Traffic Penalty Tribunal Appeal Process

TPT checks that the appeal identifies the correct PCN, authority and appellant, follows a Notice of Rejection and is submitted within the normal 28-day period. Appeals made at the wrong time, by the wrong person or without adequate information may not be registered.

The 2025-26 Annual Report records 1,367 deficient appeals that were not registered. TPT provides reasons so the prospective appellant can correct a failure or supply further information for registration to be reconsidered.

Once registered, the case is opened in FOAM and sent to the authority. Registration also starts an important second review of the penalty by the respondent authority.

The authority does not have to defend every registered appeal. The Annual Report explains that appellants sometimes provide evidence at tribunal that was not supplied with formal representations, including proof of sale or hire, medical evidence and bank statements.

If that evidence resolves the issue, the authority may decide not to contest and cancel the PCN. The report records 4,831 allowed appeals as not contested in 2025-26, including 2,064 parking cases, 866 bus lane cases, 321 moving traffic cases and 1,337 Clean Air Zone cases.

The authority may also offer to accept a reduced penalty or a late road-user charge where the scheme permits it. Any proposal should be read carefully because accepting it may end the tribunal appeal.

If the authority contests the appeal, it supplies the evidence on which it relies. The contents depend on the penalty but may include the PCN history, statutory notices, photographs, camera footage, officer notes, payment records, Traffic Regulation Order material, formal representations, Notice of Rejection and an authority case summary.

The appellant should compare every date, image, location and assertion with the original documents. A case summary is the authority's argument. It does not replace the underlying evidence needed to prove the contravention and compliance with the statutory procedure.

FOAM notifications and the case timetable identify when material has been added. Evidence should be reviewed promptly rather than waiting for the adjudicator to decide the case.

A focused reply should address material that is new, incomplete or inconsistent. It can identify missing video, unclear signs, a Traffic Regulation Order issue, incorrect vehicle details, a payment record, a procedural failure or a factual claim contradicted by the evidence.

The reply should state:

1. Which authority document or assertion is being answered.
2. What is factually or legally wrong with it.
3. Which appellant evidence proves the point.
4. How the issue supports the statutory ground.
5. What finding the adjudicator is asked to make.

TPT accepts additional evidence while the case is open. Each document should be labelled and connected to the written explanation.

A non-contest means the authority no longer defends the PCN. The appeal is allowed and the penalty is cancelled without an adjudicator deciding the disputed merits. This is a successful outcome, but it should not be described as a contested adjudication win.

A consent order records an agreed resolution between the parties. The Annual Report says an adjudicator may clarify an issue or identify established case law that helps the parties reach a compromise before a decision. It records 1,070 consent orders in 2025-26.

An appellant can also withdraw an appeal before determination. The report says that after withdrawal the appellant has 14 days to settle the penalty. Withdrawal should therefore be a deliberate decision based on the evidence or an agreed outcome, not an accidental response to an authority message.

An e-Decision is a determination made from the documents and messages without a personal hearing. If no hearing method is selected, the 2025-26 report says the case will be allocated to an adjudicator for a decision on the submitted evidence.

The report records 13,232 e-Decisions in 2025-26. Most appeals can be decided this way because civil traffic adjudication does not usually require cross-examination.

The appellant should not expect the adjudicator to investigate, obtain missing video or reconstruct an unclear argument. The written appeal and reply must identify the issue and show where the evidence proves it.

A personal hearing lets the appellant give oral evidence and answer the adjudicator's questions. TPT conducts personal hearings by telephone or video rather than requiring attendance at a court building.

The 2025-26 report records 3,297 personal hearings, comprising 2,141 telephone hearings and 1,156 video hearings. The adjudicator manages the hearing and can require a person to attend where necessary.

Oral statements become evidence. The appellant should have the PCN, Notice of Rejection, authority evidence and submitted exhibits available, and should answer from the actual record rather than introduce unsupported facts.

The adjudicator assesses the evidence, makes findings of fact and applies the legislation governing the penalty. English parking, bus lane and moving traffic appeals use the 2022 civil enforcement regulations, while Wales and road-user charging schemes use different statutory frameworks.

The decision may turn on whether the contravention occurred, whether the appellant was liable, whether the penalty exceeded the amount due, whether an exemption applied or whether the authority failed to comply with a procedural requirement available as a ground.

The adjudicator has no general power to cancel a lawful PCN because the circumstances are sympathetic. Where the regulations allow, compelling reasons may lead to a recommendation that the authority reconsider, but the legal appeal can still be refused.

An allowed appeal requires the authority to cancel the PCN. The same cancellation outcome follows an authority non-contest, although there is no merits decision in that situation. Keep the written outcome and check that enforcement stops.

A refused appeal leaves the penalty payable at the full amount. TPT says payment should be made promptly and that the authority may issue a Charge Certificate after 28 days without payment, increasing the penalty by 50%.

The Annual Report records 7,152 allowed and 10,029 refused appeals in 2025-26. Those totals should not be converted into a simple win rate without separating non-contests, withdrawals, consent orders and the different penalty jurisdictions.

There is no automatic second appeal. A review must normally be requested within 14 days and must rely on one of four grounds: a requested hearing was not arranged before decision, an administrative error occurred, genuinely new evidence became available or the interests of justice require review.

Disagreement with the adjudicator is not a review ground. A review application does not extend the 28-day payment period. If payment is made and the review later succeeds, the authority provides a refund.

A point of law can only be challenged through judicial review in the High Court. The Annual Report describes judicial review as limited to unlawfulness, irrationality or procedural unfairness. It is not a fresh appeal on the evidence.