Council and TfL tickets: how to challenge them

What these are

A Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) from a council or Transport for London is a civil penalty under public law. It isn't the same as a private parking charge from a company, and the rules, deadlines and appeal bodies are different. These include council parking tickets, bus lane and moving traffic fines (like yellow box junctions and banned turns), the congestion charge and ULEZ, and the Dart Charge.

Council parking tickets in England: the steps

• Ticket on the windscreen: you can make an informal challenge to the council within 28 days. Challenge within 14 days and the reduced amount is usually kept open: if they reject it, you may still pay 50%.
• If the informal challenge is rejected, or nothing is paid, the council sends a Notice to Owner.
• You then have 28 days from the Notice to Owner to make a formal challenge, called a representation. Explain your reasons in detail and include copies of your evidence. A ticket that came in the post starts at this stage.
• If the representation is rejected, you get a Notice of Rejection, which gives you 28 days to pay or to appeal to an independent tribunal.
• If you do nothing, a charge certificate adds 50% to the penalty.

How much

In London, since 7 April 2025, parking penalties are £160 or £110 depending on how serious the contravention is, and bus lane and moving traffic penalties are £160. All are halved if paid within 14 days. Outside London the amounts are lower: the figure is on your PCN.

The independent tribunals are free

In London, appeals go to London Tribunals. Elsewhere in England, and in Wales, they go to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, which decides about 29,000 appeals a year. Neither charges you to appeal.

Few people appeal: London Tribunals received 56,079 appeals in 2025/26, 0.55% of the tickets issued. Of the appeals it heard, 48.9% were won by the driver.

Congestion charge and ULEZ

If the daily charge isn't paid in time, TfL issues a penalty of £180, reduced to £90 if you pay within 14 days, and rising to £270 if a charge certificate is issued. You can challenge it with TfL, and appeal to London Tribunals if TfL rejects your challenge.

Dart Charge

The Dartford Crossing charge must be paid by midnight the day after you cross. The fine is £70, reduced to £35 if you pay within 14 days, and rising to £105 if you don't pay. You can challenge it online or by returning the representation slip on the PCN, but not by phone.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Paying and challenging council tickets works differently in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Citizens Advice has guides for each.