General guidance, not legal advice
PCN code 30: parked for longer than permitted
Checked against the official sources linked on this page on 26 October 2026. Rules change, so check the dates on your own notice.
In short: Code 30 on a council PCN in England means the council says you stayed in a time-limited bay longer than allowed. It's lower level. By law, councils can't issue a PCN if you overstayed by 10 minutes or less, so check the times on your ticket first.
Time limits are easy to lose track of. The 10-minute rule is there for exactly that.
What does PCN code 30 mean?
The official wording, from the London Councils standard PCN code list, is:
"Parked for longer than permitted."
It's used where a bay has a maximum stay, such as "2 hours, no return within 1 hour", whether parking there is free or paid for.
What the letter after the code means
The suffix shows what kind of bay it was. Common ones:
| Suffix | Meaning |
|---|---|
| f | Free parking bay |
| m | Parking meter |
| p | Pay and display |
| s | Shared use |
| u | Electronic payment (phone or app) |
| n | Red route |
| o | Blue Badge holder |
If the suffix doesn't match the bay you were in, point that out.
Similar codes you might have instead
- Code 05: parked after your paid-for time ran out.
- Code 07: paid again to stay beyond the first allowed time ("meter feeding").
- Code 22: came back to the same bay or zone too soon after leaving.
- Code 35: in a disc parking place without a valid disc.
- Code 80: overstayed in a council car park (the off-street version of code 30).
All of these are lower level. See all contravention codes
Is code 30 a higher or lower level PCN?
Lower level, everywhere in England. Overstaying where you're allowed to park is treated as less serious than parking where you shouldn't be at all.
How much is a code 30 PCN in London and the rest of England?
| Code 30 (lower level) | Paid early | |
|---|---|---|
| London, Band A | £110 | Half price within 14 days (21 days if issued from CCTV) |
| London, Band B | £90 | As above |
| Rest of England, Band 1 | £40 | £20 |
| Rest of England, Band 2 | £50 | £25 |
Your PCN shows the amount. Leave it until a Charge Certificate arrives and it goes up by half (£60 or £75 outside London). If the council turns down your challenge, London PCNs go to London Tribunals and the rest of England to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.
How does the 10-minute grace period work for code 30?
The law in England says no penalty charge can be issued if you're in a designated parking place and you've stayed 10 minutes or less beyond your permitted time. That covers:
- on-street bays set up by a council traffic order
- council car parks
- time you paid for and free time-limited parking
So if your time ran out at 12:00, a code 30 PCN timed at 12:10 or earlier shouldn't have been issued. DfT's guidance calls a PCN during the grace period illegal.
Two limits to know:
- It's a grace period after your permitted time. It doesn't help if you never had a valid stay to begin with, such as not paying where payment was needed.
- It doesn't apply on yellow lines (see code 01), or in private car parks, which follow their own code.
Can a council send a code 30 PCN by post from a camera?
Usually not, on the street. Camera PCNs by post for on-street parking are limited to a short list of places, and the one that fits time-limited bays is a red route (suffix n). Elsewhere, a code 30 PCN should be put on the car or handed to you, unless the warden was prevented or you drove off before they'd finished. Council car parks are different: camera PCNs by post are allowed there.
What are the common grounds for appealing a code 30 PCN?
The ratings are our reading of the rules, not a prediction. The council (and, if it comes to it, the adjudicator) decides each case on its evidence.
| What happened | Why it can matter | Our reading |
|---|---|---|
| The PCN was issued 10 minutes or less after your time ran out | The law says no penalty charge in that window | Strong, with your ticket or app record |
| You hadn't actually been there longer than the limit | The contravention didn't happen. Compare the observation times on the PCN with your evidence | Strong, if you can show when you arrived |
| Blue Badge displayed in a free time-limited bay, with no badge-holder time limit on the sign | Badge holders generally have no time limit there | Strong |
| Blue Badge displayed at an on-street meter or pay-and-display bay | Badge holders can usually park free and for as long as needed there | Strong (check local signs, and the four central London areas) |
| The time limit sign was missing, unclear or contradictory | The council must keep up signs that give adequate information | Worth arguing, with photos |
| You were parked outside the controlled hours | The limit wasn't in force | Strong, with a photo of the sign |
| Wrong code: you'd paid and your paid time ran out (code 05), or you'd come back too soon (code 22) | The PCN must describe what happened | Worth arguing (it's lower level either way) |
| The PCN came by post from a camera, on a street that isn't a red route | Camera PCNs by post are limited to certain places | Strong |
| The machine was out of order and there was no other way to pay | DfT says no PCN unless another payment method was available and clearly shown | Worth arguing (more often code 05 or 08) |
| You overstayed by more than 10 minutes because you were held up | Not a ground on its own, but councils can consider mitigation | Weak, as mitigation |
| The machine let you buy more time than the limit | The maximum stay on the sign still applies | Weak |
For how these compare across ticket types, see the best grounds to appeal a parking ticket.
