PCN contravention code 12: parked in a residents' or shared-use bay without a valid permit or payment
Updated 20 September 2026 · By the AppealGo team
Short answer
Contravention code 12 on a council PCN means "parked in a residents' or shared-use bay without a valid permit or payment". Higher-level contravention: £160 or £140 in London depending on the charging band (£160 on TfL red routes), and £70 in most of the rest of England (£60 in a few areas). Halved if paid within the discount period. The challenges that most often succeed are: a valid permit or voucher was displayed; digital permit held; you paid.
| Code | 12 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Parked in a residents' or shared-use bay without a valid permit or payment |
| Penalty | Higher-level contravention: £160 or £140 in London depending on the charging band (£160 on TfL red routes), and £70 in most of the rest of England (£60 in a few areas). Halved if paid within the discount period. |
| Challenge route | Informal challenge (windscreen PCNs), formal representations within 28 days of the Notice to Owner, then a free tribunal appeal within 28 days of a rejection |
Code 12 means the council says you parked in a bay reserved for residents, or a shared-use bay where residents may park free and others must pay, without a valid permit, voucher or payment. It is one of the most common tickets in controlled parking zones and is frequently issued to permit holders whose permit was not visible, and to visitors whose voucher was filled in wrongly.
Higher-level contravention: £160 or £140 in London depending on the charging band (£160 on TfL red routes), and £70 in most of the rest of England (£60 in a few areas). Halved if paid within the discount period.
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Check my noticeGrounds for challenging a code 12 PCN
- A valid permit or voucher was displayed but the officer missed it, it had slipped, or it was face down. Councils routinely cancel on production of the permit and a photo of it in the car.
- Digital permit held, where the council operates virtual permits and the officer's check failed. Provide the permit confirmation.
- You paid by phone or app for a shared-use bay and the session covered the time on the PCN.
- The bay signage did not identify it as a resident or shared-use bay, or the zone entry signs were missing.
- The bay markings were faded or did not match the sign.
- The PCN details are wrong, including the wrong code where the correct one would have been 19 or 16.
How to challenge it
Council PCNs follow the statutory process: an informal challenge within the 14-day discount period for windscreen and hand-served notices, formal representations within 28 days of the Notice to Owner, and a free appeal to London Tribunals or the Traffic Penalty Tribunal within 28 days of any rejection. The full route is in our council PCN guide.
Whatever the ground, photographs of the location, the signs and the road markings taken from the driver's viewpoint are the evidence that wins. AppealGo reads the PCN, checks the code against the details, and drafts and files the challenge for you.
Common questions
What is the difference between codes 12 and 19?
Code 12 is used when no permit, voucher or payment was displayed at all. Code 19 is used when something was displayed but it was invalid, such as an expired permit or a voucher for a different zone. If you displayed a valid permit and got a code 12, the PCN is defective on its face.
My visitor voucher had the wrong date scratched off. Can I appeal?
Yes, though the council may treat it as a code 19 rather than cancel outright. Provide the voucher, explain the error, and point out that a voucher was genuinely used for that visit. Councils often exercise discretion for an honest mistake with an otherwise valid voucher.
Sources
- London Councils: parking and traffic PCN levels from 7 April 2025
- SI 2022/71 Schedule 3: penalty charge levels outside London
- Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Representations and Appeals) (England) Regulations 2022, SI 2022/576
- SI 2022/71 regulation 5: the 10-minute grace period
- London Tribunals (Environment and Traffic Adjudicators)
- Traffic Penalty Tribunal
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Check my noticeRelated guides
This guide is general information about UK motoring penalties, not legal advice. Deadlines, amounts and procedures are set by the issuer and the regulations in force, and the notice you were sent is always the authoritative source for your own dates. See our disclaimer.
