Contravention Code 78 Overview
Official Description: Parked wholly or partly in a suspended bay or space
Enforcement Category: Off-Street
Penalty Band: Higher (£80–£130 / discounted to £40–£65 within 14 days)
Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA 2004) & TSRGD 2016
Local authorities are legally required to prove that the contravention occurred, that all road signs complied with TSRGD 2016, and that proper statutory observation procedures were followed by the Civil Enforcement Officer.
Key Statutory Defences for Code 78
If you received a Penalty Charge Notice for Code 78, you can challenge the ticket on the following proven statutory grounds:
- Procedural Impropriety: The council failed to comply with statutory notification regulations under the Traffic Management Act 2004 (e.g. incorrect contravention code, missing mandatory statutory wording, or inaccurate observation times).
- Inadequate & Misleading Signage (TSRGD 2016): Traffic signs or road markings were faded, obscured by trees, missing, or contradictory to the traffic management order.
- Mitigating Circumstances / Frustration of Contract: Vehicle breakdown (verified by RAC/AA/recovery notes), medical emergency, or complying with directions from a police officer.
Suffix Meanings for Code 78
Council PCNs often append a single letter or number suffix after the code (e.g. 78a) to specify the exact circumstances:
- Suffix "a": Temporary traffic order / permit holder only electric charging
- Suffix "b": Business bay / buses only
- Suffix "d": Doctor’s bay / proceeding in wrong direction
- Suffix "e": Car club bay
- Suffix "f": Free parking bay
- Suffix "g": Motorcycle bay / goods vehicles exceeding weight
- Suffix "h": Hospital bay / local buses and cycles
- Suffix "k": Ambulance bay
- Suffix "l": Loading place / pass to left / no left turn
- Suffix "p": Pay & display / multiple tickets
- Suffix "q": Market traders’ bay / tramcars
- Suffix "u": Electronic payment / no U-turn
- Suffix "v": Voucher / all vehicles except pushed
- Suffix "1": Electric vehicles bay / one wheel on footway
- Suffix "5": Dedicated disabled bay
- Suffix "6": Hotel bay
- Suffix "7": Taxis only
- Suffix "8": Zero emission capable taxis only
- Suffix "9": Electric vehicle car club bay
The 4-Stage Council Appeal Process
- Stage 1: Informal Challenge (Days 1–14 / 28): Submit an informal written appeal online via the issuing council's parking portal. Crucial Rule: If you appeal within the first 14 days, the council will freeze your 50% discount while reviewing your evidence.
- Stage 2: Notice to Owner (NtO): If your informal challenge is rejected and the fine remains unpaid, the council serves an NtO to the DVLA registered keeper.
- Stage 3: Formal Representations (Within 28 Days): Submit formal representations on statutory grounds. The council has 56 days to respond.
- Stage 4: Independent Tribunal (100% Free): If the council serves a formal Notice of Rejection, escalate to London Tribunals (for Greater London) or the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT) (for the rest of England and Wales). The council cannot increase the fine during independent adjudication.
Formal Appeal Letter Template for Code 78
Use our tested statutory appeal template below to challenge this penalty notice:
Council PCN Code 78 Appeal Letter
Dear Parking Appeals Department,
Re: Penalty Charge Notice PCN Number Vehicle Registration: VRM Contravention Code: 78 (Parked wholly or partly in a suspended bay or space) Location: Street / Car Park Name Date of Notice: Date of Contravention
I am writing as the registered keeper of the above vehicle to formally challenge Penalty Charge Notice PCN Number issued on Date under Contravention Code 78.
I challenge this penalty notice on the following statutory grounds:
- Procedural Impropriety / Exemption: Select: The vehicle was engaged in permitted loading/unloading / The vehicle was within the mandatory 10-minute statutory grace period under the Deregulation Act 2015 / Road markings and signage failed to comply with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 / Civil Enforcement Officer failed to conduct the required statutory observation period.
- Factual Evidence: Add 1-2 specific sentences explaining what occurred, e.g.: The vehicle was parked at 14:15 to deliver heavy equipment, with loading notes attached. At 14:21 the CEO issued the ticket without observing the active delivery in progress.
Under these statutory circumstances, no lawful contravention occurred. I request that you cancel this Penalty Charge Notice immediately and confirm cancellation in writing.
If you reject this representation, please provide a formal Notice of Rejection alongside full Civil Enforcement Officer contemporaneous notes and photographic evidence.
Yours faithfully,
Your NameRegistered Keeper Postal Address
Frequently Asked Questions
No. If you submit your informal challenge within the initial 14-day discount window, councils universally freeze the discount and re-offer the discounted rate if the challenge is not upheld.
While photos are not mandatory under the strict letter of TMA 2004, independent tribunals consistently rule that councils must provide clear photographic proof of the alleged vehicle and signage to substantiate the contravention.
If your formal representation is rejected, London PCNs escalate to London Tribunals (londontribunals.gov.uk), and PCNs outside London escalate to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk).