APCOA parking charge: how to appeal

Who APCOA is

• Member of the British Parking Association (BPA), so the independent appeal is to POPLA.
• Car parks across the UK, including some railway station car parks.

The trade body can change, so check the name of the appeals service printed on your own notice or rejection letter.

How to appeal

1. APCOA's appeals go through its parking charge website, linked from its help pages and printed on your notice. Appeal within 28 days, in writing, and keep a copy.
2. If APCOA rejects your appeal, its letter should give you a POPLA verification code. You then have 28 days to appeal to POPLA.

Appealing to POPLA is free, and APCOA has to accept the decision. If you were the registered keeper, you don't have to say who was driving.

Worth knowing about APCOA

Check what kind of notice you have. At railway stations, parking is usually covered by railway byelaws, not the Protection of Freedoms Act. That means different rules, and the keeper-liability rules in our 14-day guide don't apply there.

Check the notice before you appeal

• The 14-day rule: a posted notice for camera parking has to reach the keeper within 14 days, or only the driver can be pursued.
• Whether it contains the wording the law requires to make the keeper liable.
• Grace periods: time to read the signs, and time to leave after your parking ends.
• Whether the signs were clear and visible, and whether you can show you paid.
• Whether it's really a private charge. A Penalty Charge Notice from a council or TfL follows different rules.

Our free check looks at all of these. See also how to appeal a private parking charge.