How to Appeal an APCOA Parking Ticket

APCOA is one of the UK's largest parking operators, managing sites at major airports (Gatwick, Birmingham, Edinburgh), NHS hospitals, and city centre car parks. They're a member of the British Parking Association (BPA), which means rejected appeals can be escalated to POPLA. ## How APCOA issues tickets APCOA uses a mix of ANPR cameras and patrol officers depending on the site. At airports, ANPR is standard — cameras record your entry and exit times. At hospitals and city centre sites, patrol officers are more common. ## Common grounds for appealing APCOA tickets ### Airport drop-off zone issues This is APCOA's most contentious area. Many drivers receive tickets for stopping briefly in airport drop-off or pick-up zones. Common issues include: - **Unclear zone boundaries** — where the free zone ends and the charged zone begins is often poorly marked - **Insufficient time allowances** — some zones allow as little as 5 minutes, which is often inadequate for passenger drop-off - **ANPR triggering on through-traffic** — cameras sometimes capture vehicles that drove through without stopping If you were charged for a drop-off, photograph the signage showing time limits and zone boundaries. Check whether you were actually stationary or merely in slow-moving traffic. ### Hospital parking overstays APCOA manages parking at numerous NHS hospitals. Common defences include: - **Appointment overran** — medical appointments frequently exceed their allocated time. Request confirmation from the hospital or clinic - **Insufficient parking capacity** — if you had to queue for a space, your actual parking time was shorter than the ANPR suggests - **Inadequate signage about time limits** — hospital car parks are often poorly signed, with terms buried on payment machines rather than displayed at entrances ### Signage issues at all sites Under the BPA Code of Practice (Section 18.3), signage must be adequate to form a contract with the driver. At APCOA sites, look for: - Signs obscured by vegetation or other vehicles - Terms only displayed on payment machines (not at entrances or in bays) - Contradictory information between different signs - Small print that's illegible from a normal viewing distance ## How to appeal an APCOA ticket ### Stage 1: Appeal directly to APCOA Submit your appeal through APCOA's online portal or by post. Include: - Your PCN reference number - Clear grounds for your appeal (cite specific BPA Code sections where relevant) - Supporting evidence (photos, receipts, appointment letters) - A request for ANPR images if you dispute the times recorded APCOA must respond within 56 days. If they don't, the charge should be cancelled. ### Stage 2: Escalate to POPLA If APCOA rejects your Stage 1 appeal, they must provide a POPLA verification code. You have 28 days to escalate. POPLA is genuinely independent — APCOA cannot override their decision. At POPLA, you'll have the opportunity to rebut APCOA's evidence pack. This is where cases are often won — particularly when APCOA's signage photos reveal inadequacies they didn't intend to expose. ## POFA 2012 compliance Check whether APCOA served their Notice to Keeper within 14 days of obtaining your details from the DVLA (as required by Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012). Airport ANPR sites sometimes have delays in processing that push them outside this window. ## Key tips for APCOA appeals 1. **Request ANPR evidence** — ask for timestamped entry and exit images. Check they actually show your vehicle and that times are accurate 2. **Photograph signage** — visit the site and photograph every sign, including their condition and visibility 3. **Check the grace period** — BPA Code requires a minimum 10-minute grace period. If your overstay is under 10 minutes, the charge should not have been issued 4. **Hospital cases** — always get written confirmation from the hospital about your appointment time ## Bottom line APCOA tickets are very appealable, particularly at airports where drop-off zone signage is frequently inadequate. The BPA membership and POPLA route give you a genuine independent review. Don't pay without exploring your options first.