Parking Charge Court Claim? What to Do in the Next 14 Days

By the eLitigant Editorial Team · Reviewed for current forms, fees & procedure · Last reviewed: September 2026 · How we check our guides

A county court claim for a private parking charge is a claim for a sum of money. Like any money claim, it comes with a clock, a form, and a need for a defence that answers what the claimant says.

The numbers explain why the clock comes first. In 2025, 1,944,945 claims were issued in the County Court and 1,118,041 default judgments were entered, across all types of claim (Ministry of Justice, Civil Justice Statistics Quarterly, Tables 1.1 and 1.4). A default judgment is entered because no defence was filed in time, not because a judge weighed the case.

Step 1: Find out which clock you are on

Claims issued through the Online Civil Money Claims service run on a different clock from all other claims, including other claims issued electronically. Counting from the wrong one gives the wrong date. If you are not sure which service issued your claim, ask the court.

Claims issued through Online Civil Money Claims

Claims issued through the Online Civil Money Claims service run under Practice Direction 51R, which is in force until 6 April 2027 (para 2.1). Para 5.1(1) says the defendant “must respond to the claim by 4pm on the 28th day after the issue of the claim form.”

• The clock runs from issue. It does not run from the day the email or envelope reached you. Count from the issue date printed on the claim.
• The deadline is 4pm, not midnight.
• Extensions must be recorded. Para 5.1(3) lets the parties agree an extension of up to 28 days in total, and the defendant must record it on the online service before the original 28 days expire. An agreement by email alone is not enough.

All other claims (paper, Money Claim Online, Production Centre)

• Acknowledgment of service: 14 days after service (CPR 10.3).
• Defence: 14 days after service of the particulars of claim, or 28 days if you file an acknowledgment of service (CPR 15.4). The 28 days run from service of the particulars, not from the day you file the acknowledgment.
• Service is a deemed date. A claim form is deemed served on the second business day after the relevant step in CPR 7.5(1) (CPR 6.14). That is not always the day it arrived.
• Money Claim Online: the claim form is deemed served on the fifth day after the claim was issued (PD 7C para 5.7), so count the 14 or 28 days from that date, not from issue.
• Extension by agreement: the parties may agree up to 28 more days, and the defendant must tell the court in writing (CPR 15.5). The 28 days is a total cap.

Our guide to Form N9, the acknowledgment of service, covers the paper step in detail.

Your next 14 days, step by step

1. Today: write down the claim number, the issue date and your deadline.
2. Days 1 to 3: secure your time. On any other claim, file the acknowledgment of service. On a claim issued through Online Civil Money Claims, note that there is one 28-day window from issue and plan inside it.
3. Days 1 to 5: gather the paperwork. Any notice left on the windscreen, the notice to keeper that came by post, every later letter, any appeal and its outcome, permits, receipts, and your own photographs. Note the date each arrived. If you appealed earlier, our POPLA appeal guide and guide to private parking charges explain where that stage sits.
4. Days 3 to 7: list every allegation in the particulars of claim. Your defence must deal with each one.
5. Days 5 to 10: ask for what you have not seen. Under CPR 31.14 you may inspect a document mentioned in a statement of case, and under CPR 31.15 the other side must allow inspection within 7 days of your written notice. This is strongest before the claim is allocated to the small claims track, because Part 31 does not apply to claims allocated to that track (CPR 27.2). Nothing in CPR 31.14 extends your deadline for a defence, so send the request early and keep drafting.
6. Days 7 to 12: draft the defence. CPR 16.5 requires you to deal with every allegation: admit it, deny it with your reasons and your own version of events, or say you cannot admit or deny it and require the claimant to prove it. An allegation you do not deal with is taken as admitted (r.16.5(5)). The amount claimed must be proved unless you expressly admit it (r.16.5(4)).
7. Before the deadline: check, sign and file. The defence carries a statement of truth, so every sentence in it must be one you would stand behind. You check it, you sign it, and you file it yourself.

For the form itself, see our Form N9B guide and You Have Fourteen Days and a Form Called N9B.

