New rules introduced today will stop motorists being fined if they take longer than five minutes to buy a parking ticket.
Applying to private car parks, an updated code of practice aims to ensure “motorists who face genuine difficulties in paying in a short timeframe are treated fairly”.
The rule change comes after several motorists spoke out about being taken to court for taking too long to buy a parking ticket.
New ‘safeguard’ for private car parks
The updated code of practice, introduced by the Private Parking Scrutiny and Advice Panel, applies to private car parks that use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and CCTV.
Drivers who experience difficulties in making payments or can’t find a suitable parking space should be safeguarded from receiving a parking charge notice (PCN).
The new rules don’t apply to council car parks or private car parks without camera monitoring. Motorists are being warned to remain vigilant and read all signage carefully.
Read more: Six new driving laws for 2025 – a business guide
Drivers speak out about unfair parking fines
Issues with the five-minute parking rule came to light after several people were taken to court by Excel Parking last year.
A BBC report highlighted the case of Rosey Hudson, who received 10 PCNs totalling almost £2,000 after using a car park in Derby.
Rosey argued that she had to walk away from her car to get enough phone signal to pay using an app as the car park’s payment machine was out of order.
After she didn’t pay the PCNs, Rosey was taken to court by Excel Parking. Her case, along with several others, have since been dropped.
How else does the code of practice protect drivers?
The private parking code of practice, which was updated in February 2025, was originally launched in October 2024.
If you drive for work and use private car parks, the The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC)’s joint code of practice also has rules on:
- a 10-minute grace period at the end of your stay
- fines not being applied for minor errors, such as entering an incorrect digit of a registration number
- all signs must be clear and easy to read for passing drivers
- new car parks must meet a standard set of rules
Charges can also be reduced to £20 in the following situations:
- you experience trouble with your vehicle like a breakdown
- you were delayed from buying a ticket for medical reasons or childcare issues
- you were unable to buy a ticket because you were unwell
- you made a significant error inputting details into the parking ticket machine or app
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