ULEZ and Congestion Charge Penalty Notices Explained (UK 2026)

⚡ 2026 update: The ULEZ now covers all 32 London boroughs and the City of London, and several English cities have their own Clean Air Zones with separate penalty regimes. Penalty amounts and payment windows differ between schemes — check the specific authority before paying or appealing.At a glance

• The ULEZ charge is £12.50 per day for cars and vans; not paying triggers a £180 penalty, reduced to £90 if settled within 14 days.
• The London Congestion Charge is £15 per day; the penalty for non-payment is £160, reduced to £80 within 14 days.
• Both are statutory penalties — not invoices. Ignoring them leads to county court enforcement and a possible debt collection order.
• Clean Air Zones in cities including Birmingham, Bath, Bradford, and Newcastle use a separate penalty regime with their own rates and appeal routes.
• You have the right to appeal for free through an independent adjudicator if your informal challenge is rejected.
• Not legal advice: This article explains the rules in plain English. For your specific situation, speak to a motoring solicitor or Citizens Advice.

Why these letters confuse people

If you've received a penalty notice for a ULEZ or congestion charge breach, your first reaction might be to treat it like a parking ticket. That would be a mistake. Private parking charge notices — the ones from supermarket car parks and private land — are invoices. You can dispute them, ignore them at low risk, and often see them go away. The letter you've received is something entirely different.

ULEZ and Congestion Charge penalty notices are issued under statutory powers by Transport for London. Clean Air Zone penalties outside London are issued by local authorities under similar powers. In both cases the issuing body can pursue the debt through the county court, register it against your vehicle, and ultimately send enforcement agents (bailiffs) to collect. The process is closer to an unpaid council tax bill than a private parking dispute.

Understanding which type of penalty you've received — and acting within the right window — is the difference between paying half price and paying triple.

The ULEZ: what it is and who it catches

The Ultra Low Emission Zone operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Unlike the Congestion Charge, there is no off-peak window and no weekend exemption. If your vehicle is in the zone and doesn't meet the emission standard, you owe the daily charge every single day you drive there.

The standards are:

• Petrol cars and vans: must meet Euro 4 (most petrol cars registered from 2006 onwards)
• Diesel cars and vans: must meet Euro 6 (most diesel cars registered from 2015 onwards)
• Motorcycles and mopeds: Euro 3 (registered from 2007)
• Larger vehicles (HGVs, coaches, buses): subject to higher charges and different emission standards

TfL's vehicle checker at tfl.gov.uk will tell you instantly whether your specific registration plate is compliant. The check uses DVLA data, so even if you think your car is compliant, it's worth verifying — database errors do happen, and they're a valid ground for appeal.

The daily charge and the grace period

The ULEZ daily charge is £12.50 for cars, motorcycles, and vans under 3.5 tonnes. You can pay up until midnight of the third day following the day you drove in the zone. TfL also offers an Auto Pay account that charges you automatically, which removes the risk of forgetting.

If you miss that window, TfL issues a Penalty Charge Notice. The amount is £180, but it drops to £90 if you pay within 14 days of the notice being served. Wait longer than 28 days and the penalty is registered at the Traffic Enforcement Centre, making it much harder and more expensive to resolve.

The London Congestion Charge

The Congestion Charge zone is smaller — covering central London, roughly the area inside the inner ring road — and operates on a different basis. Unlike the ULEZ, it doesn't matter what your vehicle emits; it matters when and where you drive.

The charge is £15 per day. Operating hours apply Monday to Friday and at weekends — check tfl.gov.uk for the current hours, as they have changed several times and continue to be reviewed. 100% zero-emission vehicles are currently exempt, but TfL has signalled that this exemption will not last indefinitely.

Payment must be made by midnight on the day after you drove in the zone. The penalty for non-payment is £160, reduced to £80 if paid within 14 days of the notice, and doubled to £320 if you let it run past 28 days.

Clean Air Zones outside London

Several English cities now operate Clean Air Zones (CAZs) under the national framework managed by the Joint Air Quality Unit. The rules vary by city and by "class":

• Class A: buses, coaches, taxis only
• Class B: buses, coaches, taxis, and HGVs
• Class C: buses, coaches, taxis, HGVs, and light goods vans
• Class D: all of the above, plus private cars

Birmingham operates a Class D CAZ — one of the few that charges private cars. Bath, Bradford, and Newcastle-Gateshead operate lower-class zones. The daily charge for non-compliant vehicles varies but is typically £9 for cars in Birmingham's CAZ and £9 in Bath's. Penalty amounts also vary: Birmingham issues a £120 PCN, reduced to £60 if paid promptly.

If you've received a penalty from a city CAZ rather than TfL, the appeal route is different — it goes through the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (an independent adjudicator), not London Tribunals.

Received a penalty notice you don't understand?

Upload it to Clarify and ask in plain English. You'll get a plain-language breakdown of every line — what the charges are, what your deadlines are, and what your appeal options look like — with direct quotes from the document so you know exactly what you're reading.

Read my penalty notice with Clarify

How to read the penalty notice

Whether it comes from TfL or a local authority, a Congestion Charge or CAZ Penalty Charge Notice follows a standard format. Here's what to look for:

Vehicle registration and date

The first thing to check: is the registration plate correct? Misread plates are an occasional source of errors, especially on personalised registrations. If the plate isn't yours, this is your strongest appeal ground and you should act immediately.

The contravention code

TfL PCNs for ULEZ non-compliance use code CC01 (Congestion Charge) or UL01 (ULEZ). CAZ penalties use authority-specific codes. The code tells you exactly what you're alleged to have done — make sure it matches your situation.

