The Private Parking Code of Practice was laid in Parliament on 20 October 2026 and is not yet in force. Under the Code, drivers who make a minor mistake such as entering the wrong registration will pay no more than £20 after appeal. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced the move on 19 October 2026.
TL;DR · LAST REVIEWED The Private Parking Code of Practice was laid in Parliament on 20 October 2026 and is not yet in force. Under the Code, drivers who make a minor mistake such as entering the wrong registration will pay no more than £20 after appeal. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced the move on 19 October 2026.
- The Private Parking Code of Practice was laid in Parliament on 20 October 2026 and is not yet in force.
- It covers England, Scotland and Wales and gives drivers 5 minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave.
- Charges must be cancelled on appeal for honest mistakes and circumstances beyond the driver's control, subject to Appeals Charter evidence.
- Minor slips such as entering the wrong registration carry a maximum of £20 after appeal.
KEY FACTS
- Status: Laid in Parliament 20 October 2026; not yet in force
- Grace periods: 5 minutes to decide to park, 10 minutes to leave
- Minor mistakes: Maximum £20 after appeal
- Maximum charge: Frozen at £100
- Debt recovery fees: Consultation in 2027 on cutting or scrapping the £70 cap
- Charges issued: Just under 17 million in the UK last year
What the new Code does
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said on 19 October 2026 that a new Private Parking Code of Practice would be laid in Parliament on 20 October 2026. The Code covers England, Scotland and Wales. It is not yet in force, because Parliament must scrutinise it first. Ministers say they will then bring it into force as soon as possible.
Under the Code, drivers will get a guaranteed 5 minutes to decide whether to park. They will also get 10 minutes to leave after their parking session ends. Those grace periods apply across the three nations covered. The laying date of 20 October 2026 marks the start of parliamentary scrutiny, not the start of enforcement. Until the Code is in force, the grace periods and the other protections described here do not apply.
Appeals that must be cancelled
Charges must be cancelled on appeal for honest mistakes, such as briefly stopping to check directions. They must also be cancelled for circumstances beyond the driver's control, including medical emergencies, breakdowns and broken ticket machines. Cancellation requires evidence that a scenario in the Appeals Charter applies, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The Appeals Charter therefore sets the test for cancellation rather than leaving it to an operator's discretion. A driver citing a medical emergency, a breakdown or a broken ticket machine must show that the scenario is covered by the Charter. The same evidence requirement applies to an honest mistake such as briefly stopping to check directions. These cancellation duties form part of the Code laid on 20 October 2026 and take effect only once it is in force.
Caps on charges
For minor slips such as forgetting to display a permit, entering the wrong registration or not confirming it in the machine, the maximum charge on appeal is £20. The maximum private parking charge is frozen at £100. Both figures come from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The £20 figure applies after appeal, so it is the ceiling a driver faces once a minor slip has been raised through the appeals process. The £100 freeze caps the headline private parking charge. Just under 17 million private parking charges were issued in the UK last year, according to the government. Neither cap is operating yet, because the Code is not in force.
Enforcement and oversight
Operators that do not follow the Code risk losing access to DVLA data, which they use to identify registered keepers. Operators must also report data on the charges they issue and how they handle appeals. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government set out both requirements alongside the laying of the Code.
A new independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board will scrutinise operators' data. It will be set up only once the Code is in force. The board is therefore planned rather than operating, and the DVLA data sanction and the reporting duty depend on the Code being in force. The oversight structure links operator reporting to independent scrutiny of the figures operators submit.
What comes next
Parliament must scrutinise the Code before ministers bring it into force. The government has committed to consult in 2027 on private parking debt recovery fees. That consultation will examine whether to cut the existing £70 cap or scrap the fees altogether. The 2027 consultation is planned and has not begun.
The government also intends to consult on the remaining Competition and Markets Authority recommendations after the Code is published. That further consultation is planned rather than scheduled. A consultation on the Code ran from July to September 2025 and received 4,526 responses from the public and industry. The 2027 debt recovery consultation and the consultation on remaining CMA recommendations are separate exercises from the Code itself, and neither changes the Code laid on 20 October 2026.
Car clocking
Car clocking, which is winding back an odometer to hide a vehicle's true mileage, will be added to the banned practices in Schedule 20 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 for businesses selling cars to consumers. Selling a clocked car fraudulently is already illegal. No date or penalty amounts were given for the Schedule 20 addition.
The change applies to businesses selling cars to consumers rather than to private sellers. It sits in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 and is separate from the Private Parking Code of Practice. Because no date was given, the point at which the Schedule 20 addition takes effect is not yet fixed.
Source: MHCLG: PM puts the brakes on rip-off parking charges and car scams.
Related coverage on Kael Tripton: Ignoring a Parking Charge Notice: What Happens Next, IAS Parking Appeal: Independent Appeals Service Guide, POPLA Appeal: How to Challenge a Private Parking Charge, CMA Takes Action on Private Parking Charges for Drivers, Hackney Council Spent £10,253 on Staff Parking Fines in a Year.
For press offices Kael Tripton reports releases from UK public bodies, operators, regulators and consumer brands, with your images credited and a link to your newsroom. News coverage is an editorial decision and is never paid for. Organisations can separately publish a release in full under their own name, clearly labelled as sponsored. |
RELATED GUIDES
DISCLAIMER
This report covers a Code that is not yet in force. Check the terms on any parking charge and the operator's appeal process before acting.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Private Parking Code of Practice laid in Parliament?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said on 19 October 2026 that the Code would be laid in Parliament on 20 October 2026. It is not yet in force, because Parliament must scrutinise it first.
Which nations does the Code cover?
The Code covers England, Scotland and Wales.
How much will a driver pay after appeal for entering the wrong registration?
For minor slips such as entering the wrong registration, the maximum charge on appeal is £20.
What is the maximum private parking charge?
The maximum private parking charge is frozen at £100.
When will the Scrutiny and Oversight Board be set up?
The independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board will be set up only once the Code is in force.
SOURCES
