New private parking code laid in Parliament
The government laid a new Private Parking Code of Practice before Parliament on 20 October 2026. It isn't in force yet.
The code caps a private parking charge at £100. It sets minimum times to decide whether to park and to leave when your time runs out.
It also lists when a charge should be cancelled on appeal and when it drops to £20. The code will apply in England, Scotland and Wales, the government says.
The draft now faces a 40-day period of Parliamentary scrutiny before it can be issued, GOV.UK says. It then comes into force 21 calendar days from the point of issue.
The government's consultation response says the code will be issued on 30 November 2026, providing no parliamentarians object. On that timetable it would come into force in late December.
Nothing changes today. A charge you get now is handled under the current rules.
The government says just under 17 million private parking charges were issued in the UK last year.
What the code will change
The code sets minimum times for drivers in Annex B, Table B.1. They vary by the type of car park.
In most public car parks, the code says, you get at least 5 minutes to decide whether to park. You then get at least 10 minutes to leave once your free or paid time ends.
Those are minimums, so operators can allow more but must not allow less, the code says.
Some car parks differ: one with more than 500 spaces that offers at least 30 minutes' free parking must give at least 10 minutes to decide.
A clearly signed short-stay area doesn't have to give a grace period (the time to leave). Pre-booked parking needn't give a consideration period (the time to decide) if the terms were available when you booked.
The grace period only applies if you otherwise parked within the rules, the code says. It doesn't combine with the decision time to give free parking.
The charge cap stays at £100, and clause 8.2.1 says charges must not exceed it.
A discount of at least 40% must be offered if you pay within 14 days under clause 8.2.2. So a £100 charge would cost you no more than £60.
Once a charge is overdue, the code says, up to £70 may be added for debt recovery only. The government says it will consult next year on cutting that cap or scrapping the fees.
Operators who don't comply risk losing access to DVLA data, the government says. Without it, finding the keeper to pursue a charge is far harder.
Operators will have to report data on the charges they issue and how appeals are handled. A new independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board will check it, with set-up starting once the code is in force.
The Appeals Charter: cancelled or cut to £20
Section 19 of the code is the Appeals Charter. It has three lists.
The first list covers charges that shouldn't be issued at all. It includes emergency vehicles on duty and a driver stuck in traffic inside the car park.
The second list covers charges that should be cancelled on appeal. The code says you must be able to provide reliable evidence.
It covers paying but making a minor keying error, like a 0 instead of an o, that the operator missed when it issued the charge. So does pausing on a private road network to check directions.
It also covers a breakdown, the onset of illness, an overrunning medical appointment and childcare delays. Payment machines out of order count too, if there was no reasonable alternative.
A charge should also be cancelled where the operator breached the code when issuing it.
The third list cuts the charge to £20 following a first-stage appeal. The code says the £20 applies for a period of 14 days.
It covers a permit you hold but didn't display, paying but entering the wrong car's registration, or not entering it before you left when you were otherwise allowed to park.
A Blue Badge you hold but didn't display gets £20 only in the first instance. Later appeals are at the operator's discretion, the code says.
If your evidence isn't enough, clause 19.2 says the operator should give you a reasonable chance to send more.
What to do with a charge you get now
The Appeals Charter isn't in force yet, so you can't rely on it for a charge you get now.
Don't ignore the charge. Our guide to disputing a parking charge explains how appeals work today.
Been sent a letter before claim? Our guide on parking charge letters before claim covers what to do.
If a charge has reached court, read what to do about a CCJ from a parking charge.
GOV.UK says transitional enforcement arrangements will be published when the code comes into force.
The government response says it intends to give operators some flexibility on the new standards at first. It expects rules carried over unchanged from the current industry code to be enforced in full.
The code doesn't cover council car parks or on-street parking, it says.
The rest of our laws and fines guides cover fines and penalty points.
Car clocking goes on the banned practices list
The same announcement covers car clocking, which means winding back the odometer to hide a car's true mileage.
The government says car clocking will be added to the banned practices list in Schedule 20 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Schedule 20 is headed "Commercial practices which are in all circumstances considered unfair".
The change applies to businesses selling cars to consumers, the government says.
Selling a clocked car is already illegal, the government says. The change is meant to make it easier for enforcers to act against dealers.
The Act lets the Secretary of State add a practice to Schedule 20 by regulations under section 242. The government hasn't said when that will happen.
The government hasn't announced any new rights for buyers. Spotting a clocked car is still down to you.
Our guide to mileage clocking and how to spot it explains the checks to make before you buy.
Common questions
Is the new private parking code in force now?
No. GOV.UK says the draft code was laid in Parliament on 20 October 2026 and faces a 40-day scrutiny period before it can be issued. The government response says it will be issued on 30 November 2026 if no parliamentarians object. It comes into force 21 calendar days from issue.
Do I get 10 minutes' grace in every car park?
No. Table B.1 sets minimums by type of car park. Most public car parks get at least 10 minutes. A clearly signed short-stay area doesn't have to give one, the code says.
Will my current parking charge be cut to £20?
Not under this code, which isn't in force. The £20 charge applies following a first-stage appeal, for 14 days, and only for the grounds the code lists. Our guide to disputing a parking charge covers today's process.
Does the code cover council car parks?
No. The code says it doesn't apply to on-street parking or to parking places provided or controlled by local authorities.
Is car clocking a new offence?
No. The government says selling a clocked car is already illegal. Adding it to Schedule 20 is meant to make enforcement against businesses easier. No date has been given.