How to appeal depends on the type of parking ticket you have – check what the ticket says before you start. Most parking tickets will be one of:

• a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) or an Excess Charge Notice (ECN) – usually issued by the council on public land, such as a high street or council car park
• a Parking Charge Notice – issued by a landowner or parking company on private land, such as a supermarket car park
• a Fixed Penalty Notice – issued by the police on red routes, white zig zags or where the police manage parking

Don’t pay a parking ticket that you’re appealing. Usually, paying is seen as admitting the ticket was right – so you won’t be able to appeal it once you’ve paid.

If you’re worried about not paying, call whoever gave you the ticket and ask them to confirm that you shouldn’t pay if you’re appealing.

If you were using an NHS car park

In some situations you can get free parking in NHS car parks and should not be given a parking ticket. You shouldn’t be given a parking ticket if:

• you’re a Blue Badge holder and a patient, visitor or employee of the hospital trust
• you’re an outpatient who often has to go to hospital appointments at least 3 times a month
• you’re an employee working a night shift – your shift must start after 7.30pm and end before 8am
• you’re the parent or guardian of a child under 18 who has to spend the night in hospital as an inpatient
• If your child is spending the night in hospital as an inpatient, you can park up to 2 vehicles for free overnight between 7.30pm and 8am.

If you’re in one of these situations, you should ask the NHS trust if you need to do anything to get free parking – for example, you might need to apply for a permit or claim the costs back. If you’ve been given a parking ticket, you should appeal it.

If you’ve been clamped on private land

Check the notice left with the clamp to see if it’s from the police, the council, the DVLA, or a private company acting on their behalf. They’re the only ones allowed to clamp your car on private land.

You should call the police on 101 if you’ve been clamped by a private landowner or company working for them. The police will remove the clamp. Don’t remove the wheel clamp yourself – you could be taken to court for criminal damage. You could also be taken to court for theft if you keep the clamp.

Your parking ticket should be cancelled if one of the reasons on this page applies to you.

It’s free to make an informal appeal by contacting whoever gave you the parking ticket, so it’s well worth trying.

You can’t be taken to court while you’re informally appealing, so your credit rating won’t be affected. You’ll only be taken to court if your appeal is unsuccessful, and you don’t pay the ticket or appeal to a tribunal.

If none of these reasons apply to you, it’s a good idea to pay your ticket early. You can usually get a discount of:

• 50% if you pay a Penalty Charge Notice or Excess Charge Notice within 14 days
• 40-60% if you pay a Parking Charge Notice within 14 days

It’s worth appealing your parking ticket if you were parked correctly, or if you got a ticket because of your mobility problems.

A Blue Badge lets you use certain on-street parking spots that are close to your destination. If you’re not sure whether you were parked in line with the Blue Badge rules, check where you can park on GOV.UK.

You’ll need to send proof of your Blue Badge with your appeal. This could be a scanned copy of your badge or your badge serial number.

Ask for a letter from your council confirming you’re a Blue Badge holder, if you’ve lost your badge.

You might be sent a ticket in the post if someone parked where they shouldn’t have when they were driving your car.

You should appeal if any of the reasons on this page apply to you, because you weren’t responsible for the car when it was parked.

You might still be able to appeal if you lent your car to someone and they got a parking ticket – it depends on the type of ticket. Even if you can’t appeal, you can still ask the person who was driving to pay the ticket.

You shouldn’t get letters demanding payment if you’re appealing a parking ticket or have already paid. Letters like this can be harassment, so you can take steps to stop them.

Don’t be tempted to ignore a letter about a parking ticket – even if you’ve paid – because it can have serious consequences.