How to Challenge a Code 25 PCN: Loading Bay Without Loading

What a Code 25 PCN Alleges

Code 25 alleges parking in a loading place during restricted hours without loading. It is not enough to say that the stop was short: the vehicle must satisfy the loading-bay conditions. Collecting a pre-ordered bulky item and browsing a shop before deciding what to buy are different activities, and a goods-vehicles-only bay adds a separate vehicle-class requirement.

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.

Account for the Time Away From the Vehicle

• A delivery note, collection order or invoice identifying the goods, location and date.
• A recipient or shop statement confirming arrival, handover and any necessary delay.
• The loading-bay sign, including vehicle class, operating hours and maximum stay.
• The officer's observation times and photographs, compared with your dated timeline.

A small purchase or a shopping receipt does not automatically prove exempt loading. Waiting for goods that were not ready, shopping first or leaving the vehicle after completion may fall outside the permission. Explain the facts rather than inventing a continuous stream of visible activity.

Was the Stay Necessary for a Genuine Collection or Delivery?

• Goods were being collected or delivered and the vehicle was reasonably needed for that activity. Describe the items, destination and handling required rather than attaching a receipt with no explanation.
• The officer saw no activity because you were inside completing a necessary part of the delivery, collection or handover. Supply a timed account covering the observed interval, including relevant paperwork or access arrangements.
• The bay's loading-only hours had not started or had ended, and your use met the conditions then in force. Photograph every time panel, including any permitted parking outside loading hours.
• The vehicle was in a different bay or the loading restriction was not adequately conveyed. Show the sign, arrows and bay boundaries together, and address any goods-vehicle or maximum-stay condition separately.

The parking order determines the permitted loading and any additional exceptions. Loading should take no longer than reasonably necessary; there is no universal observation period that every officer must wait before issuing a Code 25 PCN. A Blue Badge does not itself authorise a loading-only bay.

What to Include in a Code 25 Challenge

Describe the goods and why the vehicle was needed, then account for the whole relevant interval. Identify any necessary off-vehicle activity and attach independent records. Address the bay's vehicle-class and time conditions as well as the loading itself.

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.