Private parking
Supermarket parking charge: overstaying the free time
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 the charge and how it reached you: the countdown gives the reduced-rate deadline, the appeal date and, for a letter, the keeper window.
Next: End of the 14-day reduced rate
8 November 2026
13 days left · £60
| End of the 14-day reduced rateUnder the government Code, at least 40% off if paid within 14 days of the date of issue: £60 or less on £100. Check the rate printed on your notice. | 8 November 2026£60 |
| First appeal to the operatorWithin 28 days of delivery. If it is rejected after an appeal made in time, the rate you could pay when you appealed stays open for 14 more days. | 22 November 2026 |
| Keeper liability can start (earliest)Proceedings against the keeper cannot begin before the end of 28 days beginning with the day the notice to keeper is given, and only for the sum it names. | 23 November 2026 |
| Notice to Keeper: earliest deliveryBefore this day a notice to keeper does not meet paragraph 8. | 24 November 2026 |
| Notice to Keeper: latest deliveryAfter this day the keeper cannot be made liable under Schedule 4; the operator would have to show who was driving. | 21 December 2026 |
Most supermarket car parks are free for a limited time, typically shown on large signs at the entrance with a maximum stay and a condition that you use the store. The car park is usually run by a private parking company for the retailer, with cameras at the entrance that record each number plate. If the cameras show a stay beyond the free period, or the terms say the car park is for customers only and you went elsewhere, the company sends a parking charge by post to the registered keeper. It is a claim under contract, not a fine. In England and Wales, a camera letter must reach the keeper within 14 days beginning with the day after the visit for the keeper to be liable under Schedule 4 to the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. Under the government Code, once in force, the charge is capped at £100, a reduction of at least 40% applies within 14 days, free car parks of under 500 spaces get 10 minutes of grace, and you have 28 days to appeal.
Within the grace period?
Charge allowed?
No, within grace
| Grace period | 10 min |
| Consideration on arrival | 5 min |
| Council bays in England | 10 min overstay |
Minimums in Annex B of the Private Parking Code, which applies once in force; operators may give longer.
Rules, amounts and dates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
How a supermarket charge is calculated
The camera at the entrance records the time your plate came in, and the camera at the exit the time it left. The difference is compared with the free period on the signs. If you stayed longer, the company issues a charge for the sum displayed on the signs. Nothing is left on your windscreen, so the letter is a notice to keeper sent after the company has obtained your details from the DVLA. The countdown above, set to the date on the letter, gives each deadline.
| Free car park | Consideration on arrival | Grace after the free time |
|---|---|---|
| Free car park, under 500 spaces | 5 min | 10 min |
| Free car park, over 500 spaces | 10 min | 10 min |
| Customer-only car park | 5 min | 10 min |
A worked example
A shopper parks on 5 December 2026 in a supermarket car park with a two-hour free limit and 600 spaces. The cameras show 2 hours and 12 minutes. The first 10 minutes on arrival and 10 minutes of grace at the end are allowed under the Code, so on our reading of Annex B the stay counts as over the limit only beyond 2 hours and 20 minutes: on these figures, no charge should be issued once the Code applies. Had the stay lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes, a charge would be allowed. A letter about that visit must be delivered by 19 December 2026 for the keeper to be liable, counting 14 days from the day after the visit (Schedule 4, paragraph 9).
Common reasons drivers give, and what the texts say
- Queues at the tills or at the exit. The Appeals Charter says no charge should be issued where a driver is physically unable to leave in time because of traffic within the car park.
- A medical problem or a child to collect. The onset of illness, an overrunning medical appointment and childcare delays are reasons for cancellation on appeal with evidence.
- Two visits on the same day. Cameras can pair the first entry with the last exit; explain the two visits with receipts.
- Customer-only terms. If you shopped, your receipt answers the point; if you parked to go elsewhere, the terms may well have been broken.
Our grace period page explains the minutes in detail, and the ANPR page the camera evidence.
Paying or appealing
If the charge is right, paying within 14 days of the date of issue costs least, through the payment route printed on the letter. If not, appeal to the operator within 28 days of delivery with your receipt and your explanation; the appeal letter builder assembles the letter. An operator that rejects an appeal made in time must keep the reduced rate available for 14 more days and name the independent appeals service (Code, clauses 8.1.2 and 8.3.6). The same approach applies to the large car parks of retail parks.