About Penalty Charge Notices

Please do not pay the Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) if you wish to submit a challenge as payment should not be made if the PCN is in dispute.

If you submit a challenge, your case will be put on hold and the amount owed will not increase.

Submitting fraudulent documentation to avoid the payment of a PCN is a criminal offence and may result in further action being taken. 

You can only challenge or appeal a PCN using the following methods.

Stage 1 – Challenge (informal) a Penalty Charge Notice

If you believe that you shouldn’t have received a notice, you can make an informal challenge.

You have 14 days to make a challenge.

An informal challenge can only be made in writing.

You will need:

• the PCN number (DR xxxx xxxx)
• vehicle registration
• your address
• your telephone or mobile number
• copies of any supporting evidence.

If your challenge is successful, we will cancel the ticket and confirm in writing.

If your challenge is rejected, we will allow 14 days from the date of our reply to pay the reduced charge.

If your payment is not received after 28 days, we will send the registered keeper a Notice to Owner (NtO) letter.

More information can be found on our Challenge a Penalty Charge Notice pages.

Stage 2 - Notice to Owner (NtO)

You have 28 days to make a formal challenge (called a ‘representation’) after you get a Notice to Owner letter. You must:

• explain your reasons for challenging the PCN in as much detail as possible
• provide copies of any evidence or documents to support your challenge.

You will not have to pay the fine if your representation is accepted.

We will confirm our decision in writing.

Stage 3 – Appeal a Penalty Charge Notice

If you have challenged a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) and are unhappy with your response, you can appeal to the independent adjudicator or Traffic Penalty Tribunal.

You must do this within 28 days of the date of the Notice of Rejection being served.

More information on how to appeal can be found on our Appeal a Penalty Charge Notice page.

Stage 4 - Charge Certificate

If you do not pay the Notice to Owner within 28 days, you will receive a Charge Certificate. A Charge Certificate will increase the charge by 50%. 

You no longer have the right to appeal to the Council at this stage.

If you do not pay within 21 days, we will register the charge as a debt at the County Court. You will be issued with an Order for Recovery which will tell you how to appeal to the Traffic Enforcement Centre. If you do not appeal or make a payment, the case will be passed to the enforcement agency (formerly known as bailiffs).