POPLA Appeal: How to Challenge a Private Parking Charge

When POPLA handles your appeal

POPLA is an independent appeals service for Parking Charge Notices issued on private land, and it is free for motorists. It handles appeals only where the operator is a member of the British Parking Association (BPA). If the operator is a member of the International Parking Community (IPC), the appeal body is the Independent Appeals Service (IAS) instead. The first thing to check on the notice is the operator's name and any membership logos. That tells you which appeal route applies if the operator rejects your initial challenge.

A Parking Charge Notice from a private car park operator is a civil invoice under contract, not a criminal fine (House of Commons Library, April 2026). That distinction matters because POPLA's role is to review whether the operator followed its code and whether the charge was properly issued under the terms of the contract displayed at the site. POPLA does not handle council penalty charge notices, which follow a separate statutory process. Before starting any appeal, confirm the notice is from a private operator and not a local authority. The notice itself should state the operator's name, the site, the date and time of the parking event, and the amount due. If any of those details are missing or wrong, note them, because they form part of your evidence.

Step 1: appeal to the parking operator

Appeal to the parking operator first. This is the required first step before POPLA or IAS can consider the case. The operator's address or online appeals portal is usually printed on the notice. When you appeal, keep a copy of everything you send and note the date. The code requires a reduction of at least 40% if the charge is paid within 14 days of the Parking Charge Notice being issued, so check the date on the notice and the amount shown. If the discounted amount is not at least 40% lower than the full charge, that is a point to raise. The code also allows up to £70 to be added if payment is overdue, so check whether any added amount exceeds that figure.

Gather evidence that supports your account. Photographs of the signs at the site, including their position, size and wording, help show what terms were displayed. Keep receipts, booking confirmations, bank or card statements, and any timestamps from a phone or dashcam. If the parking period is disputed, note the exact arrival and departure times. The code sets a 10-minute grace period at the end of a parking session before a charge is issued; it does not apply to short-stay areas under 30 minutes. If your overstay was within that grace period and the area was not a short-stay area under 30 minutes, say so and provide the timings. Write a short, factual appeal: state the notice reference, the date, what happened, and what evidence you enclose. Ask for the charge to be cancelled. Keep a copy of the appeal and any automatic acknowledgement.

Step 2: take it to POPLA

If the operator rejects your appeal, you can appeal to POPLA for BPA members or to the Independent Appeals Service (IAS) for IPC members. POPLA is free for motorists. The operator should provide a verification code or reference when it rejects your appeal; use that to start the POPLA case. Check the rejection letter for the code and any stated time limit for escalating. When you submit to POPLA, set out your grounds clearly and upload the same evidence you sent to the operator, plus the operator's rejection letter. POPLA reviews the case on the papers, so the evidence you provide is what it will consider.

Focus your POPLA appeal on the points that matter: whether the signs were adequate and visible, whether the charge complied with the code, whether the grace period applied, and whether the notice was properly issued. If the parking event was recorded by camera or ANPR and no notice was given to the driver at the time, check the date the notice to keeper was delivered. Under Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, where no notice was given to the driver at the time (for example camera/ANPR enforcement), the notice to keeper must be delivered within 14 days beginning with the day after the parking period ended, for the operator to pursue the registered keeper. If the notice arrived later than that, raise it as a ground. Keep a copy of your POPLA submission and any correspondence. POPLA says that if payment is delayed beyond 28 days, the operator may add charges or refer the case to debt collection, so do not ignore letters while the appeal is running.

The rules operators must follow

Under the BPA/IPC single Code of Practice, in force since 1 October 2024, a private parking charge should be no more than £100. The code allows up to £70 to be added if payment is overdue. These are the main figures to check against the notice. If the full charge exceeds £100, or the early payment discount is less than 40%, or an added amount exceeds £70, those are points to raise in your appeal.

The code is not statutory but binds members of the British Parking Association (BPA) and International Parking Community (IPC); serious breaches can cost a company access to DVLA keeper data. That is why operators have an incentive to follow it. A statutory code under the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 is still pending: the government's 2022 code was withdrawn on 7 June 2022 and a new consultation closed on 26 September 2025. Until a statutory code is in force, the BPA/IPC code is the relevant standard for members. In ParkingEye v Beavis (2015) the Supreme Court found an £85 overstay charge fair, reasonable and enforceable. That case shows that a properly displayed and proportionate charge can be enforced, so appeals tend to turn on the facts: signage, timings, grace period, and whether the code was followed.

If you win or lose at POPLA

Appeal body decisions bind the operator but not the motorist; if a motorist refuses to pay after losing, the company may take them to civil court. If you win at POPLA, the operator should cancel the charge and stop pursuing payment. Keep the decision letter and any confirmation of cancellation. If you lose, the operator may reinstate the charge and may add charges or refer the case to debt collection if payment is delayed beyond 28 days, as POPLA says. You are not bound by the POPLA decision, but the operator may choose to pursue the matter through the civil courts. If you receive further letters after losing, check whether they come from the operator or a debt collection agency, and keep copies.

If you win, no payment is due and the case should close. If you lose and decide not to pay, the operator's next step may be a civil claim. In that situation, keep all documents: the original notice, your appeal, the rejection, your POPLA submission, the POPLA decision, and any later correspondence. If you pay after losing, check the amount against the code figures: the full charge should be no more than £100, and any added amount should be no more than £70. If you paid within 14 days of issue, the reduction of at least 40% should have applied. Keep the payment receipt and a note of the date paid.

Private charge or council PCN: how to tell

A council parking PCN is up to £70 outside London; in London it is up to £160, after boroughs raised penalty levels in April 2025. A private Parking Charge Notice is a civil invoice under contract, not a criminal fine. The wording on the notice usually makes the difference clear. Council notices are issued by a local authority and refer to a penalty charge, often with the council's name and a statutory appeals process. Private notices are issued by a company and refer to a parking charge under contract terms. Check the issuer: a council name means the council process applies, while a company name means the private process applies.

If the notice is from a private operator, the appeal route is the operator first, then POPLA for BPA members or IAS for IPC members. If the notice is from a council, POPLA does not apply. The amounts also differ: a private charge should be no more than £100 under the code, while a council PCN is up to £70 outside London and up to £160 in London. Check the amount on the notice against those figures to help identify which type it is. Keep the notice and any envelopes, because the delivery date can matter for private notices issued by camera or ANPR. If the notice is unclear, look for the operator's membership logos and the appeal body named in the paperwork.

Source: POPLA.

Related coverage on Kael Tripton: CMA Takes Action on Private Parking Charges for Drivers, Council Parking Charge Notices UK: PCN Appeal Guide, Hackney Council Spent £10,253 on Staff Parking Fines in a Year, UK Parking Fine Statistics 2026, What Is a PCN? UK Meaning Explained.

Frequently asked questions

Is POPLA free to use?

Yes. POPLA is free for motorists.

What is the maximum private parking charge under the code?

A private parking charge should be no more than £100.

How much discount must be offered for early payment?

At least 40% if paid within 14 days of the Parking Charge Notice being issued.

Does POPLA handle council parking tickets?

No. POPLA handles Parking Charge Notices issued on private land.

What happens if payment is delayed beyond 28 days?

POPLA says the operator may add charges or refer the case to debt collection.