How to appeal a Lambeth PCN
Updated 20 September 2026 · By the AppealGo team
Short answer
Lambeth PCNs follow the London levels in force since 7 April 2025: £160 or £140 (higher level) and £110 or £90 (lower level) for parking, depending on the charging band, and £160 for bus lane and moving traffic contraventions, all halved if paid within the discount period. Most Lambeth PCNs are issued by camera and posted to the keeper, so there is no informal stage: watch the footage online, make representations within 28 days, and appeal free to London Tribunals within 28 days of a rejection. Signage at low traffic neighbourhood filters and bus gates is the ground adjudicators most often accept.
| Parking PCN | £160 or £140 (higher level) or £110 or £90 (lower level), depending on the charging band, since 7 April 2025 |
|---|---|
| Bus lane and moving traffic PCN | £160 |
| Discount | 50% if paid within 14 days (21 days for most PCNs sent by post from camera evidence) |
| Informal challenge | Within 14 days of a windscreen or hand-served PCN keeps the discount if it is rejected |
| Formal representations | Within 28 days of the Notice to Owner, or of a posted camera PCN |
| Independent appeal | London Tribunals, within 28 days of a rejection; free |
Lambeth runs one of London's most active camera enforcement operations, covering bus lanes, bus gates, yellow boxes, banned turns and its low traffic neighbourhoods, alongside extensive controlled parking zones. A large share of Lambeth PCNs arrive by post and can be checked against footage online.
Parking PCNs are £160 or £140 at the higher level and £110 or £90 at the lower level, depending on the charging band; bus lane and moving traffic PCNs are £160. All are halved if paid within the discount period, and appeals go to London Tribunals.
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Check my noticeWhere Lambeth PCNs go wrong
- Low traffic neighbourhood and bus gate cameras with signage that adjudicators have found inadequate at specific locations, especially where restrictions changed and signs were not updated.
- Yellow box junctions where the exit was blocked by traffic that stopped unexpectedly.
- Bus lanes with confusing operating hours or permitted left turns.
- Controlled parking zones where the entry signs were missing or the zone hours differed from what the signs said.
- Pay-by-phone and permit errors.
The Lambeth PCN process
- PCN served. On the windscreen or by hand for parking, or by post for camera-enforced contraventions. 28 days to pay or challenge; 50% discount for the first 14 days (21 for postal notices).
- Informal challenge (windscreen and hand-served PCNs only). Write to Lambeth through its online portal or by post. If rejected within the discount period, the discount is normally re-offered for 14 days.
- Notice to Owner after 28 days, then 28 days to make formal representations on the statutory grounds.
- Appeal to London Tribunals within 28 days of a Notice of Rejection. It is free, independent, and can be dealt with online, by phone or in person.
- If ignored: Charge Certificate (+50%), registration at the Traffic Enforcement Centre, then enforcement agents. A TE9 witness statement can reset the process if you never received the notices.
Your PCN number and registration let you view any camera footage or officer photographs on the council's website. Always look at those before deciding how to respond.
Common questions
Will Lambeth re-offer the 50% discount if my challenge is rejected?
For an informal challenge made within the discount period, Lambeth, like most councils, re-offers the discount for 14 days from the rejection. After a Notice to Owner the discount has usually gone, though the council retains discretion and the tribunal can direct it to re-offer the discount in some circumstances.
Can I see the evidence Lambeth has against me?
Yes. Enter the PCN number and registration on the council's PCN portal to see the civil enforcement officer's photographs or the camera footage. If the evidence does not show a contravention, say so in your representations and describe exactly what it does show.
I drove through a Lambeth low traffic neighbourhood by mistake. Is there a first-offence warning?
London councils are not required to issue warning notices, unlike councils outside London in the first six months of enforcement. Your challenge should focus on whether the signage was adequate to warn a driver in time.
Sources
- London Councils: parking and traffic PCN levels from 7 April 2025
- Traffic Management Act 2004, Part 6 (civil enforcement)
- 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)
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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.
