Challenge a parking ticket (PCN)

A letter to the council that issued it. I’ll write it from the facts you send, or you write it yourself. Print or save a PDF, and you send it. We do not file it for you, and this is not legal advice.

14 days to keep the discount · 28 days to challenge

You have 28 days to challenge a council penalty charge notice. If you challenge within 14 days and the council rejects it, you may only have to pay 50% of the fine. That is the GOV.UK rule for England and Wales — not a promise about the outcome.

I’ll write the challenge. You send it.

Pay £49. Paste the facts. I write the letter. You still send it. Honour system. Not legal advice, and not a solicitor acting for you.

£49 · UK bank transfer

Pay £49 by UK bank transfer to Starling Personal: Andrew Skrzypiec-allen, sort code 60-83-71, account 44427708. Payment reference SENDTHIS-PCN. Then send the brief. Honour system, same as now.

USDC on Base still accepted at 0x16287C70C13d3c535e96201B52879f988f2B11D5 for people who already have it.

Write it yourself — £5

Write the challenge Photograph the ticket

Find your council — London boroughs and the largest English and Welsh councils, with their parking page and the same 14/28-day facts.

Check the ticket for who issued it. A council PCN is challenged with that council. A private parking charge follows a different process — use the details on the notice, not this council route. GOV.UK: challenge a parking fine.

How it works

  1. Photograph the ticket or fill in the PCN number, vehicle, dates, and what happened. The photo stays on your device.
  2. Print the letter or save it as a PDF. £5, UK bank transfer.
  3. Send it to the council that issued the ticket. Look them up with the postcode tool on GOV.UK: challenge a parking fine, or find your council.

The first step with a council PCN is usually an informal challenge. If they reject it, they should tell you the next formal step. Read GOV.UK before you send anything. We do not submit the challenge for you.

A filled-in challenge

12 March 2026 Parking Services Example Borough Council Charge: EX00 ABC · PCN EX12345678 Location: High Street car park, bay 14 Date of event: 4 March 2026, 18:12 I am writing to make an informal challenge to the above penalty charge notice. The ticket machine at the High Street car park was out of order. I paid using the council’s app at 18:09 (payment ref APP-44019) for two hours. The PCN was issued three minutes later. I attach the app receipt and a photo of the “machine out of order” notice on the pillar. Please cancel the charge. If you reject this challenge, please send the next formal step and the evidence you rely on, including the machine status log for that evening. Yours faithfully, A. Example

Pay £5, then print

£5 · UK bank transfer

Pay £5 by UK bank transfer to Starling Personal: Andrew Skrzypiec-allen, sort code 60-83-71, account 44427708. Payment reference SENDTHIS. Then print/export. Honour system, same as now.

USDC on Base still accepted at 0x16287C70C13d3c535e96201B52879f988f2B11D5 for people who already have it.

Other letters

Letter before action · Landlord repairs · Refund · Late invoice · Flexible working · Subject access · Neighbour noise · Insurance claim · Bank complaint · Resignation · Invoice

Send This is not a law firm and this is not legal advice. We write a letter from what you type or photograph; you send it. We do not talk to the council, file a challenge, or say you will win. Do not ignore a PCN: the deadline still runs. Council PCNs in England and Wales are challenged with the issuing council — see GOV.UK. Private parking charges are different; check who issued the notice. If the stakes are high, read GOV.UK or speak to Citizens Advice. £5 is for the self-serve document; £49 is for a letter written from your facts. Neither is a result.