remains unpaid after 28 days. Or you could have received a payment demand from a private operator.

Information on how to appeal the fine is found in your correspondence. Try to file your appeal sooner rather than later to prevent things from escalating even more. 

You must provide enough evidence to support an appeal against a parking ticket. Whether it’s against a parking charge notice or penalty charge notice. Without evidence, an appeal is usually rejected.

Plus, it gets more and more expensive.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer

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

Things get more expensive and time-consuming when you don’t pay a parking ticket. Whether it’s a penalty charge notice issued by an authority or a parking charge notice issued by a private operator.

Things escalate when you don’t pay or appeal the fine. But it’s more serious when you get a penalty charge notice. Why? Because the law covers penalty charge notices. In short, a council or other authority doesn’t need to take you to court to get paid.

A private operator, on the other hand, has to start court proceedings when a fine goes unpaid. Only a court can order you to pay a parking charge notice on private land!