How to Challenge a Code 22 PCN: Returning Within the No-Return Period

What a Code 22 PCN Alleges

Code 22 alleges returning to a parking place within a prohibited period. A sign may allow a limited stay but prevent a further visit for a stated interval. The no-return period is separate from the maximum stay and is not always one hour. The council needs evidence that connects the two visits to the restriction that actually applied.

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.

Prove the Departure and Return, Not Just Two Sightings

• The council's first and second observation records, including the exact locations.
• Timed receipts, vehicle-location records or other evidence of the first departure and later arrival.
• The full sign stating maximum stay, no-return period and operating hours.
• The parking-place boundary or relevant order provision where the two visits were at different spaces.

Do not assume that every no-return condition lasts one hour. Nor should two visits be described as one continuous overstay without checking the evidence. If the car never left, that may answer an alleged return, although a separate maximum-stay issue could still arise.

Did the Second Visit Fall Within the Prohibited Return Period?

• The second arrival was after the no-return period had expired. Establish the earlier departure and later arrival using timed records, then apply the period shown on the sign.
• The council has mistaken another vehicle or a single observation for evidence of both visits. Ask for the registrations, times, locations and photographs underpinning the alleged return.
• The later visit was outside the parking place or area to which the no-return condition applied. Compare the parking order's extent with the signs; moving to the next individual space does not necessarily mean leaving the controlled parking place.
• The no-return condition was not in force or was not adequately conveyed. Show the full sign and time panels, and identify which permitted-use period applied to each visit.

A concession or express authorisation may affect the stay conditions, but it must cover the no-return restriction itself. An unavoidable event can support a specific exception or discretion. A new payment, a different driver or another bay in the same controlled area does not automatically reset the prohibition.

What to Include in a Code 22 Challenge

Set out the two visits in time order and identify the relevant parking place. Explain why the interval, location or evidence does not meet the stated no-return condition. Attach records that establish the missing departure or arrival time.

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.