Can you get a criminal record for not paying a parking fine?
Most councils have the power to enforce parking penalties under the Traffic Management Act 2004. These parking penalties are not treated as criminal offences. They are often known as a 'parking penalty charge' or a 'penalty charge notice' (PCN). You cannot be sent to prison for not paying a parking penalty.
Is it a criminal offence not to pay a parking fine?
It's a notice that the owner of the land or the private parking operator intends to take you to a civil court, and will offer to let you pay the charge to settle the case out of court. This is a civil matter, not a criminal one.
If you receive a PCN, you usually have 28 days to either pay it or challenge it. While receiving a PCN will result in a monetary fine, you will not receive any points on your driving licence or a criminal record.
If you receive a PCN, you are required to pay a penalty charge for contravening the regulations. This will not result in a criminal record or points on your licence and it will not affect your credit rating.
You should pay your parking ticket, if you can. If you don't pay: the cost could go up as you might have to pay court costs – and PCNs are increased by 50% if you don't pay in time.
Will parking tickets appear on my criminal record?
What happens if I don't pay a parking fine in the UK?
If you don't pay
If you still don't pay or appeal the penalty charge notice, the local council will send you a charge certificate. This will increase the amount to pay and give you a deadline to make the payment. You'll have to pay the local council, but you won't have committed a criminal offence.
You should pay your PCN if the independent tribunal disagrees with your appeal. If you don't pay within 28 days, the penalty will go up by another 50%. The council can then take you to court – your credit rating might be affected and you might also have to pay court costs.
What offences go on the criminal record in the UK?
Generally, an offence that could result in imprisonment is classed as a recordable offence (i.e. an indictable or triable-either-way offence). There are also some more minor summary offences that are designated as recordable. This additional set of specified offences has grown over time and is now substantial.
The answer to this is yes unfortunately, particularly if issued by a private parking company. Fines, that remain unpaid issued by private parking charges can—and often do—lead to court proceedings and a CCJ.
Here's what you need to know: Private parking fines need legal backing to enforce payment. If the fine is from the police or council, you have to pay it. Tickets from private companies are more like invoices for contract breaches and can lead to small claims court if ignored.
A criminal record lasts indefinitely unless it qualifies for filtering or expungement. Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, many convictions become spent after a specific period, but this does not always mean they will be removed from DBS checks. How long do criminal records last on DBS?
How do I check my criminal record in the UK for free?
However, under the Data Protection Act, you're able to ask the police for a copy of your criminal record. This is known as a 'subject access request' (SAR). The SAR is free, and the police have up to one calendar month to supply it. For more details on how to apply, see our information on police records.
You won't get a criminal record or points on your licence. Everything from how PCNs are served, through appeal or payment, to debt recovery is laid down in regulations. PCNs are used for some moving traffic offences too, particularly in London – bus lanes, no entry, restricted turn, yellow box junction.
A parking charge notice will not appear on your credit file. Your credit file will only be affected if a county court judgment is given against you. See the later section How can a parking charge notice be enforced? for more information.
Making an informal appeal by contacting whoever issued you with the parking ticket is free of charge. Even if you lose a PCN appeal, most councils will still let you pay just the discounted rate at this stage. But if you make a formal appeal and lose, you must pay the full fine.
A creditor has a period of six years to pursue payment of a Parking Charge (known as the “limitation period”). Court proceedings should only be issued as a last resort when all other avenues have been exhausted.
If you do not pay the PCN for another 21 days after you receive the 'order of recovery' letter, we may ask the TEC for a 'warrant of control'. The case is then passed to an enforcement agent (used to be known as a bailiff) to recover what you owe.
Is it a criminal offence to not pay a parking fine?
You cannot be sent to prison for not paying a parking penalty. Typically your council will have its own traffic wardens (called civil enforcement officers) who issue penalty charge notices, for example, for parking on double yellow lines, in a permit only zone, on zigzag lines or in parking meter zones.
Until then, you could pretty much ignore a private parking charge and get away with it. After that case, many parking companies starting passing the 'debt' to a debt collector who, in many cases, will take you to court.
For most debts (like council tax, parking fines, and county court judgements) bailiffs cannot force entry. Therefore, you should keep your door locked and not let strangers into your home.
Criminal registers and calendars. These records of convicted criminals can provide the place and date of their conviction and many are searchable online by name.
Deletion requests for records held on local police systems must be made directly to the relevant force. The RDP is a review process and submitting an application does not mean that the offence(s) and/or record(s) in question will be deleted.
However, some serious offences will never become spent. These include certain sexual offences, terrorism-related crimes, and other offences listed in the government's specified offences list.
