Penalty Charge Notices (PCN)

Forms

Penalty Charge Notice payment

From 1st April 2023 Surrey County Council took over responsibility for on-street parking and enforcement, this includes Resident Permit Zones, suspension of on-street parking bays and dispensation parking. Please visit Surrey County Council's parking page for more information. 

For any PCNs served on or before 31 March 2023 (PCN number starting with 'EE' or 'PM') any appeals or payments will need to be made directly to Epsom & Ewell Borough Council.

For PCNs served on or after 01 April 2023 please use the details on the PCN to contact Surrey County Council.

Parking restrictions

Parking restrictions are enforced at all times including Bank Holidays.

For further information, please see the Highway Code.

How are the parking restrictions enforced?

We employ Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) who patrol our off-street car parks and will issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) as necessary.

How to pay my Penalty Charge Notice

  • Make an online payment using your our form linked at the top of this page
  • If you don't have access to the internet, use our 24 hour Automated Payment Line on 01372 732000.

Progression of a Penalty Charge Notice

A PCN includes details of the alleged contravention. If you think the PCN should not have been issued, or if you want us to consider some special circumstances (mitigation), you should Submit a Penalty Charge Notice Appeal .

If you accept that a contravention did take place and you pay within 14 days of the PCN being issued, a payment discount of 50% applies. After 14 days the discount period expires and the full amount becomes payable.

If you submit a challenge within the 14 day discount period, the case will be put on hold at the discount rate. If we subsequently reject your challenge, a further opportunity to pay at the discount rate will be offered for a further 14 days.

  • After 28 days from the issue of the PCN (or from the rejection of a challenge you have made) and if the charge has not been paid in full, a formal Notice to Owner (NTO) will be sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle, who will be ultimately responsible for the matter whether or not they were the driver at the time. If you lend your car to a friend or family member, you will still be responsible for any charges that they may incur.
  • Upon receipt of a NTO, the registered keeper (as listed with the DVLA) has 28 days to respond - either by paying the amount due or by making a formal representation to the Council.
  • If you make a representation in the time allowed, we will consider this carefully. The Council will only consider what you send - we will not conduct any investigation to verify what you say. If, for example, there was an emergency that meant you had no choice but to park on a restriction, you will need to provide evidence of that for us to consider alongside your representation.

If you are dissatisfied with our response at the NTO stage, you may appeal to an independent adjudicator at the Traffic Penalty Tribunal which acts as an independent appeals adjudication service for PCNs. Local hearings are held for those who wish to attend in person or the case may be adjudicated over the phone or by papers submitted alone. Visit the Traffic Penalty Tribunal website which provides information on the whole process.

The adjudicator will consider all the information provided by both the motorist and the Council and make a decision on whether or not the charge should be paid. The adjudicator's decision is final and there are powers for cost to be awarded against either party if the adjudicator finds they have been "frivolous, vexatious or wholly unreasonable". Such instances are rare.

If you do not pay a penalty we will take steps to recover the amount due.

  • 28 days after the NTO is served, the charge may increase by 50% and a Charge Certificate may be issued. At this point there is no right of appeal to the Council or the Independent Adjudicator.
  • 14 days after a Charge Certificate is served, if the PCN remains unpaid, we will register the debt with the Traffic Enforcement Centre. This does not involve a court hearing and does not impact on a person’s credit rating; however an additional £8 fee will be added to the outstanding charge.
  • At any stage in the process, you can still pay the total outstanding charge. If after 21 days, the debt is still not paid, a Warrant of Execution will be granted and we will pass the debt to a bailiff company. At this point the PCN can no longer be settled with Epsom & Ewell Borough Council. It must be paid to the bailiff.
  • The bailiff will take such steps as permitted in law to make contact and to recover the amount due. They are allowed to add fees to the debt to cover the costs of sending letters and making personal visits. However, the amount due to the Council will not increase. If you have been contacted by a bailiff company and do not make arrangements to pay the debt, your vehicle or goods may be seized and sold at auction.

Please note:

  • PCNs do not result in a criminal record or points on a driving license. They are distinct from Fixed Penalty Notices which are issued for criminal offences by the Police.
  • You must notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) immediately of the exact date of sale or transfer of your vehicle using the registration document or certificate. You and the buyer should follow the procedures correctly or you will remain liable for the vehicle until DVLA records have been updated. You should retain a copy of the sale in documentary form.
  • Do not ignore parking tickets. They may carry extra penalties if not paid (or challenged) promptly. To qualify for the discount payment, you must make sure we receive the payment within 14 days on the PCN being issued. On the back of the PCN there are details on how to pay, how much is due and how to challenge the ticket. If you have lost your PCN, please email us at the following email address contactus@epsom-ewell.gov.uk

 

Data Protection

Any information you provide will be used by us for the purpose of dealing with your PCN and will not be disclosed to the public. This information may be provided to organisations working on our behalf to rectify the problem.