What evidence should you gather for a code 30 appeal?
- Your times. Pay-and-display ticket, app or phone payment record, or anything that shows when you arrived (a timed receipt from a nearby shop, for example).
- The PCN. Check the code, suffix, observation times and the time it was issued. Work out how far past your permitted time it was.
- The sign. Photos of the time-limit plate: maximum stay, hours and any no-return rule.
- The council's evidence. Ask for the officer's photos and notes, which should show when they first saw the car.
- Blue Badge: a copy of the front and back, and a photo of the badge (and clock, if used) on the dashboard.
How do you challenge a code 30 PCN?
The same as any council PCN in England: informal challenge if it was on the car, formal representations after a Notice to Owner, then the tribunal. Watch the half-price window.
- Step by step: how to appeal a council parking ticket in England
- Every deadline: parking appeal deadlines
- Ticket from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland? Different rules: Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland.
Not sure your reason's good enough? For £3 Unclamped checks your ticket against the official rules and tells you whether it's worth fighting. If it is, the appeal letter is £7 more. If it isn't, we'll say so.
On yellow lines instead? See PCN code 01. Other codes: code 12, code 40.
Sources
- Department for Transport, Civil enforcement of parking contraventions: guidance for local authorities (updated 20 October 2022): "Grace periods", "Collecting evidence of contraventions", Annex B. www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-enforcement-of-park
- London Councils, standard PCN code list: Penalty Charge Notices: Contravention Code List (PCN Codes v7.0, 31 May 2022; web version published March 2025). www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-03/Penalt
- SI 2022/71, Schedule 3 (charging guidelines outside Greater London). www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/71/schedule/3
- SI 2022/71, regulation 5 (grace period). www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/71/regulation/5
- SI 2022/71, regulations 9, 10 and 11. www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/71/regulation/9 · www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/71/regulation/10 · www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/71/regulation/11
- London Councils, Parking and traffic charges in London. www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/parking-services/parking-
- gov.uk, The Blue Badge scheme: rights and responsibilities in England. www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-blue-badge-scheme-rig
- SI 1996/2489, regulation 18. www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/2489/regulation/18
- SI 2022/576, regulation 5. www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/576/regulation/5
- London Tribunals, Parking Penalty Charge Notice enforcement process. www.londontribunals.gov.uk/eat/understanding-enforcement-pro
- Traffic Penalty Tribunal, Parking PCN and appeal process. www.tpt.gov.uk/parking-pcn-and-appeal-process/
Questions people ask
Is there a 10-minute grace period for parking tickets?
For council parking places in England, yes. A council can't issue a PCN if you're 10 minutes or less over your permitted time in an on-street bay or council car park.
Does the grace period apply if I didn't pay?
No. It only covers the time after a valid stay ends. If you needed to pay and didn't, you weren't parked lawfully in the first place.
Is code 30 a higher or lower level PCN?
Lower level: £110 or £90 in London, £40 or £50 elsewhere in England, half that if paid early.
Can Blue Badge holders get a code 30 PCN?
Yes, if the sign sets a time limit for badge holders and they stay longer. In free time-limited bays with no badge-holder limit, badge holders can generally stay as long as they need.
What's the difference between code 30 and code 05?
Code 30 is staying beyond the maximum stay. Code 05 is staying after the time you paid for ran out.
Can I get a code 30 PCN by post?
On the street, only from a camera on a red route, or if the warden was prevented from serving it or you drove off first. In council car parks, camera PCNs by post are allowed.
Your ticket, your case
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General guidance about UK parking rules, not legal advice about your case. We only state rules we’ve checked against the official sources linked above. If your notice says something different, go by the notice and the source, and get advice if you’re unsure (Citizens Advice can help).