Does a Parking Ticket Have to be Placed on the Car?

Have you asked the question ‘does a parking ticket have to be placed on the car?’. It’s something that many motorists wonder about as they stare at the fine in their hand, especially when the envelope containing the parking ticket drops through their letterbox!

Read on to find out about the law relating to parking tickets and how the fines can be issued!

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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Private parking tickets and council parking tickets. What’s the difference?

Private parking tickets are issued to you for breaking the rules when you park on private land. Council parking tickets are issued because you committed a parking or driving offence on public land.

So, private parking tickets are, in fact, invoices an operator raises warning you that they are taking you to court. Why? Because you used the car park but didn’t abide by the T&CS. In short, you are in breach of contract. So, you see, Parking Charge Notices are civil infringements that fall under contractual law.

On the other hand, Penalty Charge Notices are covered by UK legislation. So the issuer, whether it’s a council, police or other authority, doesn’t have to take you to court for an unpaid parking offence. No, the issuer sends you a charge certificate if you don’t pay, which is never good news!

Should you pay a parking ticket within 14 days?

You could pay a parking ticket within two weeks, and paying early does have some benefits. First, you pay a discounted fine whether the parking ticket was issued on public or private land.

Second, you won’t have to waste time arguing why the parking ticket should be cancelled.

But, and there is a but.

You should only pay a parking ticket when you’re happy it’s yours and that you parked illegally or broke an operator’s rules!

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

Things can get expensive when you ignore or don’t pay for a parking ticket. You have 28 days to pay, but you’re encouraged to pay earlier to benefit from a reduced fine. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to pay a parking ticket within 14 days, so they miss out!

There’s also a double whammy when you don’t pay a penalty charge notice within 28 days. The authority issues a Charge Certificate, and the fine increases by 50%! You have a further 14 days to pay the larger fine! If you don’t, a court order is issued, which earns you a CCJ on your credit record.

Things are different when you get a parking ticket on private land. It’s because parking charge notices are not immediately enforceable. Instead, the operator or landowner must win a court case against you to get paid!

In short, car park management companies cannot legally demand payment from you without a court order, that is!

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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So, does a parking ticket have to be placed on your car?

No. A parking ticket doesn’t need to be placed on your car’s windscreen. Moreover, when a parking infringement on private land or a parking offence on public land is recorded on CCTV, the fine comes through the post!

Plus, you could be handed a parking ticket by a traffic warden!

When an infringement is recorded on CCTV or ANPR, the issuer gets a registered keeper’s information from the DVLA. Accredited parking operators can access the database to retrieve the details, as can an authority!

There’s one advantage to getting a parking ticket through the post. You get 21 days to appeal or pay a fine issued by an authority and still benefit from a discount. It’s a week longer than if you got the penalty charge on your car!

Should you appeal a parking ticket or not?

You can challenge a penalty charge notice when you think it’s not fair. The same applies if you get a parking charge notice on private land. But you must have grounds to contest the fine!

Always check the time limits on appealing the parking ticket and make sure you file yours in good time. If you miss a deadline, that’s it. You’ve lost the right to appeal against the parking ticket.

Are there any good excuses to get out of paying a parking ticket?

Yes. Some acceptable excuses could get you out of paying a parking ticket. This includes:

• Payment machines were out of order, and there was no other way for you to pay
• An emergency prevented you from returning to your car
• The parking ticket took too long to reach you by post
• You entered one incorrect digit of your car’s registration by mistake
• You parked correctly/legally
• Your car broke down, and you had to wait for a recovery truck to arrive
• Details on the parking ticket are not yours
• The parking ticket was given before the 10-minute grace period had expired

Is there a grace period for car parking?

Yes. Private operators and authorities like the council should allow you a 10-minute grace period before issuing a parking ticket.

Does a parking ticket have to be placed on your car’s windscreen?

No. A parking attendant or warden doesn’t have to slap a parking ticket on your car’s windscreen. Instead, you could be handed the fine in person. Or the ticket could arrive through your letterbox if the infringement is caught on ANPR or CCTV.

The advantage of having a parking ticket arrive through the post is that you get 21 days to pay or appeal the fine. This is instead of the 14 days you’re allowed when you find the ticket on the car!

Thanks for reading this post. I hope the information provided helps answer the question ‘does a parking ticket have to be placed on your car?’.

Don’t submit your appeal yet.

The best way to beat a ticket is to get professional advice.

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