Appeals and court
Appealing a council PCN to the tribunal
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 notice of rejection and where the council is: the tool gives the last day to appeal to the independent adjudicator.
Last day to appeal to the tribunal
Appeal by
1 December 2026
| Period | 28 days from service of the rejection |
| Tribunal | Traffic Penalty Tribunal or London Tribunals |
SI 2022/576 reg 7 (England). A posted rejection is counted from the second working day after posting.
When a council rejects formal representations against a Penalty Charge Notice, the notice of rejection opens the last stage: an appeal to an independent adjudicator who is not part of the council. In England outside London and in Wales, appeals go to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal; in London, to London Tribunals; in Scotland, to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, General Regulatory Chamber; in Northern Ireland, to an independent adjudicator under the process run by the Department for Infrastructure. In England the appeal must be made within 28 days beginning with the day the notice of rejection is served, and in Scotland within 28 days of the notice of rejection. The adjudicator looks at the evidence from both sides, can hold a hearing by phone or video or decide on the papers, and either allows the appeal, which cancels the penalty, or refuses it, after which the full penalty must be paid within the time stated. Private parking charges are not heard by these tribunals: they go to POPLA or the IAS.
When can the Notice to Owner arrive?
Earliest posting
30 November 2026
| Latest | 2 May 2027 |
| Then representations | 28 days from service |
| Council answer | within 56 days |
Rules, amounts and dates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Which tribunal hears your appeal
| Council area | Tribunal | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| England outside London | Traffic Penalty Tribunal | 28 days from service of the rejection |
| Wales | Traffic Penalty Tribunal | stated on the notice of rejection |
| London boroughs and TfL | London Tribunals | 28 days from service of the rejection |
| Scotland | First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, General Regulatory Chamber | 28 days from the notice of rejection |
| Northern Ireland | independent adjudicator (DfI process) | stated on the notice of rejection |
Counting the days in England
A notice of rejection posted on 4 December 2026, a Friday, is presumed served on the second working day after posting, 8 December 2026. The 28 days begin that day, so the appeal must be made by 4 January 2027. The tool at the top does this count, with the bank holidays of England and Wales. In Scotland the tool counts from the date of the notice of rejection; in Northern Ireland, use the date printed on your notice, as nidirect does not state a single period.
Preparing the appeal
- Use the same grounds. The appeal deals with the statutory grounds you raised in formal representations (regulation 5). You can explain them more fully, and add evidence.
- Send everything. Photographs of signs and lines, receipts, permits, correspondence with dates, and the council's own evidence if it helps you.
- Read the council's case. The council sends its evidence to the tribunal and to you. Check it against your own: times, locations, the contravention code.
- Choose hearing or papers. See the question below the page for the trade-off.
What the adjudicator can decide
The adjudicator allows or refuses the appeal. If allowed, the penalty is cancelled and the council must refund anything paid. If refused, the penalty is payable within the time the decision sets, usually at the full rate. Where the adjudicator finds no ground made out but sees compelling reasons, the case can be referred back to the council with a recommendation, and the council then decides whether to cancel. GOV.UK summarises the process for England in its parking tickets guide.
Private parking charges are different
None of these tribunals deals with charges from private companies. Those go first to the operator, then to POPLA or the IAS, both independent appeal services funded by the industry; see our POPLA page. If your notice came from a company, the deadlines on this page do not apply to it.
Common mistakes at the tribunal stage
Three slips cost appellants most often. Missing the deadline by counting from the date printed on the rejection rather than from the day it was served, or the reverse: our tool counts the cautious way. Sending new arguments without evidence, when the adjudicator needs documents. And forgetting to read the council's evidence pack, which sometimes contains the very error that wins the appeal, such as a wrong time or location.
Before you get here
The second mini-tool above shows the earliest and latest dates for a Notice to Owner after a windscreen penalty, which is where the formal stage begins. Our pages on formal representations and on the informal challenge cover the steps that lead to the tribunal.