Appeals and court
IAS appeal: the Independent Appeals Service
Independent site, not a council, operator or appeals service. You pay or appeal only through the channel printed on your notice.
Enter the date of the operator’s rejection and the number of days it gives you: the tool turns them into your last day to appeal.
Your IAS appeal deadline
Appeal by
22 November 2026
| Period you entered | 21 days |
| Who uses the IAS | members of the International Parking Community |
We do not print a fixed IAS time limit: use the one stated in your rejection letter or on the IAS appeal page, and enter it above.
The Independent Appeals Service, known as the IAS, decides second-stage appeals against parking charges issued by operators that belong to the International Parking Community, one of the two accredited trade associations of private parking companies. It plays the same role as POPLA does for members of the British Parking Association: you use it only after the operator has rejected your first appeal, and the rejection should name it and tell you how to appeal. We do not print a fixed IAS time limit on this site, because the published sources we read did not agree on it; the safe course is to take the period stated in your rejection letter or on the IAS appeal pages, and to appeal well before it ends. Under the government Code laid on 20 October 2026, once it is in force, an operator must suspend debt recovery while a second-stage appeal is open and must accept the decision. If the appeal is allowed, the charge is cancelled; if not, the full charge is due.
Private appeal: dates after a rejection
Reduced rate still open until
15 November 2026
| First appeal was due by | 1 November 2026 |
| Second stage (POPLA or IAS) | from the rejection letter |
| Enforcement during it | suspended (clause 8.3.7) |
Clause 8.1.2(e): appeal within 28 days and the rate you could pay then holds for 14 days after the rejection. Windscreen notices are delivered the day they are issued.
Rules, amounts and dates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Where the IAS fits
| Stage | Who decides | Time limit to check |
|---|---|---|
| First appeal | the parking operator | 28 days from delivery under the Code |
| Second-stage appeal | the Independent Appeals Service | as stated in the rejection letter or on the IAS site |
| Payment if the appeal is refused | you | as stated in the decision |
| Court, if the operator sues | a county court judge | the dates on the claim form |
The IAS pages for motorists describe how to submit an appeal. Read them on the day you receive the rejection, and note the date on which your period ends.
Working out your deadline
The tool at the top counts from the date of the rejection, with that day as day one, which gives the earliest possible end. Suppose a rejection dated 20 November 2026 gives a certain number of days: entering 21 gives 10 December 2026, entering 28 gives 17 December 2026. These two figures are examples only, to show how much the end date moves; enter the period your letter actually states. If the letter states no period, ask the operator in writing and keep its answer.
What the government Code changes for the IAS
The government Code sets common rules for both second-stage services once it comes into force. While an appeal is open, the operator must not start debt recovery, or must suspend it; the operator must accept the decision; and the original notice must have told you that a rejected first appeal can go to the appropriate second-stage service, but that the reduced rate no longer applies if that appeal is rejected too (Code, clauses 8.1.2(d), 8.3.7 and 8.3.8). The explanatory memorandum adds that the Code is backed by a certification scheme and a Scrutiny and Oversight Board that will review how appeals work (memorandum, paragraphs 5.6 and 10.2).
Before you send anything
Check three things on the rejection letter: that it names the IAS as the second-stage service, that it gives the reference or code needed to open an appeal, and the period allowed. If any of them is missing, write to the operator straight away and ask for it, keeping a copy of your request. A rejection that does not tell you about the independent stage falls short of what the notice and the Code require, and that point can itself support your case.
Preparing an IAS appeal
- Restate each reason from your first appeal, and answer any point the operator made when rejecting it.
- Attach your evidence again: photographs, receipts, permits, medical or breakdown records.
- Where the keeper is pursued in England or Wales, check the dates and content of the notice to keeper against Schedule 4, as explained on our Notice to Keeper page.
- Where the Code applies, cite the Appeals Charter case or the Annex B grace period that fits.
The builder on the POPLA page produces a second-stage letter that works for the IAS as well, and the first-stage page lists the grounds in detail. If the appeal fails and you do not pay, the next steps are debt collection letters and possibly a court claim.