How to Challenge a Code 62 PCN for Pavement Parking

What a Code 62 PCN Alleges

Code 62 alleges parking with one or more wheels on or over a footpath or a part of a road other than the carriageway. In Greater London, section 15 of the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1974 creates the general prohibition, subject to exceptions and authorised areas. It does not depend on yellow lines or proof that a pedestrian was actually blocked. Heavy commercial vehicles have a separate section 19 test, explained under code 61.

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.

Photograph the Pavement-Parking Permission and Boundary

• The complete PCN and photographs showing every wheel relevant to the allegation, not just a cropped view of the vehicle body.
• The footway-parking start and end signs, marked bays and a street plan showing the authorised area.
• The council's resolution or written vehicle-specific permission where an authorised section or dispensation is disputed.
• Loading or assistance records identifying the duration, necessity and person attending the vehicle throughout.
• Evidence of an emergency or the statutory activity relied upon, and the precise legislation named on an outside-London notice.

Saying pedestrians could pass does not answer London's prohibition. Nor is long-standing parking by other vehicles proof of permission. Establish the authorisation or exception and its actual boundaries.

Was the Vehicle Outside a Lawful Footway-Parking Area?

• The wheel position is wrong: compare the council's photographs with the actual carriageway edge and surface layout. Paving colour or an indistinct kerb alone does not settle the legal boundary.
• Footway parking was authorised: obtain the council resolution or authorisation and compare its extent with the signs, bays and vehicle position. Permission on one part of a street does not automatically cover the next section.
• The London loading exception applied: the loading could not satisfactorily have been performed without parking there, the vehicle was never left unattended, and the period did not exceed 20 minutes unless the council permitted longer. Address all three conditions.
• A different statutory exception applied: identify uniformed-police permission, a genuine emergency, necessary attended breakdown assistance or an eligible public-service or authorised works vehicle. A tradesperson visiting a house is not automatically exempt.
• The PCN relies on the wrong territorial power: outside London, require the authority to identify the applicable prohibition and its operation on the date. The London Act is not a UK-wide pavement-parking ban.

A Blue Badge, residents' permit or desire to leave room for passing cars does not generally authorise pavement parking. Parliament's 2026 Act provides for further English local-transport-authority powers through regulations and local prohibitions; it should not be read as an automatic copy of London's ban on every street. Essex and Exeter also have their own provisions, covered separately below.

What to Include in a Code 62 Challenge

State where the wheels were, identify the relevant authorisation or statutory exception, and attach photographs that show the whole location. If claiming loading, explain why the carriageway could not be used, the duration and continuous attendance. Keep any request for discretion separate from the legal ground.

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.