About Penalty Charge Notices (PCN)

A Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) can be issued to any driver for a parking contravention (disobeying parking restrictions), for driving in a prohibited zone, or for failing to pay a required charge. Common reasons for receiving a PCN include:

  • parking in a parking space without the required permit or payment
  • stopping on a red route
  • parking on a double yellow line
  • driving in a lane or street provided for buses only
  • failing to pay a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) charge

Drivers are responsible for paying attention to road markings, signs and notices about parking and driving restrictions and acting accordingly. Vehicles can also be removed if parked in contravention.

View a full list of contraventions that PCNs are issued for.

Parking Charge Notices issued by private parking companies can look similar to council-issued Penalty Charge Notices. We cannot give advice about these as they are not issued by us. Useful information on appealing these parking tickets can be found on the Citizens Advice website.

Bus lanes or bus-only roads

We use CCTV cameras to monitor bus lanes and streets. A PCN will be sent to the registered keeper of vehicles that use bus lanes or bus-only roads but are not allowed to do so. Roads restricted for use only by buses, hackney carriages (taxis) and/or motorcycles must not be used by private hire vehicles.

Clean Air Zone

The Clean Air Zone was launched in June 2021.

There are over 300 roadside signs in place to alert drivers that the scheme is in operation. The signs have a ‘cloud’ symbol which is used on all Clean Air Zones.

The advance warning signs start at around two miles from the boundary of the zone. These signs are repeated at regular intervals ahead of the boundary of the zone. There are also signs on the boundary of the zone as you enter and exit.

A Penalty Charge Notice will be sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle if:

  • the vehicle does not meet the required emission standards and is caught on camera driving in the Clean Air Zone, and
  • the vehicle does not have a valid exemption in place, and
  • payment is not made by 11:59pm on the sixth day after the date the vehicle was recorded in the zone.

Charges

Parking

The two levels of contravention that can lead to a PCN (parking) being issued are:

  • low-level contraventions (such as parked with an expired pay and display ticket) - £50 (reduced to £25 if paid within 14 days*)
  • higher level contraventions (such as parked on double yellow lines) - £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days*)

For parking PCNs issued by CCTV camera, the reduced rate shown above is to be paid within 21 days*

Bus lane / Bus only roads

The penalty charge for driving illegally in a bus lane is £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days*).

Clean Air Zone

The penalty charge for not paying the required clean air zone fee within the 13-day payment window is £120 (reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days*). The payment window is 6 days before the day of travel, the day of travel, and up to 11:59pm on the sixth day after travel.

*Beginning on the date on which the PCN was served.

Mobile CCTV and parking restrictions

It’s difficult to enforce parking restrictions in some areas using only civil enforcement officers (traffic wardens) patrolling on foot. Mobile CCTV helps us to uphold parking restrictions and improve safety for road users and pedestrians. Mobile CCTV may be used when vehicles are:

  • in a bus lane
  • parked in a bus stop clearway or bus stand clearway
  • parked in a Keep Clear zig-zag area outside schools
  • parked on a red route

View the code of practice for operation of mobile CCTV cameras in Birmingham.

Page last updated: 13 September 2024

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