Transport for LondonEnforcement process
On this page:
Penalty Charge Notice
Charge Certificate
Order for Recovery
Bailiffs
Immobilisation and removal
Penalty Charge Notice
You may be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) if:
- Your vehicle does not meet the LEZ emissions standards and you are not exempt or registered for a 100 per cent discount
- The relevant charge isn't paid by midnight on the next working day after the first day of travel
- The vehicle has not been registered with TfL
- You have provided an incorrect vehicle registration mark or incorrect date of travel when paying the charge
After you have been served with a notice, you have 28 days to either:
If you pay within 14 days of service, the Penalty Charge will be discounted by 50 per cent.
Charge Certificate
If you do not pay the Penalty Charge within 28 days of the date of service, the original penalty amount will increase by 50 per cent and a Charge Certificate will be sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle.
You have 14 days from the date of service in which to pay this.
Once a Charge Certificate has been issued you can no longer challenge the notice by making a Representation. If you did not receive the original PCN, or you have not yet received a reply to a Representation, you can make a Statutory Declaration.
Order for Recovery
If a Penalty Charge is not paid within 14 days of a Charge Certificate being served then we may apply to register it as an unpaid debt. If this happens you will be sent an Order for Recovery. This is not a County Court Judgement and will not affect your credit rating.
At this point the amount owed increases to £1,505. You have 21 days from the date of service in which to pay this.
Bailiffs
If a Penalty Charge has not been paid within 21 days of an Order of Recovery being served then we will ask for a Warrant of Execution, which will be passed to a Bailiff to recover monies owed.
You will not be sent a copy of the warrant, but you may request a copy directly from the Bailiff.
Initially the Bailiffs will write to you. A Bailiff is allowed to charge fees for every letter, visit and action taken. If you ignore the Bailiff's communications, their fees may run into many hundreds of pounds.
If you believe a PCN was issued incorrectly, please show any evidence to the Bailiff. They will advise you if there is anything you can do, but in most cases you must pay them.
The Bailiffs acting on our behalf are all County Court Certified and operate in accordance with governing legislation and our contractual requirements.
Immobilisation and removal
Vehicles with three or more outstanding Penalty Charges may be immobilised or removed anywhere within Greater London.
The immobilisation fee is £100 and the removal fee is £250. Storage of vehicles costs £100 a day.
If a vehicle is immobilised or removed then all outstanding Penalty Charges, immobilisation or removal fees, and storage costs must be paid before it is released.
If the release fee is not paid within 56 days, the vehicle may be disposed of at auction or by scrapping. In these circumstances the registered keeper will remain liable for any outstanding charges, including a £60 disposal fee.
If you believe your vehicle has been immobilised or removed incorrectly, please explain the circumstances to staff at the LEZ pound.
