Parking tickets issued by the council are called Penalty Charge Notices (PCN). When you receive a PCN you must either:
Penalty charges depend on the offence committed and are reduced by 50% if payment is made within 14 days. See penalty charges for parking offences.
If you don’t pay a penalty charge within 28 days, a Notice to Owner (NtO) will be sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle.
Notice to Owner
If you receive a Notice to Owner (NtO) you must either:
- Pay the charge within 28 days of receiving the NtO, or
- Make representations to the council within 28 days of the NtO.
If you do nothing a Charge Certificate will be sent and the charge will then increase by 50%.
Charge Certificate
If you receive a Charge Certificate you must pay the charge within 14 days of receiving it. There is no right of appeal at this stage.
If you do not pay within 14 days a letter will be sent to you explaining that your debt will be registered with the County Court. To avoid this action payment should be made within seven days of the date of the letter.
If payment is not received your debt will be registered with the County Court, court costs will be added and a TE3 and TE9 will be sent to you.
What is a TE3 and TE9?
A TE3 is an Order for Recovery of Unpaid Penalty Charge and a TE9 is a Witness Statement. If you receive these, you must either:
- Pay the charge by the date shown on the TE3, or
- Complete the TE9 following the instructions on the form and send it to the Traffic Enforcement Centre.
If you do nothing the court will grant authority for a warrant to be issued and a bailiff will be asked to recover the debt from you. The bailiff will charge you for this.