Contravention code 21: parked in a suspended bay
Updated 23 October 2026 · By the AppealGo team
Short answer
Contravention code 21 is issued when a vehicle is parked in a bay or space that the council had suspended, or part of one. It is a higher-level contravention. A suspension is only enforceable if it was indicated by a sign at or near the bay showing the dates and times it applied, so the grounds that most often win are that no suspension sign was displayed, the sign was for different dates, or it was obscured or facing the wrong way. Make representations within 28 days and appeal free to the tribunal if the council rejects them.
| What code 21 means | Parked in a suspended bay or space, or part of a suspended bay or space |
|---|---|
| Level | 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. |
| Key requirement | The suspension must be indicated by a sign at or near the bay, showing the dates and times it is in force |
| Challenge | Informal challenge within 14 days (windscreen PCN), or formal representations within 28 days of the Notice to Owner or a posted camera PCN |
| Independent appeal | London Tribunals (London) or the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (rest of England); free |
Councils suspend parking bays for roadworks, deliveries, skips, filming, building work and events. While a bay is suspended you cannot park in it even if you hold a permit or have paid, and a vehicle left in a suspended bay is given a Penalty Charge Notice under contravention code 21.
The crucial point is that a suspension is only enforceable if the driver could have known about it. The council must put up a sign at or near the bay showing that it is suspended and the dates and times involved. If that sign was missing, wrong or hidden when you parked, the contravention did not occur and the PCN should be cancelled.
Got one of these? Check it for free.
Snap a photo of the notice. We read it, tell you the grounds we found, and only charge £7.99 if you ask us to file the appeal.
Check my noticeGrounds that beat a code 21 PCN
- No suspension sign was displayed. If there was no sign at or near the bay when you parked, you had no way of knowing it was suspended. Go back, photograph the bay, and say so.
- The sign showed different dates or times. A suspension that had not yet started, had already ended, or applied to different hours than those on the sign does not bite. Photograph the sign and note the date and time you parked.
- The sign was obscured, removed or facing away. A sign hidden behind a tree, a van, scaffolding or another vehicle, or knocked over, cannot give effective notice.
- Insufficient notice of the suspension. Councils normally give advance notice of a planned suspension; where a bay was suspended at short notice and you were already parked, ask the council to exercise its discretion and cancel.
- You were in a different bay. Camera and officer errors sometimes record the wrong bay. The photographs must show your vehicle in the suspended bay, not an adjacent one.
Always view the civil enforcement officer's photographs on the council's website first. They should show the suspension sign as well as your vehicle; if they do not show a valid sign, that is the heart of your challenge.
How to appeal a code 21 PCN
- Photograph the scene. Return to the bay and photograph it from a driver's eye view, showing any sign (or the absence of one), the dates on it, and anything blocking it.
- Challenge in time. For a windscreen PCN, make an informal challenge within 14 days to keep the 50% discount. For a posted camera PCN or after a Notice to Owner, make formal representations within 28 days.
- Appeal to the tribunal if rejected. London PCNs go to London Tribunals; the rest of England goes to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. Both are free and decide on the evidence, so bring your photographs.
Common questions
The bay was suspended but there was no sign. Do I still have to pay?
If no sign indicated the suspension at or near the bay, the suspension cannot be enforced against a driver who could not have known about it. Photograph the bay to show there was no sign, make representations on that ground, and if the council rejects them, appeal to the tribunal.
I had a resident's permit for that bay. Does that help?
No. A suspension overrides a permit, pay-and-display and free parking alike, because the bay is temporarily not available to anyone. Your challenge has to be about whether the suspension was properly signed, not about your permit.
Is code 21 a higher-level charge?
Yes. Parking in a suspended bay is treated as a higher-level contravention, so it carries the higher penalty amount for the area, halved if paid within the discount period. The notice states the exact figure.
Sources
- Traffic Management Act 2004, Part 6 (civil enforcement)
- Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Representations and Appeals) (England) Regulations 2022, SI 2022/576
- Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices, Charging Guidelines and General Provisions) (England) Regulations 2022, SI 2022/71
- GOV.UK: challenging a parking ticket
- London Tribunals (Environment and Traffic Adjudicators)
- Traffic Penalty Tribunal
Got one of these? Check it for free.
Snap a photo of the notice. We read it, tell you the grounds we found, and only charge £7.99 if you ask us to file the appeal.
Check my noticeRelated guides
- Notice typeHow to appeal a council PCN (Penalty Charge Notice)
- CodePCN contravention code 12: parked in a residents' or shared-use bay without a valid permit or payment
- Notice typeGrounds for appealing a parking ticket: the reasons that actually win
- Notice typeNotice to Owner: what it means and how to respond
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.
