I’ve received a parking ticket, what do I do?

You’ve just found a parking charge notice on your windscreen, or a letter has arrived in the post. Your first instinct might be to pay it and move on. Don’t.

Private parking charges are not fines. They are civil invoices — and many of them can be beaten. This guide will walk you through exactly what to do, in the right order, without the jargon.

Step 1: Take a Breath — You Are Not in Trouble

The most important thing to understand is that a private parking charge carries no criminal implications whatsoever. It won’t affect your driving licence, it won’t give you a criminal record, and it doesn’t automatically affect your credit rating. It is a private invoice from a private company, dressed up to look official.

That said, you shouldn’t ignore it entirely. The right approach is to challenge it — and this guide will show you how.

Step 2: Work Out What Type of Ticket You Have

Not all parking charges are the same. Before doing anything else, identify which type you have received:

A) A council-issued Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)

This is a genuine fine issued by a local authority, the police, or Transport for London. It will usually say “Penalty Charge Notice” and come from a council or statutory authority. This guide is not for council tickets — those are a different matter entirely and you should seek separate advice.

B) A private Parking Charge Notice

This is what this guide covers. It will typically come from a private company such as ParkingEye, Euro Car Parks, Group Nexus, UKPC, or similar. Despite often looking very official, this is a civil invoice — not a statutory fine. Read more about what private parking tickets actually are.

Still not sure? Check the name on the ticket. If it’s a private company rather than a council, you’re dealing with a private charge.

Step 3: Don’t Pay — But Don’t Ignore It Either

The ticket will usually offer a “discounted” rate if you pay within 14 days. Ignore this. That discount is designed to stop you appealing, not to reward you for paying quickly.

Equally, don’t simply throw the ticket away. Ignoring a charge entirely means you lose the opportunity to appeal, and the charge will escalate. The right move is to challenge it.

Step 4: Check the Ticket Carefully for Errors

Before doing anything else, read the notice carefully. Common errors that can help your case include:

• Wrong vehicle registration number
• Wrong date or time
• Incorrect site address
• Missing or incorrect information required by law
• The notice arrived more than 14 days after the parking event (for postal notices — this is a key rule under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012)

Any errors like these can be powerful grounds for getting the charge cancelled. Note them down and keep the original notice safe.

Step 5: Try the Landowner First (Plan A)

If your ticket was issued in a retail car park, supermarket, hotel, hospital, or leisure centre, this is your quickest and easiest route to getting it cancelled — and many people overlook it entirely.

The landowner — the shop, restaurant, hotel, or hospital — will usually have the power to instruct the parking company to cancel your charge. And many will do so, because your goodwill as a customer is worth more to them than the parking company’s invoice.

Contact the manager of the relevant store or venue directly. Be polite but firm. Explain that you were a genuine customer and ask them to cancel the charge. If the local manager won’t help, escalate to the company’s head office or CEO. For hospitals, contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

This approach works surprisingly often and requires no legal knowledge whatsoever. Try it before anything else.

Step 6: If the Landowner Can’t Help — Appeal Directly to the Parking Company (Plan B)

If you can’t get the charge cancelled via the landowner, the next step is to submit a formal appeal to the parking company themselves. You have 28 days from the date of the notice to do this.

Crucially: do not name the driver in your appeal. Appeal as the registered keeper of the vehicle only. You are not legally required to say who was driving, and doing so can actually harm your case. Read more about keeper liability and why this matters.

Always appeal online or by email if possible — never by recorded post — so you have a clear record of your appeal and the date you submitted it.

Your appeal should:

• State that you dispute the charge as the registered keeper
• Deny any liability or contractual obligation
• Request evidence — photographs of the signage, images of the vehicle, and details of the alleged breach
• Not identify who was driving
• Include any supporting evidence you have — receipts, permits, photos of poor signage, etc.

Need help writing your appeal? Use our template appeal letter as a starting point.

Step 7: If Your Appeal Is Rejected — Go to the Independent Appeals Service

Most parking companies will reject your first appeal regardless of how strong your case is. Don’t be disheartened — this is normal, and it’s not the end of the road.

When they reject your appeal, they must provide you with a code to access a free independent appeal service:

• POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals) — for companies that are members of the British Parking Association (BPA)
• IAS (Independent Appeals Service) — for companies that are members of the International Parking Community (IPC)

POPLA is genuinely independent and frequently sides with motorists where the parking company has not followed correct procedure. Read our full guide to winning at POPLA.

The IAS has a much poorer reputation for independence — it is widely considered to favour parking operators. If your ticket is from an IPC member, don’t put too much hope in the IAS. Simply use it as a formal step and be prepared to move on.

You have 28 days from the rejection of your first appeal to submit to POPLA. Do not miss this deadline.

Step 8: Getting Scary Letters? Don’t Panic

If you haven’t paid or successfully appealed, you will start receiving increasingly threatening letters — often from debt collection companies with official-sounding names. These letters are designed to frighten you into paying. They are not from bailiffs, and the debt collectors cannot turn up at your door.

The key things to know:

• Do not phone the debt collector
• Do not pay without taking advice
• Do keep all the letters in case the matter escalates to court
• If you have moved house, do notify the parking company of your new address in writing — you need to ensure you don’t miss any court papers

Read more about dealing with debt collector letters.

Step 9: What If They Take Me to Court?

Most parking companies do not take cases to court, particularly for smaller amounts. However, some do — especially if you have a stronger operator like ParkingEye or if a solicitor firm like Gladstones or BW Legal is involved.

If you receive a genuine county court claim form, do not ignore it. Ignoring a claim can result in a default County Court Judgment (CCJ) against you, which can affect your credit file for six years. Respond to the claim and seek advice.

The good news: motorists who defend parking claims properly win the vast majority of the time. A well-prepared defence, including the right evidence and legal arguments, is a very effective tool.

Read our full guide to defending a county court claim.

Quick Reference: What To Do and When

Key Things to Remember

• A private parking charge is not a fine — it is a civil invoice
• Never name the driver in your appeal
• Always try the landowner first — it’s the quickest route to cancellation
• Keep all correspondence safe
• Never miss a court deadline
• Debt collector letters are not from bailiffs — do not panic

If you want to dig deeper into any part of this process, explore our full guides using the links throughout this page, or head to our complete fightback guide.