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Keeper or driver: a question to answer first

Schedule 4 to the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 lets a parking operator recover an unpaid charge from the registered keeper, but only if the conditions in paragraphs 5, 6, 11 and 12 are met, so far as they apply (para 4(2)). That route matters only where the claim is made against you as keeper. If the operator can show who was driving, or you say you were driving, the keeper conditions are not the question.

Whatever your defence says about who was driving must be true, because it carries a statement of truth. Schedule 4 also does not apply to public highways or to parking places controlled by a council (para 3). A council ticket follows a different route, covered in our council PCN guide.

Should I just pay it?

That choice is yours; free advice can help. The response pack lets you admit the claim, admit part of it, or defend it. Our Form N9A guide covers admissions.

• If you have already paid, say so in your defence. Under CPR 15.10 the court then asks the claimant whether it wishes to continue, and if it does not respond within 28 days after service of the court’s notice, the claim is stayed. This applies only where the claim, apart from costs and interest, is for a specified sum.
• On costs, the small claims track is the normal track for claims of not more than £10,000 (CPR 26.9). Once a claim is allocated to it, the costs the court can order are limited to the items listed in CPR 27.14(2), including further costs against a party who “has behaved unreasonably”. See small claims costs.

If the deadline has already passed

Default judgment is not automatic. The claimant has to ask for it, and it is available only if, on the date it is entered, your time has run out and you have not filed a defence. Filing only an acknowledgment of service does not stop it (CPR 12.3(2)(a)). A defence filed late but before judgment is entered stops a default judgment under that rule. If you are late, file it anyway, today.

If judgment has already been entered, CPR 13.3 lets the court set it aside where you have a real prospect of successfully defending the claim, or there is some other good reason. The court must consider whether you applied promptly (r.13.3(2)), and the application, made on a Form N244 application notice, must be supported by evidence (r.13.4(3)). It usually helps to attach a draft defence. Check the current application fee in the EX50 fees list, and see whether Help with Fees applies; you can apply online. Our guides to setting aside a default judgment with Form N244 and default judgment on online claims go step by step.

Free help

• Citizens Advice can talk through the claim and your options at no cost.
• Support Through Court helps people who are representing themselves.
• Help with Fees can reduce or remove court fees if you qualify.

This guide covers England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own courts and rules; if your claim was issued there, take free advice locally.

The deadline is the part of a parking claim that is entirely in your hands. If you want help turning your paperwork into a defence that answers each allegation, you can talk it through with Chris.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to respond to a parking charge court claim?

If the claim was issued through Online Civil Money Claims, by 4pm on the 28th day after issue (PD 51R para 5.1(1)). For any other claim, including Money Claim Online, 14 days after service of the particulars of claim to acknowledge or defend; with an acknowledgment of service, the defence is due 28 days after service of the particulars (CPR 10.3 and 15.4). A Money Claim Online claim is deemed served on the fifth day after issue (PD 7C para 5.7).

What happens if I ignore it?

The claimant can ask the court for default judgment once your time has run out and no defence has been filed (CPR 12.3). The court then enters judgment without hearing your side.

Can I get more time?

Yes, by agreement with the claimant, up to 28 days in total. On a claim issued through Online Civil Money Claims the extension must be recorded on the service before the original 28 days expire (PD 51R para 5.1(3)). On any other claim you must tell the court in writing (CPR 15.5).

I have already paid the charge. What do I do?

Say so in your defence. Under CPR 15.10 the court asks the claimant whether it wishes to continue, and the claim is stayed if it does not respond within 28 days after service of the court’s notice. This applies where the claim, apart from costs and interest, is for a specified sum.

Can I still defend if I missed the deadline?

If judgment has not been entered, file your defence at once; a defence filed before judgment is entered stops a default judgment under CPR 12.3. If judgment has been entered, you can apply under CPR 13.3 to set it aside, promptly and with evidence.

Last reviewed: September 2026 · For use in England & Wales · eLitigant is a Community Interest Company (No. 16566612), not a law firm. This guide is general information, not advice on your case. Always check the current official form on GOV.UK before you file, and sign the statement of truth yourself.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.