What is a Parking Permit Holders Only Fine & Do I Need to Pay?

Have you ever wondered about parking permits only areas, and whether you’d get fined for parking without one? The short answer is you risk getting a Parking Permit Holders Only fine if you do!

Want to find out if you could challenge the fine or if you would need to pay? Then check out my post below.

How to appeal and win

If you want to avoid paying a parking ticket then you’ll need an airtight appeal.

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First, what is a permit parking scheme?

Permit parking schemes were created to help local residents park near their properties. It’s to prevent residents from having to park on roads close by.

Residents with parking permits for a specific area don’t have to search for places to park. They’ve paid a fee to have the permit which must be displayed on their vehicles.

How does permit parking work UK?

A Permit Parking Zone is an area where all vehicles must hold a valid permit to park. It’s a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) that allows local residents to park in marked bays when the CPZ is in operation.

How do you know if an area is a Controlled Parking Zone?

An area designated as a Controlled Parking Zone is well-signposted. The sign has a blue square overlaid with the letter P in white. The words ‘Residents Permit Holders Only’ are written on the signage.

That said, there’s sometimes a black rectangle with the word ‘Zone’ together with a number on some signs. There are areas where the sign might read ‘Resident Permit Holders Only Mon-Sun 8am to 6pm too which means you can park there without a permit between the hours of 6pm and 8am the following day.

Can you beat your ticket?

In many cases tickets aren’t actually enforceable.

It’s a bit sneaky, but you could pay £5 to chat with an online Solicitor.

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What happens after you get a Parking Permit Holders only fine?

If you park in a Parking Permit Holders bay and you don’t have a permit, you’d get a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). The notice could be left on your vehicle, or it could arrive in the post if you’re the registered keeper.

When a PCN drops through your letterbox, it means the issuer got your registered keeper’s details from the DVLA. It should arrive within 14 days of the alleged parking offence!

But it can take longer to arrive if the DVLA doesn’t reply to an issuer’s request for details!

How much would a Parking Permit Holders Only Fine cost?

You may have to pay as much as £130 if you park in a Parking Permit Holders Only bay in London and you don’t hold a permit.

Elsewhere in the country, it could set you back £70!

However, when you pay the fine early, say within two weeks, the issuer offers you a discounted rate.

This is 50% less than the original fine!

It’s an incentive to get you to settle the fine early. But think carefully first. Make sure the fine is correct and that the details on the PCN are yours before forking out any money!

How do you pay a permit holder only fine?

Most local councils and other authorities let you pay a Permit Holder Only fine online. They’ve got dedicated payment pages on their sites to facilitate things.

That said, some authorities take payments over the phone. It’s always worth checking payment options on the PCN you get.

You must provide the following details when paying a PCN:

• The PCN reference number
• Your VRN – vehicle registration number
• The chosen method of payment

Sometimes, you can even pay the PCN in person.

If the PCN was issued in England or Wales, you can check which authority to pay by going to the Gov.UK postcode finder.

How long do you have to pay a Parking Permit Holders Only fine?

You typically have 28 days to pay a Parking Permit Holders Only fine. That said, if you wait the full 28 days, you’d have to pay the full amount indicated on the PCN.

Alternatively, you could opt to pay the fine within two weeks to benefit from a discounted rate. That said, some councils offer a discounted fine when you pay within 21 days!

Should you appeal a Parking Permits Only fine?

You could opt to appeal a Parking Permits Only fine and it’s your right to do so. But make sure you have ample evidence to back up your appeal first.

I’ve listed how appeals against PCNs are typically handled here:

Once the issuer gets your appeal, everything is placed on the back burner until it’s been assessed. It can take several weeks for the issuer to decide whether to uphold or reject your appeal.

What happens when a Parking Permit Holders appeal is rejected?

If your informal appeal gets rejected, you can opt to escalate things by making a formal appeal. This is known as a ‘formal representation’.

You must follow the issuer’s appeals process.

So, make sure you check what their process is before jumping into your appeal.

The issuer may reject your formal appeal, in which case, you’re sent a Notice to Owner (NtO). The notice must explain what your options are which includes escalating an appeal to an independent appeals tribunal.

You’ve got 28 days to reply to the NtO.

If you don’t, the fine goes up by 50%! When the fine remains outstanding, it gets registered as a ‘debt’ in the county court. At this stage, Enforcement Agents (bailiffs) could turn up at your door.

You’ll incur more charges and even have a CCJ recorded on your credit history!

Check out what happened to the motorist below:

Source:  MoneySavingExpert

Parking in Permit Holders Only Fine – do you need to pay?

Getting any sort of Penalty Charge Notice is frustrating no matter what happened. Whether you pay or appeal a PCN depends on several things. For instance, did you park in a Parking Permits Only bay without a permit?

If so, you may have to pay the PCN and ideally within 14 days so you pay the discounted amount.

However, when you feel a Permit Holders Only fine is unfair or just plain wrong, it’s your right to challenge it. But make sure you do it within 14 days and have enough evidence to back things up.

Otherwise, you may end up paying a lot more than the original Parking Permit Holders Only PCN!

I hope the information in my post helps you decide how to deal with a Parking Permit Holders Only fine so it doesn’t cost you a fortune!

Don’t submit your appeal yet.

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