Places and nations
Parking fines in Northern Ireland
Independent site, not a council, operator or appeals service. You pay or appeal only through the channel printed on your notice.
Enter the date on your Northern Ireland PCN: the countdown gives the last day for the reduced rate, the Notice to Owner and the charge certificate.
Next: Last day for the reduced rate
8 November 2026
13 days left · £45
| Last day for the reduced ratePay £45 instead of £90. A challenge made within 14 days freezes the reduced rate while it is looked at. | 8 November 2026£45 |
| Notice to Owner can be sent (earliest)The registered keeper is then asked to pay the full amount or make representations. | 23 November 2026£90 |
| Charge certificate can be issued (earliest)The charge rises to £135. | 21 December 2026£135 |
In Northern Ireland, on-street parking and bus lanes are enforced by the Department for Infrastructure rather than by councils, and the rules are set out on nidirect. A Penalty Charge Notice costs £90, reduced to £45 if paid within 14 days. A challenge made within those 14 days freezes the reduced rate while it is considered. If nothing is paid, a Notice to Owner can be sent to the registered keeper after 28 days; if that is ignored, a charge certificate follows a further 28 days later and raises the penalty to £135. Representations that are rejected can be taken to an independent adjudicator, and a lost appeal must be paid within 28 days. At the enforcement stage, a Notice of Enforcement of Charge Certificate gives 21 days to make a statutory declaration, for example if you never received the earlier notices. Bus lane penalties follow the same amounts. Private car parks issue contract claims, without the English keeper-liability rules.
Northern Ireland PCN dates
Pay £45 by
15 November 2026
| Notice to Owner from | 30 November 2026 |
| Charge certificate (£135) from | 28 December 2026 |
| Full charge | £90 |
Rules, amounts and dates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Amounts and dates
| Stage | When | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Penalty Charge Notice | day of issue | £90 |
| Reduced rate | within 14 days | £45 |
| Notice to Owner | after 28 days unpaid | £90 |
| Charge certificate | 28 days after the Notice to Owner | £135 |
| Statutory declaration | 21 days after the Notice of Enforcement | £135 |
A worked example
A notice is issued in Belfast on 2 November 2026. The reduced rate of £45 applies for 14 days, until 15 November 2026. If nothing is paid or challenged, a Notice to Owner can be sent from 30 November 2026, and a charge certificate for £135 from 28 December 2026. Northern Ireland has its own bank holidays, such as St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne holiday in July (GOV.UK bank holidays); the countdown above uses that list where working days count, and the mini-tool gives the main dates at a glance.
Challenging and appealing
You can challenge a penalty in writing, using the address or online service printed on the notice. Within the first 14 days, the reduced rate is frozen while the challenge is looked at. After a Notice to Owner, the registered keeper can make formal representations. If they are rejected, the notice of rejection explains how to appeal to an independent adjudicator and by when; nidirect does not give a single period, so use the date printed on your notice. If you lose, payment is due within 28 days. Our tribunal page compares the adjudication routes across the UK.
Bus lanes
Bus lane penalties in Northern Ireland are issued on the same scale: £90, £45 within 14 days, £135 after a charge certificate (nidirect: bus lane PCNs). They are usually recorded by camera and posted to the keeper. Check the hours on the bus lane signs, which vary from one lane to another, and ask to see the images. The rules of England, such as the warning notice at new cameras, do not apply here; see our bus lane page for the English rules only if you drove in England.
Private car parks
Charges from private car parks in Northern Ireland are contract claims. The keeper-liability rules in Schedule 4 to the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 cover England and Wales only, so a company must show who was driving, and the government Private Parking Code is drafted for England, Wales and Scotland. Our private ticket page explains what a company can and cannot do.
Paying
Pay only through the methods printed on the notice. The reduced rate of £45 is half the cost of the full penalty and a third of the amount after a charge certificate, so a prompt decision matters. Keep the payment reference: if a later letter arrives by mistake, it is your proof.
At the enforcement stage
When a charge certificate has gone unpaid, a Notice of Enforcement of Charge Certificate is the last warning. The statutory declaration within 21 days is the way to reopen the case if the earlier letters never reached you. Our charge certificate page explains the equivalent steps in England.