How Do I Appeal a Parking Ticket in Scotland?

Who this guide is for

People in Scotland who have a parking ticket and want to know whether to pay it or challenge it. It covers a penalty charge notice (PCN) from a council, including for parking on the pavement, across a dropped kerb or double parking, a bus lane charge notice and a low emission zone PCN, and a parking charge from a private parking company.

What this guide does not cover

• England, Wales or Northern Ireland: see the England and Wales guide or the Northern Ireland guide.
• A fixed penalty notice from the police: the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland does not hear these. Ask Citizens Advice Scotland or a solicitor.
• Speeding and other driving offences, and penalty points: ask a solicitor. For a driving licence decision, see our DVLA decisions guide.
• Towing by a private company, and clamping or removal by the police or a council: ask Citizens Advice Scotland.
• Whether a vehicle meets low emission zone standards: check the Low Emission Zones Scotland website.
• How much a particular ticket costs: the amount is printed on it. This guide gives no amounts for tickets.
• Defending a court claim in detail: see the simple procedure guide for Scotland.

At a glance

• Council PCN: you have 28 days to pay, and it is reduced by 50% if you pay within 14 days (mygov.scot).
• Challenge the council first. If it accepts, the ticket is cancelled. If it rejects your challenge, you get a Notice of Rejection and must pay or appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (General Regulatory Chamber). You can only appeal to the tribunal once you have a Notice of Rejection.
• Pavement, dropped kerb and double parking PCNs (councils can enforce these since 11 December 2023): the tribunal says to appeal within 28 days of receiving the Notice of Rejection.
• A private parking charge is not a council PCN. The keeper rules in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 do not apply in Scotland, and the Scottish keeper liability scheme is not in force.
• The dates are printed on the ticket.

What the rules depend on

• Who issued it? A council (penalty charge notice or bus lane charge notice): the council steps below apply. A private company: the private steps apply. The police (fixed penalty notice): not covered here.
• Which council? The tribunal only hears appeals about councils that issue PCNs for that kind of contravention. Bus lane charge notices are issued by Aberdeen City, City of Edinburgh and Glasgow City councils. If your council does not issue PCNs, the tribunal says to contact the council about other ticket types.
• What stage is it at? A ticket you can still challenge with the council, or a Notice of Rejection you can appeal to the tribunal.
• Private ticket: were you the driver, or only the registered keeper? See the private section below.

Council tickets

• You have 28 days to pay a council PCN, and it is reduced by 50% if you pay within 14 days. The ticket, or the council's website, says how to pay.
• To challenge, contact the council that issued the ticket; the ticket explains how. If the council accepts your challenge, the fine is cancelled and you do not have to pay. If it rejects it, you get a Notice of Rejection and must then pay or appeal to the tribunal (mygov.scot).
• Bus lane charge notice: pay or challenge within 28 days of the date on the fine. You can only challenge for the reasons written on the back. If you do not pay within 28 days the fine goes up by 50%, and if you do not pay or challenge the council can register the debt with the court and try to recover the money (mygov.scot).
• Pavement, dropped kerb and double parking: make formal written representations to the council that issued the PCN. If it rejects them it must issue a Notice of Rejection, and you should appeal to the tribunal within 28 days of receiving it. The grounds of appeal are in regulation 10 of the Parking Prohibitions (Enforcement and Accounts) (Scotland) Regulations 2023.
• Appealing to the tribunal: the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, General Regulatory Chamber (Transport Appeals), hears appeals against PCNs from many, but not all, councils, against bus lane charge notices, and against low emission zone PCNs in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. It can only consider an appeal against a Notice of Rejection, and your Notice of Rejection explains how to appeal. An appeal about a parking PCN must be based on the legal grounds in the Road Traffic Act 1991, which the tribunal's website lists. You can also appeal if the council removed your vehicle.
• If you do not pay or challenge in time, the charge goes up and the council can take steps to recover it. The ticket explains the stages.

Private parking charges

• A parking charge from a private company is not a council penalty.
• The keeper liability rules in Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 apply only in England and Wales.
• Part 8 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 would let a company recover unpaid private parking charges from the keeper, but legislation.gov.uk shows it as not yet in force (checked 24 September 2026). This means the Scottish keeper liability scheme is not in force. When the Act was passed, its explanatory notes said that in Scotland only the driver can be held liable for a private parking charge.
• Appeal to the company first, using the details on the notice. POPLA hears appeals about tickets from British Parking Association members in Scotland, after the company has rejected your appeal and given you a verification code. POPLA is free. For other companies, check their rejection letter for the appeals service they use.
• If the company takes you to court for £5,000 or less, it uses simple procedure. Respond by the last date for a response on the court papers. See the simple procedure guide.

Clamping and towing on private land

• Clamping on private land has been banned in Scotland since 1992.
• The England and Wales law on clamping (Protection of Freedoms Act 2012) does not apply in Scotland.
• Towing by a private company: ask Citizens Advice Scotland.

Parking companies' codes of practice

• To get the registered keeper's details from DVLA, a private parking company must be a member of an accredited trade association (the British Parking Association or the International Parking Community) and follow its code of practice.
• The government's own Private Parking Code of Practice was withdrawn on 7 June 2022, before it came into force. The government consulted on a new code from July to September 2025. A new code was laid before Parliament on 20 October 2026. It is not law yet: Parliament has 40 days to consider it, and it comes into force 21 days after it is issued (checked 9 November 2026).
• If you think the company did not follow its trade association's code, for example on signs, you can say so in your appeal.
• What the code says about grace periods, signs and charges: ask Citizens Advice Scotland.

Deadlines

• Council PCN: 28 days to pay; 50% off if you pay within 14 days.
• Bus lane charge notice: pay or challenge within 28 days of the date on the fine.
• Pavement, dropped kerb and double parking: appeal to the tribunal within 28 days of receiving the Notice of Rejection. For other tickets, the Notice of Rejection gives the time limit.
• Private charge: check the company's letters for its appeal deadline.

Money figures

This guide gives no amounts for tickets: the amount is printed on the ticket. Paying within 14 days halves a council PCN, and an unpaid bus lane charge notice goes up by 50% after 28 days.

Where to go for help

• The council that issued the ticket, for a challenge.
• The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, General Regulatory Chamber (Transport Appeals): how to appeal is on your Notice of Rejection.
• POPLA for a British Parking Association member's ticket, after the company has rejected your appeal.

Citizens Advice Scotland: 0800 028 1456

Traps

• Rules, deadlines and appeal bodies from England and Wales do not apply in Scotland.
• The tribunal only hears an appeal once the council has rejected your challenge with a Notice of Rejection.
• A police fixed penalty notice does not go to the tribunal.
• A private parking charge is not a council PCN, and keeper liability under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 does not apply in Scotland.