Merton Code 42 PCN Appeal (2026)

1. What does Merton Code 42 mean?

Code 42 alleges parking in a place reserved for police vehicles. The relevant issue may be whether a vehicle was being used for authorised police purposes, whether it occupied the reserved space, or whether a particular waiting exception applied. A personal vehicle driven by a police employee is not automatically an authorised police vehicle.

Contravention

Code 42 alleges parking in a place reserved for police vehicles

Category

On-Street Parking PCNs

Issuing authority

London Borough of Merton

Formal representation deadline

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

Penalty and discount

Use the charge and discount printed on your PCN; the applicable amount depends on the notice and contravention date.

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

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

2. What must Merton establish?

Record the police-vehicle reservation, any operating hours and the bay boundaries. Check which space the sign covers, especially beside ordinary visitor parking.

This is a reserved-parking allegation. Do not treat its exceptions as identical to the no-stopping conditions of a diplomatic bay or taxi rank.

• The parking order must reserve the occupied space for police vehicles during the relevant period, with the reservation adequately indicated.
• The vehicle's use or authorisation must be assessed against that reservation. An unmarked vehicle is not necessarily unauthorised, and an employee's private car is not automatically entitled.
• The evidence must place the vehicle within the reserved bay, rather than merely near a police station or police vehicle.
• Any loading, passenger-assistance or permission exception must come from the applicable restriction and satisfy its conditions. An appointment alone is not parking permission.

3. Grounds and exemptions for a Merton Code 42 appeal

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

Check the parking order's exceptions for this reserved place. Permission to enter a police station or attend an appointment does not necessarily include parking. A Blue Badge and ordinary parking payment do not automatically override the police-vehicle reservation.

• The vehicle was authorised for the reserved police use, including an unmarked vehicle where appropriate. Provide confirmation connecting its use and registration to the relevant time.
• The vehicle stood outside the reserved bay or outside the reservation's operating hours. Show the complete sign, boundary and position.
• A loading or passenger-assistance exception in the applicable parking order covered the activity. Explain its necessity and duration rather than assuming every delivery to a police station is exempt.
• The sign or bay layout did not adequately identify the reservation, or a specific direction or permission authorised the position. Identify the ambiguity or produce the dated approval.
• 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 Merton

For a parking PCN attached to the vehicle or handed to the driver, send an informal challenge to Merton. 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.

For an on-street parking PCN, Merton says an unsuccessful challenge received within 14 days of the date on the PCN is followed by another 14 days to pay the discounted charge. This summary does not apply the parking policy to bus-lane or moving-traffic notices.

• The police-bay sign and wide photographs of the vehicle position.
• Official confirmation of authorised police-vehicle use where relevant.
• Delivery records or a timed passenger-assistance account tied to the applicable exception.
• Written directions or permission and the council's observation notes.

1. Open Merton's PCN service below. Enter the PCN reference (prefix MT) and vehicle registration to find the notice and evidence.
2. Enter your MT PCN reference and vehicle registration, then select 'Find'. On a phone, open the menu to find 'Make a representation' or 'Make a challenge'; Merton says to use the portal's 'Contact us' option if neither is available.
3. Use 'View images' to inspect available evidence before making your challenge. This is available through the same PCN lookup and does not require payment.
4. For a parking Notice to Owner or postal parking PCN, Merton requires the registered keeper to authorise a representative in writing before corresponding with them.
5. Postal challenges should be signed, dated and quote the PCN number; phone and in-person representations are not accepted.
6. Explain which part of the Code 42 allegation you dispute. Include the PCN reference, vehicle registration, your address and copies of photographs or records supporting each point.
7. Postal alternative: Merton Parking Services, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden, SM4 5DX. Allow time for receipt before the deadline and retain proof of posting.
8. Save the full submission, attachments and dated acknowledgement.

5. How long does Merton have to respond?

Merton 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 Merton rejects your representation

A formal Notice of Rejection explains Merton'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 42 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 Merton appeal to London Tribunals

London Tribunals is independent of Merton. Use the registration instructions and verification details in the Notice of Rejection, upload your evidence and explain why the alleged Code 42 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 Merton'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

4,151 of 13,391 recorded cases were allowed (31.0%).

Full Code 42 PCN Appeal Guide

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