Guides › Overstayed by a few minutes? The grace period rule

Overstayed by a few minutes? The grace period rule

Got a charge for staying 2 hours 8 minutes in a 2-hour car park? Private parking operators that use DVLA data must follow a Code of Practice, and it includes grace periods.

The two grace periods

On arrival, a consideration period: time to find a space, read the signs and decide whether to stay. On leaving, a grace period of at least 10 minutes after your paid or allowed time ends, before a charge can be issued. The time it takes to queue to exit counts too.

How to work it out

Camera times show entry and exit, not parked time. Take off the time spent driving in, finding a space and queuing to leave. If what's left is within the allowed time plus the grace period, say so clearly in your appeal.

Use the operator's own photos

Ask for the full ANPR images with timestamps. If the exit queue was long, or the car park was full and it took a while to find a space, explain that.

If it's well over

If you overstayed by much more, look at other grounds: signage, the date the letter arrived (the 14-day rule), whether you were a customer, or whether two visits were merged.