How to appeal a Westminster PCN
Updated 20 September 2026 · By the AppealGo team
Short answer
Westminster City Council 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. Challenge a windscreen PCN informally within 14 days to keep the discount, make formal representations within 28 days of the Notice to Owner or of a posted camera PCN, and appeal free to London Tribunals within 28 days of a rejection. Westminster's on-street parking is pay-by-phone only, so wrong zone codes, mistyped registrations and sessions that expired inside the 10-minute grace period are the most common grounds.
| 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 |
Westminster covers the West End, Mayfair, Marylebone, Pimlico and Victoria, and its civil enforcement officers and cameras issue more PCNs than any other authority in the country. The concentration of paid bays, resident zones, loading restrictions and diplomatic bays produces a high volume of contestable tickets.
Westminster PCNs follow the London-wide levels in force since 7 April 2025: £160 or £140 for higher-level contraventions and £110 or £90 for lower-level ones, depending on the charging band, halved if paid within 14 days. Appeals go to London Tribunals.
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 £6.99 if you ask us to file the appeal.
Check my noticeWhere Westminster PCNs go wrong
- Pay-by-phone errors. Westminster is cashless on-street. Paying for the wrong zone code, the wrong registration, or a session that ended a few minutes early accounts for a large share of PCNs, and the 10-minute grace period after expiry applies.
- Resident and shared-use bays (codes 12 and 19) where a permit was valid but not displayed, or the bay's shared-use status was unclear.
- Loading on yellow lines (codes 01 and 02) where the officer did not observe for the required period.
- Suspended bays (code 21) where the suspension sign was not in place, was for different dates, or was hidden.
- Motorcycle bays and dedicated bays with confusing signage.
The Westminster 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 Westminster 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 Westminster re-offer the 50% discount if my challenge is rejected?
For an informal challenge made within the discount period, Westminster, 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 Westminster 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.
Does Westminster still issue PCNs for expired pay-and-display tickets?
Westminster's on-street parking is pay-by-phone, so the equivalent is an expired phone session. Code 05 or 30 is typically used, and the statutory 10-minute grace period applies before a PCN can validly be issued.
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)
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 £6.99 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
- CodePCN contravention code 01: parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours
- CodePCN contravention code 30: parked for longer than permitted
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.
