Traffic · United Kingdom
Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) — a civil parking or traffic penalty, not a criminal fine
A PCN is a civil penalty from a council or Transport for London for a parking or traffic contravention — wrong parking, a bus lane, the congestion charge, a yellow box. It is not from the police. Paying early usually reduces it; ignoring it increases it by half and ends in a court order.
How serious: needs actionAlso called: PCN, Parking ticket, Council parking fine, TfL PCN, Bus lane / congestion charge PCN
A PCN is a civil penalty for a parking or traffic contravention. It is issued by a council or TfL, not the police, and enforced through a civil process, not as a criminal fine. It arrives fixed to the windscreen or by post.
The amounts move with time. Paying early usually reduces the charge; after 28 days unpaid a charge certificate adds 50%; after that a court order follows.
A 'Parking Charge Notice' from a private company — a supermarket car park, for example — looks similar but is a private demand under contract law, not this civil regime. The words on the ticket tell them apart.
Who sends it
A local council or Transport for London (TfL), or another charging authority. These are civil enforcement bodies for parking, bus lane, congestion and similar traffic contraventions — not the police.
A document headed 'Penalty Charge Notice' with a PCN number, a contravention code and location, the charge amount, and wording about a reduced amount for payment within 14 days. Council or TfL branding. A 'Parking Charge Notice' from a private company looks similar but is a private demand under contract law.
The deadline
'You usually have 28 days to pay' or challenge; a reduced amount applies for early payment — gov.uk: 'In some cases, the fine is reduced if you pay within 14 days.' gov.uk states the 50% figure in the informal-challenge context: 'If you do it within 14 days and your challenge is rejected, you may only have to pay 50% of the fine.' Formal representations: 'You have 28 days to make a formal challenge (called a "representation") after you get a notice to owner'; a notice of rejection gives '28 days to pay or appeal to an independent tribunal'.
'You usually have 28 days to pay' or challenge, running from the date the PCN was served on the windscreen or the date of the postal notice or notice to owner. A reduced amount applies for early payment — gov.uk: 'In some cases, the fine is reduced if you pay within 14 days.' For an informal challenge: 'If you do it within 14 days and your challenge is rejected, you may only have to pay 50% of the fine.' Formal representations: 'You have 28 days to make a formal challenge (called a "representation") after you get a notice to owner'; a notice of rejection gives '28 days to pay or appeal to an independent tribunal'.
If you do nothing
After 28 days unpaid: 'you'll get a "charge certificate" and you'll have 14 days to pay the original fine plus 50% more.' If still unpaid 14 days after the charge certificate: 'You'll get a court order demanding payment', registered at the Traffic Enforcement Centre, after which enforcement follows and the low early-payment amount is long gone.
Compute your date
The rule above is what the law sets. Put in the dates on your own letter and it becomes a date.
Don't miss this date
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How it escalates
- 01Day 29: a charge certificate — the original penalty plus 50%.
- 0214 days after the charge certificate: a court order demanding payment (order for recovery).
- 03Continued non-payment leads to enforcement of the registered debt; enforcement agents are the commonly described next step.
How to respond
Response types
- Ask for clarificationInformal challenge to the issuing authority (windscreen PCN, before a notice to owner)Form: The authority's online challenge form or a letter to the address on the PCN
- File the objectionFormal representations to the enforcement authority, and appeal to the adjudicator if they are rejected (London Tribunals or the Traffic Penalty Tribunal) · Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Representations and Appeals) (England) Regulations 2022 - reg 5 for representations to the authority, and the appeal provisions of the same Regulations for the adjudicator stageForm: The representations form supplied with the notice to owner, or the authority's online representations form; at the appeal stage, the appeal form enclosed with the notice of rejection or the tribunal's online appeal service
- Confirm paymentPayment of the penalty (including at the reduced amount) or notification that it has been paid
Where and how
- The issuing authority's online challenge and payment service; the adjudicator's online appeal service
- Post (first class / ordinary mail)
- Royal Mail Signed For / Special Delivery Guaranteed
- Telephone
What makes it count
All the periods are calendar days counted from the date of the relevant notice, with no delivery fiction and no weekend roll-forward, and a submission counts when the authority or tribunal receives it. Use the authority's online challenge or representations form wherever one exists: it timestamps the submission and returns a reference, which matters because the authority may lawfully disregard representations arriving after the 28 days. If posting, allow several working days and keep proof of posting. Send representations to the address the notice specifies for that purpose - not to the payment address - and send the appeal to the adjudicator rather than the authority.
Common questions
Is a PCN a criminal fine?
No. It is a civil penalty issued by a council or TfL and enforced through a civil process, not by the police.
How long do I have?
Usually 28 days to pay or challenge. In some cases the amount is reduced for payment within 14 days.
What happens after 28 days?
A charge certificate adds 50% to the original penalty, with 14 days to pay. After that a court order demanding payment is issued.
My ticket says 'Parking Charge Notice' from a company. Is that the same?
No. That is a private demand under contract law from a private operator, not a council or TfL penalty. The ticket itself states its own deadlines and appeal route.
Sources
Facts verified against the sources below on 28 August 2026.