Challenge a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)
- View evidence online
- Make a challenge online
- PCN fraud/number plate theft
- Once we receive your challenge
- Status updates
View evidence online
If you have received a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) you can now view the evidence online.
You will need to enter:
- The Penalty Charge Notice number (the 8 digit reference beginning with 'HY' or 'HP' at the top of the notice)
- The Vehicle Registration Number (VRM)
View photo evidence:
You can view the PCN evidence two days after the PCN is issued. Please view the evidence before challenging the PCN.
Note: Depending on the number of photographs taken you may find them slow to download - please be patient.
View CCTV evidence:
Click on the link below to view the CCTV footage.
Make a challenge online
- Please note: the online form will time out after approximately 20 minutes. Please see the 'Prepare in advance' section below
- You will need an email address to log a challenge online
Please view the evidence before making a challenge. How you make that challenge depends on what type of PCN you have received.
Do not pay the PCN if you plan to challenge the PCN (unless your vehicle has been removed - in which case you will need to pay the car pound for the release of your vehicle and then challenge the PCN).
Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)
You can challenge the PCN if you are the driver or registered keeper. If you do this within 14 days of receiving the notice, we will put the case on hold until we make a decision. Should your challenge be unsuccessful we will allow you to pay the reduced amount within 14 days of receiving the decision.
Prepare in advance - to prevent the online form from timing out and losing the information you have entered, you can prepare the text of any challenge in a document and then cut and paste the text directly into the form.
Please be sure to provide evidence to support your challenge.
Confirmation of receipt
Please note you will not get a confirmation email once you have submitted your challenge – do not worry about this. So long as you saw the ‘Challenge complete’ confirmation details screen including the Challenge Reference Number - see example below:
then that means your challenge has been received successfully.
Make a note of the reference number beginning with ‘TF’ (you could take a screen shot or print the confirmation details screen) as you will need this if you decide to contact us later.
Challenge a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)
If you do not make payment we will send a Notice to Owner to the person who appears to be the owner of the vehicle after 28 days have passed from the date the PCN was issued. The Notice to Owner allows you to make a formal challenge using the challenge the PCN form or to send by post. The grounds for doing this are stated within the online challenge or on the notice.
Bus lane contravention
If you received a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) for driving in a bus lane, you may make a challenge on the PCN online.
Reasons for challenge include:
- that the recipient was not the owner at the time
- that there was no contravention
- that the vehicle was being used without the owner’s consent
If you do not make payment we will send an Enforcement Notice to the person who appears to be the owner of the vehicle after 28 days have passed from the date the PCN was issued. The Enforcement Notice allows you to make a formal representation/challenge.
Please be sure to provide evidence to support your formal challenge.
Challenge a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)
Moving traffic contravention
If you receive a Penalty Charge Notice for a moving traffic contravention, you can make a formal challenge (representation) on the PCN on any of the following grounds online.
- I was not the owner of the vehicle at the time
- if you sold the vehicle before the date of the contravention or bought it after the date, you must tell us the name and address of the person who bought it from you or sold it to you, if you know it. Also please supply whatever evidence of the sale you may have (eg a sales receipt)
- There was no contravention of an order or failure to comply with an indication on a sign
- please explain why you think there was no contravention of a traffic order or why there was no failure to drive the vehicle in the way shown on the sign
- The vehicle was being used without your consent
- if the vehicle had been stolen, please provide details of the police crime reference or insurance claim
- We are a hire company and the vehicle was on hire/lease on that date
- please supply a copy of the signed agreement including the name and address of the hirer
- The penalty charge exceeded the amount applicable in the circumstances of the case
- if you think you are being asked to pay more than you should legally pay
If the Penalty Charge is not paid before the end of the 28 day period, an increased charge may be payable. We can then send you a Charge Certificate seeking payment of this increased amount.
Please be sure to provide evidence to support your formal challenge.
Challenge a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)
PCN fraud/number plate theft
If you believe your vehicle registration plates (number plates) have been stolen or cloned, and you have received a PCN, you will need to report this to the police first (external link).
You will receive a crime reference number once you have done this – this can be used as supporting evidence to challenge the PCN online.
When making your challenge, you should provide the police reference number and any relevant evidence, such as front and back view photographs of the car.
Once we receive your challenge
As soon as we receive a challenge from you, the PCN is placed on hold.
There is no need to contact us after your challenge had been logged unless you receive a statutory notice, such as a Notice to Owner or Charge Certificate.
If your challenge is successful
If we accept your representations the PCN will be cancelled.
If your challenge is not successful
If we reject your challenge we will write to you explaining the reasons why, and provide more information about what to do next.
- If your challenge was received by us before the 14 days allowed for payment of the PCN at the discount rate, we will allow you a further 14 days from the date we reply to you to pay at the discount rate
- If your challenge was received by us after the 14 days allowed for payment of the PCN at the discount rate, you will be required to pay the full amount
If you do not make payment we will send a Notice to Owner to the person who appears to be the owner of the vehicle after 28 days have passed from the date the PCN was issued. The Notice to Owner allows you to make a formal challenge using the challenge the PCN e-form or to send by post. The grounds for doing this are stated within the online challenge or on the notice.
If your formal representations are unsuccessful, we will send the registered keeper / liable party of the vehicle a Notice of Rejection. This will state, amongst other things, that the registered keeper / liable party may appeal against the Notice of Rejection to an independent adjudicator at the London Tribunals: Environment and Traffic Adjudicators and it will give information about the time limits for appealing to an adjudicator.
Alternatively you can pay your Penalty Charge Notices online.
If you lose your appeal at London Tribunals: Environment and Traffic Adjudicators, you will be given another 28 days to pay the penalty due before any further increase.
The penalty due at this stage will be the full (not the reduced rate) penalty.
Status updates
Please note - while a PCN challenge is being reviewed by the Parking Appeals Team, we are unable to provide status updates.
Contact us
You can do this online by using our challenge the PCN e-form or by writing to:
Haringey Council Parking Service
P.O. Box 4789
Lancing
BN11 9QA
Please note challenges over the telephone or by email will not be accepted.
