How to Challenge a Code 10 PCN: Required Tickets Not Displayed

What a Code 10 PCN Alleges

Code 10 concerns failing to clearly display the required number of valid pay-and-display tickets. The historic description commonly refers to two tickets, but the alleged requirement must match the actual parking arrangement. It is not the same as displaying several tickets where that is prohibited, and paying a larger amount does not necessarily satisfy a separate display condition.

On-Street Parking: PCN, Notice to Owner and Formal Representations

A parking PCN served at the vehicle can be challenged before a Notice to Owner arrives. The later notice is a separate statutory step, not merely another copy of the original ticket. Identify the document you have and send the challenge at that stage.

• PCN on the windscreen or handed to the driver: send an informal challenge to the issuing authority. Explain the disputed parking condition and attach the evidence that supports cancellation.
• Notice to Owner: if one is served, the owner makes formal representations against it. Repeat the relevant evidence and address any earlier rejection; an informal challenge does not replace this response.
• Postal parking PCN: make formal representations against the postal PCN without waiting for a Notice to Owner. The authority needs a lawful basis for postal service, such as qualifying prevented service, a drive-away after the officer began preparing the PCN, or an eligible approved-device case.
• Notice of Rejection: appeal to the tribunal named in that notice. London civil parking cases go to London Tribunals; relevant English and Welsh cases outside London go to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.

England's camera powers for on-road parking are restricted; the presence of a camera does not authorise postal enforcement of every paid bay. The traffic order and signs govern the restriction, while the notice's legislation governs the procedure. Wales has separate regulations, and local-Act restrictions need their own check.

Parking Challenge Deadlines and the Council's Reply

A PCN served on the vehicle or driver normally allows 14 days at the discounted amount. Challenge promptly and check the council's policy on re-offering the discount. Do not assume that asking for photographs or reporting a machine fault pauses the PCN.

• A Notice to Owner normally gives 28 days beginning with service for formal representations. Use its reference and instructions even if the first challenge has already been sent.
• An English postal parking PCN normally gives 28 days beginning with service for formal representations. The discount is normally 21 days for an approved-device notice and 14 days for qualifying prevented-service or drive-away notices.
• For qualifying formal parking representations in England, the authority must serve its decision within 56 days of receipt. This statutory requirement does not turn every unanswered informal email into an accepted appeal.
• A formal Notice of Rejection normally gives 28 days beginning with service to appeal to the tribunal. Keep the rejection and submission confirmations so the dates can be established.

London Councils publishes borough parking penalties of £160 higher level and £110 lower level in Band A, and £140 and £90 in Band B. The applicable code, location and date determine the amount. TfL and authorities outside London have their own applicable charges; these borough amounts are not national rates.

Check the Required Ticket Count Against the Display

• The PCN's exact description and the number of tickets alleged to be missing.
• The machine and tariff instructions explaining the required number or permitted alternative.
• All valid tickets or the accepted cashless session, with readable validity details.
• The officer's photographs and any receipt or fault report explaining what the machine issued.

A rule in another council's car park does not establish a two-ticket requirement in this on-street bay. Code 10 and Code 09 describe opposite display problems. Establish the applicable requirement before arguing about how much money changed hands.

How Many Valid Tickets Did This Parking Place Require?

• The bay did not require the number of tickets stated in the allegation. Compare the PCN with the tariff, machine instructions and applicable parking order.
• All required tickets were valid and clearly displayed. Match their serial numbers, location, date and expiry with the council's photographs and identify any display position the officer missed.
• The parking system issued a single ticket or cashless record that covered the required payment and was accepted instead of multiple paper tickets. Provide the actual instructions and transaction details establishing that arrangement.
• A genuine purchase produced fewer tickets because of a documented machine problem, or a valid ticket became obscured. Explain the sequence and seek the applicable correction or discretion; payment alone does not prove compliance with every display requirement.

Some permits or badge concessions remove a ticket purchase requirement, but only for the bay and use covered by the concession. Do not assume that a large vehicle may occupy several on-street spaces merely by buying extra tickets: vehicle class, bay position and obstruction are separate questions.

What to Include in a Code 10 Challenge

State the required ticket count and the evidence establishing it. Explain what was purchased and displayed, then identify the overlooked ticket, accepted alternative or incorrect condition. Where the machine or display failed, keep that request for discretion distinct from an argument that the requirement was satisfied.

Where to Send the Parking Challenge

Use the issuing authority's online PCN service or the postal address on the current notice. Include the PCN number, registration, street and a concise explanation connecting each ground to its evidence. Save the completed submission, attachments and acknowledgement.

For formal representations, select the applicable ground and explain it in your own factual account. A sale, qualifying hire agreement or vehicle taken without consent needs the relevant supporting records. Naming a different driver alone does not transfer ordinary council-PCN liability away from the owner.

After Rejection: Formal Representations and the Tribunal

An informal rejection leaves the option of formal representations if a Notice to Owner is served. A formal Notice of Rejection enables an independent tribunal appeal. Focus on the issue the council has not answered, whether that is a valid payment, a permitted activity, an unclear restriction or a procedural error.

If the adjudicator allows the appeal, the penalty is cancelled. If refused, follow the decision's payment instructions. Missing the payment or appeal deadline can lead to a 50% increase at Charge Certificate stage and later an Order for Recovery. These later notices have specific procedural remedies and should not be treated as another ordinary opportunity to dispute the parking event.