The penalty amount and discount window

The notice will show the full penalty and the discounted amount available if you pay within 14 days. The 14-day clock starts from the date of service, not the date of the contravention. Postal service is assumed two working days after posting.

How to pay or challenge

Every notice must include the address (postal and online) for payment and for making an informal challenge. You cannot pay and appeal at the same time — paying is treated as admission of the contravention.

Should you pay or appeal?

If the vehicle was in the zone, you didn't pay, and you have no valid grounds for appeal, paying within 14 days is almost always the right call. The 50% discount is significant, and the alternative is a doubling of the penalty plus potential court costs.

Appeal if you have genuine grounds. Common successful grounds include:

• The vehicle wasn't in the zone on that date — you have evidence (receipts, ANPR images from elsewhere, witness statements)
• The vehicle is compliant but the DVLA database hadn't been updated — bring V5C and any engine modification certificates
• You paid the charge but it wasn't recorded — provide your payment confirmation
• The notice wasn't served correctly — wrong address, wrong name, served too late
• Mitigating circumstances — medical emergency, vehicle breakdown (these are discretionary)

The appeal process, step by step

Step 1: Informal challenge (within 14 or 28 days)

Submit in writing to TfL or the relevant authority. Explain your grounds clearly and attach supporting evidence. You can still receive the 50% discount if you pay promptly after an unsuccessful informal challenge — the authority must tell you this in their rejection letter.

Step 2: Notice to Owner

If you don't pay or challenge, or your challenge is rejected, TfL or the authority issues a Notice to Owner to the registered keeper. You have 28 days to make formal representations — essentially a more detailed version of your informal challenge, submitted to the same authority.

Step 3: Independent adjudicator

If your formal representations are rejected, you can appeal for free to an independent adjudicator. TfL cases go to London Tribunals (londontribunals.gov.uk). Outside London, cases go to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk). The adjudicator's decision is binding on both parties. You don't need a solicitor to attend, and most hearings are now held online.

What happens if you ignore the notice entirely?

The penalty is registered as a charge certificate, which adds a further 50% to the outstanding amount. After that, the authority can apply to the county court for a warrant of control — allowing enforcement agents (bailiffs) to visit your home. Ignore a county court order and you risk a charging order against your property.

Building an appeal? Clarify can help.

Upload your penalty notice and any supporting letters to Clarify. Ask it to identify the exact contravention alleged, the deadline for your appeal, and what the authority needs to see. You'll get cited answers drawn directly from the documents — no guesswork.

Start my appeal with Clarify

Frequently asked questions

Is a ULEZ penalty the same as a private parking charge?

No — they are completely different. A private parking charge is an invoice from a landowner or their contractor. You can dispute it through POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals) but it has no statutory enforcement power beyond a county court claim. A ULEZ penalty is issued under statutory powers by TfL, and TfL can enforce without going through the courts in the same way. Ignore a ULEZ penalty and the consequences escalate faster and further.

Can I pay the daily charge after I've received a penalty notice?

No. Once a Penalty Charge Notice has been issued, paying the original daily charge doesn't cancel it. You must either pay the penalty itself (at the discounted rate within 14 days) or appeal it successfully.

My car is exempt — why did I get a penalty notice?

Zero-emission vehicles (electric, hydrogen) are currently exempt from ULEZ charges, as are some disabled tax class vehicles. If you believe your vehicle is exempt but received a penalty, check TfL's vehicle checker first. If it shows as non-compliant in error, raise an informal challenge immediately with your V5C and any relevant documentation. Database errors do happen and are a valid appeal ground.

What if the notice was sent to my old address?

Penalty notices are sent to the registered keeper at the address held by DVLA. If your vehicle is registered at an old address, TfL's service obligation is still met once they post it there — which is why keeping your V5C address current matters. If you didn't receive the notice through no fault of your own, raise this as part of your appeal and include evidence of your actual address at the time.

Can I appeal after I've paid the discounted penalty?

No. Payment is treated as accepting liability. If you want to dispute the penalty, you must do so before paying. If you're unsure whether you have grounds, read the notice carefully first and make your informal challenge within the 14-day window — you can still choose to pay if your challenge is rejected, and you'll still get the 50% discount at that point.

Do Clean Air Zone penalties outside London work the same way?

The structure is similar but the amounts, compliance standards, and vehicle types charged differ by city and class. Birmingham's Class D zone charges private cars; Bath's Class C zone only catches vans, buses, and HGVs. If you received a penalty from a city CAZ, check the specific authority's website for the exact rules — don't assume London rates apply.

What is a charge certificate and when does it arrive?

A charge certificate is issued if you don't pay or challenge within 28 days of a formal rejection. It adds 50% to the outstanding penalty. You can no longer make an informal or formal challenge at this stage — your only option is to pay, or to apply to the adjudicator with very strong grounds and evidence of why you didn't respond earlier.

Can I get a ULEZ or congestion charge penalty wiped if I sell the car?

No. The penalty attaches to the registered keeper at the time of the contravention. If you were the keeper when the vehicle entered the zone, you are liable — even if you've since sold the car. If you weren't the keeper (for example, you'd already transferred ownership but DVLA hadn't processed it), gather your paperwork: the V5C/4 transfer notification and any proof of sale will support an appeal.

Related articles

• PCN explained: parking charge vs penalty charge (UK 2026)
• County court claim form explained: UK guide (2026)
• DVLA vehicle tax and SORN letters explained (UK 2026)
• Bailiff letters explained: Notice of Enforcement (UK 2026)

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. ULEZ and Clean Air Zone rules, penalty amounts, and compliance standards change regularly — always check tfl.gov.uk or the relevant local authority's website for the most up-to-date information. If you've received a penalty notice and are unsure what to do, contact Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk) or a motoring solicitor.