Using a vehicle on a restricted street in breach of HGV Safety Permit conditionsThe official national descriptor for code 68, 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 68 that case rests on:
- The conditions attached to the permit.
- That the vehicle did not meet them at the time.
- Evidence of the specific failing, not a general assertion.
Where code 68 tickets go wrong
Produce the fitting invoice, the specification and photographs of the vehicle as it stands.
Equipment fails. A repair record dated close to the notice shows the vehicle was maintained rather than non-compliant by choice.
Ask them to identify the exact condition breached and match it against your permit.
Camera systems read registrations. If the vehicle described does not match yours, say so and give the specification.
What to gather before you write
- The permit and its conditions.
- Invoices and specifications for the safety equipment fitted.
- Maintenance and repair records around the date.
Code 68 questions, answered
The camera cannot see whether my equipment is fitted. How do they allege this?
They cannot establish it from a camera alone, which is the point worth making. A breach of permit conditions has to rest on something more, such as an inspection or a record. Ask them to identify the exact condition they say was breached and the evidence behind it, then answer it directly with fitting invoices, the specification and photographs of the vehicle as it stands.
What does contravention code 68 mean?
Using a vehicle on a restricted street in breach of HGV Safety Permit conditions. In plain terms: A permit exists but the vehicle no longer meets what it was granted on. In practice that usually means required safety equipment is missing, has stopped working, or was removed after the permit was issued.
How much is a code 68 penalty?
Code 68 comes from a standalone permit scheme rather than the ordinary parking regime, so it is not banded higher and lower and the usual parking figures do not apply to it. Schemes of this kind set their own penalty, and it is substantially larger than a parking ticket, with its own discount for prompt payment and its own increase if it is left unpaid. The amount and both deadlines are printed on your notice. Read them before anything else, because the sums involved make a missed discount expensive.
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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