Yellow box junction fine: how to appeal

Got a yellow box junction fine? What counts as stopping in the box, the right-turn exemption, the deadlines in and outside London, the first-offence warning rule, and the grounds that work.

Last checked 28 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Work out your deadlines with the free PCN calculator

The short answer

A yellow box fine is only valid if your vehicle had to stop inside the box because of stationary vehicles. Stopping while waiting to turn right because of oncoming traffic is allowed at a road junction, and the box itself has to be in a place the law allows. You have 28 days to challenge it. Outside London, a council that doesn't answer your formal challenge within 56 days must cancel the fine, and for the first 6 months at a new camera it should send a warning instead of a fine for a first offence.

What counts as a contravention

You entered the box so that your vehicle had to stop inside it because of stationary vehicles. Just driving through, or stopping briefly in the box for a reason other than stationary vehicles, isn't the offence.
Part of the vehicle stopped inside the box counts as stopping in it.
Right-turn exemption: at a road junction, you can stop in the box while waiting to turn right if you're held up only by oncoming traffic or by other vehicles waiting to turn right.
Emergency vehicles are exempt.

Where a box junction is allowed

The law only allows box markings in four kinds of place. Markings anywhere else, or of the wrong size or shape, can't be enforced:

at a junction between two or more roads;
at a gyratory system or roundabout;
along a two-way road no wider than 4.5 metres;
on the road next to the vehicle entrance of a fire, police or ambulance station.

How much

Yellow box junction penalties (from 7 April 2025 in London)
	London	England outside London
Penalty	£160	£70 (some councils £60)
Discount	£80 if paid within 14 days	£35 (or £30) if paid within 21 days
After a charge certificate	£240	£105 (or £90)

The deadlines

How a yellow box fine works, London and outside London
	London	England outside London
Who can fine you	The borough, or TfL on red routes	Councils with moving traffic powers (rolled out since 2022)
Sending the fine	Normally within 28 days (London Tribunals' guidance)	Must be served within 28 days of the contravention, unless DVLA delays held it up
Your challenge	Within 28 days of the fine	Within 28 days of the fine
Their answer	Normally within 3 months; no deadline in law	56 days, or your challenge counts as accepted
Independent appeal	London Tribunals, within 28 days of the rejection, free	Traffic Penalty Tribunal, within 28 days, free
If it goes to court	Statutory declaration within 21 days	Witness statement within 21 days

The first-offence warning (outside London)

Government guidance says that for 6 months after a council starts camera enforcement at a particular location, it should send a warning notice, not a fine, for a first-time moving traffic contravention there. That includes long-standing box junctions enforced by camera for the first time. It's guidance, not law, so it's argued as the council failing to follow the rules (a procedural impropriety) or as a compelling reason. Councils don't all apply it the same way.

Grounds that work

You didn't have to stop because of stationary vehicles, or you were waiting to turn right because of oncoming traffic.
The box isn't in an allowed place, or its markings are the wrong shape or size.
Outside London: the fine arrived more than 28 days after the contravention, or the council didn't answer your challenge within 56 days.
Outside London: it was your first time at a camera in its first 6 months and you got a fine instead of a warning.
The penalty is more than the law allows, or you'd already paid.
You weren't the owner, or the vehicle was used without your consent.

Ask for the video

Yellow box fines come from cameras. Ask to see the recording before you decide: it shows whether your exit was blocked when you entered, how long you stopped, and why. You can ask for still images, and councils usually let you see the video too.

Common questions

Is a yellow box fine a criminal offence?

No. Councils and TfL enforce yellow boxes as a civil penalty. There are no points on your licence.

Can I stop in a yellow box to turn right?

Yes, at a road junction, if you're held up only by oncoming traffic or by other vehicles waiting to turn right.

What if the car in front stopped suddenly?

The offence is entering the box so that you have to stop because of stationary vehicles. Whether your exit was clear when you entered matters, so get the video. Adjudicators decide each case on its facts.

Can I get a warning instead of a fine?

Outside London, government guidance says councils should send a warning for a first offence at a camera in its first 6 months of enforcement. In London there's no general rule like that.