What Makes a Parking Ticket Invalid?

Are you worried about a parking ticket you’ve received? You’re not alone. Every month, over 32,000 people visit this site seeking guidance on parking tickets and fines.

In this easy-to-read guide, we’ll show you:

Why a parking ticket might not be valid
How to make a successful appeal against a parking ticket
The difference between a Parking Charge and a Penalty Charge
What to do if a private car park company rejects your appeal
How long you have to appeal a parking ticket

It’s important to understand your parking ticket and what it means. Not dealing with it could affect your financial health and could lead to legal action.

We know how it feels to get a parking ticket, and we are here to help you learn how you can deal with your parking ticket.

Not sure what to write in your parking appeal?

You don’t need to start with a blank page.

We’ve created a free parking ticket appeal letter template that gives you a clear structure to follow.

Get my free appeal template

Free editable parking appeal letter template from MoneyNerd.

What makes a Parking Charge Notice invalid?

You could challenge a Parking Charge Notice for various reasons which I’ve listed below:

The issuer failed to follow the Code of Practice (this applies to accredited members of an association only)
The parking charge arrived in the post more than fourteen days after an ‘apparent’ breach of contract
You got the ticket in the post although no signs indicating CCTV was in operation in the car park
The parking notice was issued before the mandatory ‘grace period’ had expired. This only applies if the operator is a member of a car park management association. Plus you must have parked correctly
Bay markings were faded and signage unclear
The payment machine was out of order so there was no way to pay
The parking ticket is way too much
The ticket was issued when you weren’t the driver at the time
An emergency prevented you from returning to the car park on time
You had to wait for a recovery truck because you’d broken down

You should appeal the parking charge as soon as you can to prevent the issuer from taking the matter any further. A Parking Charge Notice is enforceable when there’s court order to pay!

Check out what happened to one motorist who hopes he can appeal a valid Parking Charge Notice:

What makes a Parking Charge Notice invalid

Source: Moneysavingexpert

What makes a Penalty Charge Notice invalid?

There are several grounds which could see a Penalty Charge Notice being invalid. You could use any of the reasons in the list below to challenge the fine:

The fine exceeds the amount normally charged for the same offence
A contravention never happened
The TRO isn’t valid (Traffic Regulation Order)
The issuing authority committed a ‘procedural impropriety’
The issuer sent the fine through the post claiming you prevented them from giving the fine to you although this never happened
You didn’t own the vehicle when the penalty charge was issued
The vehicle is owned by a hire car company
The vehicle was stolen or taken without your consent
You already paid the fine
There are compelling reasons

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If an issuing authority rejects your appeal against the Penalty Charge, you can raise an appeal with a relevant tribunal.

The tribunal will consider your appeal and either accept your reason or reject it. If they reject your appeal, you’d have to pay the Penalty Charge which could be the full amount.

Plus, if the tribunal rejects an appeal, you can’t escalate the matter any further. You could take legal action against the issuer yourself which would prove risky not to mention expensive.

What’s Included in the Free Appeal Template

A clear structure

The template gives you a simple framework for putting your parking appeal together, so you don’t have to work out what to write from scratch.

What you’ll add

Your parking charge details
Why you’re appealing
Any relevant evidence
What you want the parking company to do

Easy to adapt

Just replace the sections in [square brackets] with the details of your own situation and edit the wording where needed.

You’ll get the template by email so you can save it, edit it and use it when you’re ready.

Get my free appeal template

Free parking appeal letter template from MoneyNerd.

Are parking tickets reduced if settled early?

Yes. If you settle a parking ticket early, the fine amount is reduced. I’ve listed how much you’d pay for a Parking Charge Notice and what you’d pay for Penalty Charge in the table below:

Type of parking ticket	Discount percentages
Parking Charge Notice paid within 14 days	Fine amount reduced by 40 to 60%
Penalty Charge Notice paid within 14 days	Fine amount reduced by 50%

A private car park company should respond to your appeal against the parking ticket within 56 days!

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How long do you have to appeal a parking ticket?

You have 28 days to file an appeal against a Penalty Charge Notice and a Parking Charge Notice.

If you miss the 28-day deadline, you lose the right to challenge a parking ticket. Also worth noting is that once you’ve paid the fine, you can’t appeal it!

It’s best to use a parking ticket appeal template when you challenge a fine. Like this, you enter all the right information from the word go!

What if the private car park company rejects your appeal?

If the operator rejects your appeal, you can raise another appeal with an independent appeals service.

This would either be with the British Parking Association or the International Parking Community depending on which association they are with.

An independent appeals service may side with the issuer or they could uphold your appeal. In which case, the parking charge is cancelled and you won’t have to pay.