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The private parking code: what applies today, and what is coming

By Matthew Adeola, founder of Docketory. Law (Honours) graduate who has represented himself in civil proceedings, CCJ removal, and consumer disputes. Not a solicitor.

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Related service: Parking Charge Notice

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A wide empty retail-park car park with painted bays, blank signs on poles and a flat-roofed store at the back

The short answer

For drivers with a private parking charge who have read about a new code. If the operator belongs to the BPA or the IPC, the single code applies now, apart from signs at older sites; the government's code was laid before Parliament on 20 October 2026 and is not yet in force. Docketory drafts and submits private parking appeals. Council penalty charge notices fall outside this code.

Since October 2024, the two private parking trade bodies, the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC), have shared one code of practice. It sets grace periods, rules for mistyped registrations, and caps on charges. The government's statutory code was laid before Parliament on 20 October 2026, but it is not yet in force.

The single code applies across the UK; the government's code applies to England, Scotland and Wales.

Which code applies to my car park?

If the operator belongs to the BPA or the IPC, the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice applies. The current text, version 1.1, took effect on 17 February 2025. New sites have had to follow it in full since 1 October 2024. At sites already running then, the signs may still follow older rules.

The code does not cover council parking or operators outside the two bodies, and GOV.UK says a private parking company can request keeper details from the DVLA only if it belongs to one of them.

How much can a parking charge be?

Under the single code, a parking charge must not be more than £100, and the operator must offer at least 40% off if you pay within 14 days. The 14 days run from the date the first notice was issued, whether it was put on the car, handed to you, or posted.

What can an operator add for debt recovery?

Once a charge is overdue, the code lets the operator add a sum of up to £70. The £70 is the industry's limit, in section 8 of the code, not a figure set by law. The code notes that it does not stop a court awarding costs, or fees being added through the court and enforcement process.

What is the government's code, and is it in force?

Not yet. The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 requires the government to prepare a statutory code; a first code issued in February 2022 was withdrawn that June. On 20 October 2026 the government laid a new Private Parking Code of Practice before Parliament, with its response to the 2025 consultation published the same day. The draft faces 40 days of Parliamentary scrutiny before it can be issued, and a code comes into force 21 calendar days after issue (section 2). No issue date has been set, so until then the single code above is what applies.

What will the government's code change?

By the code's own pages of 20 October 2026:

  • The £100 maximum charge stays, frozen at today's level.
  • An Appeals Charter will cancel a charge in full where the driver shows an honest mistake or a situation beyond their control, such as a medical emergency, a breakdown or a broken ticket machine, and will cap the charge at £20 for minor slip-ups, such as a forgotten permit or a mistyped registration.
  • Time to decide and to leave: five minutes to decide whether to park, and 10 minutes to leave after a session ends.
  • Operators that do not comply risk losing access to DVLA keeper data.
  • Debt recovery fees are not settled: the government will consult next year on cutting the £70 cap or scrapping those fees.

Who hears an appeal?

Appeal to the operator first, within 28 days of receiving the charge. If it rejects you, appeal free within 28 days of the rejection: to POPLA if the operator is in the BPA, or to the IAS if it is in the IPC. The operator must accept their decision.

While either service has your appeal, enforcement must not start, or must pause. An IAS standard appeal binds only the operator; a late one needs the operator's agreement, costs £15, and binds you too.

Can Docketory help?

Yes, if you have a private parking charge. From £14.99, Docketory drafts and submits your appeal to the operator, relying on the code where it fits, and takes it to POPLA or the IAS if the operator rejects it, £24.99 in all. Council penalty charges are a separate service, and Docketory does not act for anyone in court.

See private parking charge appeals. This is the wrong service for:

For free help, contact Citizens Advice. For a court claim you cannot manage alone, consider a solicitor.

What to do next

Find the operator's trade body, the BPA or the IPC, on the notice or the entrance sign. Note the dates: the 14-day discount and the 28 days to appeal run from the notice. If a county court claim form arrives, act on its deadlines at once. Not sure where you stand? Check your ticket free.

Sources

Docketory publishes general information based on real disputes. Identifying details are changed and patterns from multiple cases may be combined. This is not legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, contact a solicitor or Citizens Advice.

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