Parked causing an obstructionThe official national descriptor for code 92, as published in the Department for Transport statutory guidance list.
The letter after the number on your ticket
Codes are often written with a suffix: 92o rather than just 92. The letter narrows the allegation, and it tells you what the council actually says went wrong. These are the suffixes code 92 can carry:
| o | blue badge holder |
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 92 that case rests on:
- That an obstruction actually existed, not merely that the vehicle was awkwardly placed.
- What was obstructed, and to whom.
- A photograph showing it.
Where code 92 tickets go wrong
This is the whole argument. Ask them to identify what was obstructed. A photograph of a car in an odd spot with clear space around it does not establish the contravention.
Where a vehicle blocked you in and you had to stop where you did, the obstruction is not of your making. Photograph the other vehicle if you still can.
Loading, dropping off or waiting for a space are not the same as leaving a vehicle to obstruct. Say how long and why.
Narrow aisles and undersized bays produce these tickets in numbers. If the layout leaves no other option, say so.
What to gather before you write
- Photographs from several angles showing the space around your vehicle.
- Anything showing how long you were there.
- A photograph of the other vehicle if one caused the problem.
Code 92 questions, answered
Who exactly did I obstruct? The car park was half empty.
That is precisely the question to put to them, in writing. This code turns on effect rather than position, so the council has to identify what was obstructed and to whom. A photograph of a vehicle parked awkwardly with clear space all round does not establish an obstruction, and saying so plainly puts the burden back where it belongs.
What does contravention code 92 mean?
Parked causing an obstruction. In plain terms: Blocking an aisle, a gate, a fire exit or another vehicle inside a car park. Unlike most codes this one turns on effect rather than position, which means the council has to show something was genuinely obstructed.
How much is a code 92 penalty?
Code 92 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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