City of London Code 55 PCN Appeal (2026)

1. What does City of London Code 55 mean?

Code 55 concerns a commercial vehicle waiting during an overnight parking restriction. It is not a penalty for simply driving a lorry through the area. The Department for Transport explains that these restrictions commonly use zone-entry signs and street repeaters rather than yellow lines. The sign's weight threshold and hours matter: an empty lorry can still exceed a restriction based on maximum gross weight.

Contravention

Code 55 concerns a commercial vehicle waiting during an overnight parking restriction

Category

On-Street Parking PCNs

Issuing authority

City of London Corporation

Formal representation deadline

28 days beginning with service of the Notice to Owner or postal parking PCN.

Penalty and discount

£160 higher level / £110 lower level. Standard parking penalties shown on the City of London's Parking tickets page, updated 10 July 2026: higher-level and lower-level parking contraventions. Not a moving-traffic tariff or a statement of the amount due on older notices.

Initial discount

The initial 50% discount applies for 14 days beginning with PCN service, or 21 days for an approved-device postal parking PCN. An early challenge may lead to a renewed discount if rejected; check the council's policy and the amount and deadline in its reply.

Appeal route

City of London, then London Tribunals after a formal Notice of Rejection.

2. What must City of London establish?

Capture the overnight restriction's vehicle symbol, weight threshold and hours. Check the zone-entry signs on the route actually used and relevant street repeaters.

Compare the sign with the vehicle's plate and any trailer details. Do not substitute a moving-traffic weight-limit sign for evidence of the overnight waiting ban.

• The waiting order must cover the parked location during the overnight days and hours alleged; this is not a restriction on simply driving through the area.
• The vehicle must meet the order's commercial-vehicle and weight definition. Where maximum gross weight is used, the load carried that night is not the test.
• The overnight restriction must be adequately conveyed by the applicable street or zone signing. The absence of yellow lines does not alone establish that parking was allowed.
• Any delivery, emergency or parking permission must apply to this waiting restriction. Permission to enter a lorry-control area is a separate matter.

3. Grounds and exemptions for a City of London Code 55 appeal

The statutory ground must match what happened. These code-specific points explain how to establish it.

Permission to enter a London Lorry Control Scheme restricted road does not automatically authorise overnight parking. A parking exemption must apply to the waiting restriction itself. Nor does sleeping in the cab, keeping the engine off or having nowhere else to park create a general exemption.

• Vehicle weight: compare the restriction's threshold with the vehicle's plated maximum weight and the definition in the traffic order. A van below that threshold should not be treated as an over-limit lorry merely because it carries a business name.
• Time of waiting: match the officer's timestamps to the overnight hours and days on the signs. A photograph taken before the restriction begins does not establish waiting after it starts.
• Street and zone: identify the exact street, zone boundary and signs on the approach actually used. Ask for the operative traffic order if the council's map includes a different road or length of road.
• Necessary activity: identify any exemption in that order for loading, unloading, an emergency or authorised work. Explain the activity and duration rather than treating every commercial delivery as exempt.
• The alleged parking contravention did not happen, including where a relevant exemption applied or the restriction was not adequately signed.
• You were not the owner at the relevant time: you never owned the vehicle, sold it before the event or acquired it afterwards.
• The vehicle was under someone else's control without the owner's consent at the time of the alleged contravention.
• You are a vehicle-hire firm and the vehicle was hired under a qualifying agreement with a signed statement accepting PCN liability. Supply the hirer's name and address.
• The authority is demanding more than the penalty legally applicable to this case.
• The authority failed to comply with a statutory requirement in imposing or recovering the penalty: a procedural impropriety.
• The traffic order relied on is invalid, except an order subject to Part 6 of Schedule 9 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
• For a postal PCN relying on prevented service or a qualifying drive-away under regulation 10(2)(b) or (c), nobody prevented the officer from attaching or handing over the PCN. This is not the ground for an approved-device postal PCN.
• The enforcement notice should not have been served because the penalty was already paid in full, or at the valid discounted amount by the applicable deadline. Paying a parking tariff is different from paying the penalty.

4. How to make a formal representation to City of London

For a parking PCN attached to the vehicle or handed to the driver, send an informal challenge to City of London. Formal representations are made against the Notice to Owner, or directly against a postal parking PCN, within 28 days beginning with service. Respond to the formal notice even if an earlier informal challenge is unanswered.

The initial 50% discount applies for 14 days beginning with PCN service, or 21 days for an approved-device postal parking PCN. An early challenge may lead to a renewed discount if rejected; check the council's policy and the amount and deadline in its reply.

• A legible photograph of the manufacturer's or ministry weight plate and vehicle registration record, including trailer details where relevant.
• The overnight entry signs, street repeaters and a map showing the approach and exact parking location.
• The full PCN, officer's observation times and photographs showing when the vehicle was waiting.
• Delivery times, dispatch instructions, authorised parking permission or breakdown records supporting the particular exemption claimed.

1. Open City of London's PCN service below. Enter the PCN reference (prefix CL) and vehicle registration to find the notice and evidence.
2. Use the City of London's council-linked portal to view the photographs or footage and challenge the ticket. The portal asks for a PCN number starting CL and your vehicle registration.
3. Include the ticket number, vehicle registration, your name and address, a detailed explanation and supporting evidence. Read the document you received carefully because the available grounds depend on the notice.
4. Submit the challenge through the portal rather than relying on a telephone enquiry: the City says its advice-line staff cannot decide challenges over the phone.
5. Explain which part of the Code 55 allegation you dispute. Include the PCN reference, vehicle registration, your address and copies of photographs or records supporting each point.
6. Save the full submission, attachments and dated acknowledgement.

5. How long does City of London have to respond?

City of London must serve its decision within 56 days beginning with receipt of qualifying formal representations. If it fails to comply, those representations are deemed accepted. This statutory period applies to formal representations, not an informal challenge or a request for photographs.

6. If City of London rejects your representation

A formal Notice of Rejection explains City of London's decision and how to appeal to London Tribunals. You have 28 days beginning with service of that notice to pay or register your tribunal appeal.

Compare the reply with the Code 55 grounds and evidence you submitted. Identify any unanswered point, missing evidence or inconsistency between the restriction and the recorded event. Keep the rejection notice and the appeal details supplied with it.

An informal rejection is different: formal representations can be made if a Notice to Owner follows.

7. Taking your City of London appeal to London Tribunals

London Tribunals is independent of City of London. Use the registration instructions and verification details in the Notice of Rejection, upload your evidence and explain why the alleged Code 55 contravention or liability is disputed.

There is no fee to register the appeal. If it is refused, the full penalty is normally payable; an earlier discount does not automatically continue. If registering late, explain the delay so the adjudicator can decide whether to accept the appeal.

Read City of London's evidence pack and respond to the points relevant to your case. Keep to the tribunal's directions and evidence deadlines.

2025 London Tribunals results: shared context

3 of 4 recorded cases were allowed (75.0%).

Full Code 55 PCN Appeal Guide

Read the detailed legislation, signage requirements, exemptions and case analysis for this contravention.