PCN contravention code 31: entering and stopping in a box junction when prohibited
Updated 20 September 2026 · By the AppealGo team
Short answer
Contravention code 31 on a council PCN means "entering and stopping in a box junction when prohibited". Moving-traffic contravention: £160 in London (boroughs and TfL), 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: you were turning right; your exit was clear when you entered; the box markings were non-compliant.
| Code | 31 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Entering and stopping in a box junction when prohibited |
| Penalty | Moving-traffic contravention: £160 in London (boroughs and TfL), 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 31 covers yellow box junctions. The rule is precise: you must not enter the box unless your exit road or lane is clear, and you must not stop in it, except that you may wait in the box when turning right if you are prevented only by oncoming traffic or by other vehicles waiting to turn right. It is a moving traffic contravention enforced by camera and posted to the keeper, at £160 in London and £70 in most of the rest of England (£60 in a few areas).
Moving-traffic contravention: £160 in London (boroughs and TfL), 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 31 PCN
- You were turning right and only oncoming traffic or other right-turners stopped you.
- Your exit was clear when you entered and a vehicle ahead stopped unexpectedly, a pedestrian stepped out, or an emergency vehicle came through. Describe exactly what happened and what the footage shows.
- The box markings were non-compliant: the box was painted where the regulations do not permit one, was faded, or did not cover the junction as required.
- The stop was momentary or only part of the vehicle was in the box. Adjudicators regularly cancel trivial incursions.
- Outside London: no first-offence warning was issued within the first six months of enforcement at that junction.
- Cloned or misread plate.
Watch the footage first
Councils must let you view the video online. Watch it more than once, note the timestamp when you entered and whether the exit was clear at that moment, and note what stopped you. Adjudicators decide these cases on exactly that sequence. Our moving traffic guide covers the wider rules.
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
Is it a contravention if I stopped in the box for just a couple of seconds?
Technically the rule is not to enter unless the exit is clear, so any stop can be a contravention. In practice adjudicators look at whether the exit appeared clear when you entered and whether the stop was trivial. Many two-second stops are cancelled on appeal, so it is worth challenging.
The car in front stopped suddenly and left me in the box. Is that my fault?
If the footage shows the exit was clear when you committed to entering and the vehicle ahead stopped unexpectedly, that is a recognised defence. If the queue was already visible, it is not.
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
- 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.
