PCN deadline calculator
For council parking tickets, bus lanes, yellow boxes, the Congestion Charge, ULEZ and the Dart Charge in England and Wales. See your discount date, when to challenge, and whether the notice came too late. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Enter the dates to see your deadlines.
This only works out dates. Our free check reads your notice and checks the amount, the wording and your grounds too.
How it works
It uses the same rules as our full check: the Traffic Management Act 2004 regulations for council parking and for bus lanes and moving traffic outside London, the London regulations for London bus lanes and moving traffic, and the road user charging regulations for the Congestion Charge, ULEZ and the Dart Charge. Council and Dart Charge notices sent by first-class post count as served on the second working day after posting. TfL's London regulations set no such rule, so for the Congestion Charge and ULEZ we use the same two working days as an estimate. Read more in our guide to council and TfL tickets.
Common questions
How long do I have to challenge a PCN?
Formal representations are due within 28 days of the notice being served (for a London bus lane, of the Enforcement Notice that follows an unpaid penalty). A posted notice usually counts as served two working days after posting. For a windscreen ticket you can challenge informally first, ideally within 14 days to keep the discount.
What if the council doesn't reply?
For council parking in England and Wales, bus lanes and moving traffic outside London, and the Dart Charge, formal representations not answered within 56 days count as accepted. TfL's Congestion Charge and ULEZ, and London bus lanes and moving traffic, have no such deadline.
Can a PCN be sent too late?
Yes. A council parking PCN sent by post, and a bus lane or moving traffic PCN outside London, must be served within 28 days of the contravention, unless DVLA delays held it up. The calculator flags it if yours was late.