Court · United Kingdom
Single Justice Procedure Notice (SJPN) — a criminal case decided on paper, with 21 days to respond
An SJPN is a criminal charge for a minor offence — no TV licence, fare evasion, many motoring offences — decided by a single magistrate reading the papers instead of a court hearing. It looks bureaucratic but it is a real prosecution: 21 days to respond, and the case is decided with or without your input.
How serious: enforcement closeAlso called: SJPN, Single justice notice, Postal charge notice (magistrates)
The notice charges you with a minor offence and tells you the case will be dealt with by a single magistrate on the papers. gov.uk: minor offences 'could be decided without going to court'. Typical cases are no TV licence, fare evasion, many motoring offences, and cycling on a footpath.
It is a real criminal prosecution. The pack includes a statement of facts, a plea form and a means form. The plea form offers three routes: guilty by post, guilty with a request to attend, or not guilty.
The response deadline is short and, per Advicenow, cannot be extended. If no response arrives, the magistrate decides the case without you — on the prosecutor's evidence alone.
Who sends it
The prosecuting authority — for example the police, TV Licensing, DVLA or a train operator — through HM Courts & Tribunals Service. The notice starts a criminal case decided by a single magistrate on the papers.
A pack headed 'Single Justice Procedure Notice' from a magistrates' court or HMCTS, naming the offence and the prosecutor, with a statement of facts, a plea form (guilty by post / guilty attending / not guilty), a means form, and a 21-day response deadline.
The deadline
'If you get a single justice procedure notice you must respond within 21 days.' The deadline runs from the date shown on the notice and, per Advicenow, 'The deadline to respond to the SJPN cannot be extended.'
'If you get a single justice procedure notice you must respond within 21 days.' The deadline runs from the date shown on the notice and, per Advicenow, 'The deadline to respond to the SJPN cannot be extended.'
If you do nothing
The single magistrate decides the case on the papers without you. Per Advicenow: 'If you don't respond, you will automatically be assumed to be "guilty" of the minor offence.' You are convicted and sentenced, usually to a fine, in your absence, and you lose the reduction for an early guilty plea — Advicenow: 'If you plead guilty, you will get a 33% reduction in the fine.'
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
We'll email you 7, 3 and 1 day before, and on the day — at 9:00 your time.
We keep only what the reminder needs — type, dates, sender — encrypted. Delete it any time.
How it escalates
- 01After 21 days the case is decided in your absence on the prosecutor's evidence.
- 02A conviction and fine are imposed without your mitigation or means being considered.
- 03The early guilty plea discount (33%) on the fine is lost.
- 04The resulting fine is enforced as a court fine; motoring cases can also carry penalty points or endorsements.
How to respond
Response types
- Confirm receiptGuilty plea (by post or online), with mitigation - with or without a request to attend court · Criminal Justice Act 2003, s.29 and Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, s.16A (trial by single justice on the papers)Form: The plea form supplied in the Single Justice Procedure Notice pack, together with the statement of means form
- File the objectionNot guilty plea · Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, s.16A (a not guilty plea takes the case out of the single justice procedure and into an ordinary hearing)Form: The plea form supplied in the Single Justice Procedure Notice pack
- Ask for instalmentsRequest to pay a court fine by instalments (statement of means / application to the fines officer) · Courts Act 2003, Schedule 5 (collection of fines)Form: The statement of means form in the SJPN pack; after conviction, the fines officer's payment terms process
- Ask for more timeApplication to reopen the case / statutory declaration (where the notice was never received) · Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, s.142 (power of a magistrates' court to re-open a case to rectify a mistake) and s.14 (statutory declaration of no knowledge of the proceedings)
Where and how
- Make a plea online (Single Justice Procedure)
- Post (first class / ordinary mail)
- Royal Mail Signed For / Special Delivery Guaranteed
- Delivery by hand / court counter or drop box
- Telephone
What makes it count
The 21 days run from the date on the notice and cannot be extended, and the response counts when the court receives it - not when it is posted - so where the notice offers an online plea that route is safer, being timestamped and acknowledged. Everything filed must carry the URN, because the Single Justice Service processes cases by reference and a plea that cannot be matched is treated as no response at all. Writing to the prosecuting authority to ask it to drop the case runs alongside, never instead of, filing the plea: the single magistrate decides on the papers after 21 days whatever correspondence is in flight with the prosecutor.
Common questions
Is this a real criminal case?
Yes. It is a prosecution for a minor offence, decided by a single magistrate on the papers rather than at a hearing.
How long do I have?
21 days from the date shown on the notice. Per Advicenow, the deadline cannot be extended.
What happens if I do not respond?
The magistrate decides the case without you. Per Advicenow, you are assumed guilty, convicted and fined in your absence, and lose the 33% early-plea reduction.
Can I still have a hearing?
Yes. A not guilty plea within 21 days lists the case for a normal hearing. A guilty plea can also be combined with a request to attend.
Sources
Facts verified against the sources below on 28 August 2026.