Private parking code promises £20 appeal cap for minor mistakes

The proposed code covers England, Scotland and Wales. Parliament will scrutinise it before it comes into force.

issue.red Published 21 Oct 2026, 02:10 1 min read

Editorial collage of real parked cars with charcoal illustrations and the proposed parking appeal limits — AI-created editorial collage incorporating an illustrative parking photograph from GOV.UK. Photo: Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0. The photograph does not show an enforcement event. Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-puts-the-brakes-on-rip-off-parking-charges-and-car-scams · Licence: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Motorists in England, Scotland and Wales would gain stronger grounds to challenge private parking charges under a new government code awaiting parliamentary scrutiny.

Relief for minor mistakes

The code retains a £100 maximum charge. On appeal, smaller errors such as entering the wrong registration or forgetting a permit would attract no more than £20.

Charges would be cancelled on appeal where qualifying circumstances are supported by evidence, including medical emergencies, breakdowns or broken ticket machines.

Time to park and leave

Drivers would have five minutes to decide whether to park and ten minutes to leave after their paid session. Operators failing to comply risk losing access to DVLA keeper data.

What happens next

Parliament will scrutinise the code before ministers bring it into force. Drivers should not assume the announced protections already apply to an existing charge. The code concerns private parking in Great Britain, rather than every parking penalty across the UK.

Sources

PM puts the brakes on rip-off parking charges and car scams — Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government