Parked in a part of a parking place marked by a yellow line where waiting is prohibitedThe official national descriptor for code 20, as published in the Department for Transport statutory guidance list.
What the council has to be able to show
An appeal is not an apology, it is a challenge to the council’s case. For code 20 that case rests on:
- A traffic order covering that specific section of the parking place.
- Yellow line markings on the ground in a condition a driver could see.
- That the vehicle stood wholly or partly on that marked section.
Where code 20 tickets go wrong
The most productive line on code 20, because these short sections take heavy wear and are frequently faded. Photograph the whole run, not just beside your car.
Bays and no-waiting sections meet at a line. A photograph from the kerb showing where the marks stop relative to your wheels does the work.
This is a waiting restriction, so loading and unloading is normally still allowed unless the plate says otherwise.
Where the ban applies only at certain hours, signage stating those hours is required.
The ten-minute grace period does not apply. It covers parking places, and this marked section is expressly not one, however much it looks like part of the same row.
What to gather before you write
- Photographs of the markings directly under and around the vehicle.
- A wide photograph showing the bays either side and where the yellow section begins.
- Any plate covering the section, in both directions.
Code 20 questions, answered
The bays either side were free to use. What makes my bit different?
The traffic order carves that section out of the parking place, usually to keep a junction, a dropped kerb or a fire access clear. Legally it is not a bay at all, which is also why the grace period cannot help you here. The productive question is whether the markings that carve it out were actually present and visible when you parked.
What does contravention code 20 mean?
Parked in a part of a parking place marked by a yellow line where waiting is prohibited. In plain terms: Within a run of bays there is often a short marked section, at a junction or an access, where waiting is banned even though the bays either side are perfectly usable. It reads as part of the same parking place, which is exactly why drivers get caught.
How much is a code 20 penalty?
Code 20 sits in the higher band, so it carries the more expensive of the two rates that council uses. Outside London that is commonly around £70; in London it is £160 in Band A or £140 in Band B. Half is normally taken off if you pay within 14 days, and your notice states the actual figures.
Your notice is definitive. This page explains the national code. Councils use extra codes and local suffixes, and the wording printed on your own notice always takes precedence. Check the deadline on the notice before you do anything else, because the discount usually runs out after 14 days.
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