Notice to Owner: what it means and what to do

A Notice to Owner (NtO) is the formal notice a council sends to the registered keeper when a PCN fixed to a vehicle or handed to the driver has not been paid within 28 days. It turns an on-the-spot ticket into a formal demand that you can answer with formal representations.

When it can be sent

In England the council may serve a Notice to Owner once the 28-day payment period on the PCN has passed without payment, and not later than 6 months after the relevant date, which is normally the date the PCN was served (SI 2022/71, reg 20). Wales has the same 6-month limit (SI 2013/362, reg 19). A Notice to Owner served after that is a procedural impropriety.

What it must say

Among other things, the notice must state the date it was posted, the council's name, the amount of the penalty, the date the PCN was served, the grounds on which the officer believed a penalty was payable, the 28-day payment period, that the council may add the surcharge if you neither pay nor make representations, and the increased amount (reg 20(3)). It must also explain your right to make representations and appeal, and where to send them (SI 2022/576, reg 3(2)). Missing information can be a procedural impropriety.

What to do

1. Note the date on the notice: representations made more than 28 days after service may be disregarded.
2. Make formal representations using the council's form or address, on the grounds that apply. Include anything you said in an informal challenge.
3. Keep proof of when you sent them. The council has 56 days to decide.

Camera PCNs (bus lanes, moving traffic) do not have a Notice to Owner stage: the postal PCN is the formal notice.

Questions