I've been given a parking charge notice - do I have to pay it?

A record numbers of parking charge notices have been handed out to motorists by private companies this year, but there can be confusion from how they differ to parking fines issued by local authorities.

According to the RAC, 16.9 million parking charges were given out in 2025/26, compared with 14.3 million that were issued the year before.

Unlike a parking fine, which is issued by a court on behalf of a local authority and is immediately payable, a parking charge is effectively an invoice for a service.

In the East of England, the Parking Appeals Group said since 1 January it had helped 8,365 drivers challenge charges they considered "unfair" - in exchange for an admin fee - with varying degrees of success.

So what can drivers do if they receive a parking charge notice and what does the number of parking charges being issued mean for parking companies?

Parking charges are issued by privately owned car parks after an alleged breach of parking rules, they are usually placed on vehicle windscreens or sent to the address of the vehicle's registered keeper within 14 days.

If a motorist parks in a privately owned car park, the company would expect to be paid for the length of time the service was provided to them.

Private companies have no legal authority to issue a fine, so if they believe a motorist has not paid for a service they have to take them to court to retrieve payment.

"It's a very different legal process," said Gary Rycroft, a solicitor and legal expert on BBC Morning Live and BBC Rip Off Britain.

"[Privately owned car parks] have to say, 'This person owes me some money', give the reason they owe the money, and ask for a judgement against them.

"So, it's a very different scenario from actually being issued with a fine that you actually do have to pay pretty quickly."

Yes, companies do. While it might seem a rigmarole for parking companies to pursue every parking charge - financially, 16.9 million charges would quickly add up.

"If [private companies] didn't [pursue motorists], their whole business edifice would collapse because people would just say, 'Well, there's no reason to pay because you aren't going to pursue it'," added Rycroft.

The cost of parking charges differs across the UK - some charges may start at £50 but can increase to £100 if not paid within a certain time period, according to LV Insurance.

Therefore if the 16.9 million parking charges that were issued in 2025/2026 went unpaid, and each one amounted to £50, parking companies would be owed £845m - or £1.69bn if each charge was for £100.

If you accept a parking charge has been issued fairly, it is best to pay it as quickly as possible.

Yet, if you feel the charge is unjust, you can lodge an appeal – this usually needs to be done within 28 days of the date on which the notice was issued.

An appeal can be made to the private parking company directly or through Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) if the operator is a member of the British Parking Association (BPA), or the Independent Appeals Service (IAS) if the operator is a member of the International Parking Community (IPC).

Drivers will only be taken to court if the appeal is unsuccessful, but they cannot appeal a ticket once it has been paid, according to Citizens Advice.

"It's free to appeal, so it's worth trying if you think your ticket was unfair," a spokesperson for Citizens Advice.

Merika Barton is the founder of the Parking Appeals Group, which she started in 2019 after successfully appealing a parking charge her mother was given.

Since 1 January, she said she her company has successfully appealed 901 parking charges in Suffolk, 961 in Essex, 240 in Cambridgeshire, 4,628 in Bedfordshire, 541 in Hertfordshire, two in Peterborough, 466 in Buckinghamshire and 197 in Northamptonshire.

"Just because someone has been issued a parking charge, it doesn't necessarily mean that they've done something wrong," she said.

"The sheer volume of parking charges issued on a day-to-day basis is out of this world... People need to be firm and stand their ground," she added.

Here are some grounds for appeal if you have been given a parking charge notice:

• You parked correctly

• The signage on the car park was unclear or confusing

• Your car broke down and you left a note

• Your hospital appointment was running late

• There was no way of paying

• You had left the car park within the company's grace period

• You could not get back to your car, for example you find it difficult to walk or are pregnant

• You got the parking charge notice more than 14 days after the alleged parking infringement

"We get a lot of clients come to us because they [parked in a restaurant car park] and got a parking charge because they didn't register their car inside on a tablet," added Barton.

"But approaching the landowner directly is also a very useful way of get a parking charge cancelled because they have the overriding authority.

"They can instruct the parking company to cancel the charge."

In a poll carried out in 2025 by the AA, one in 20 drivers said they would pay a parking charge even if they knew they had not broken any rules.

The study also found that 53% of the 11,500 drivers surveyed said they would appeal a charge and one in 50 said they would ignore the parking charge letter.

Sasha Watson, from Suffolk Trading Standards, said the regulator receives "a lot" of reports from motorists who have been targeted by parking charge scams.

She said scams can involve text message purporting to be from a legitimate parking company or app claiming they have not been paid for parking.

"We've just seen text messages where you click on a link that takes you to a fake government website where you have to give your bank details," she said.

"But there is no way a parking company could ever get your phone number - you will only get a parking notice through the post, not by text message."

The IPC said it was unable to share data on the number of parking charges that were paid or unpaid but encouraged motorists to engage with the appeals process should they feel a parking charge has been issued in error.

"We advise motorists to visit 247advice.co.uk for guidance on navigating a parking charge," a spokesperson said.

It added appeals could be made first to the operator, but if a recipient was still unsatisfied they would take the claim to the IAS.

Isaac Occhipinti, from the BPA, told the BBC having a fair appeals process was "an important safeguard for drivers" and he fully supported motorists' right to challenge a parking charge.

"Effective parking management helps keep spaces available for those who need them and relies on motorists parking responsibly and following the terms and conditions in place," he said.

"Drivers should never ignore a parking charge. If they think it is wrong, they should appeal it.

"If it is upheld and remains unpaid, it can lead to debt recovery action and, ultimately, court proceedings. The important thing is to engage with the process rather than ignore the issue."

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