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Parking charge or payment notice: how to complain and what happens next

Check who issued the notice, what the amount is based on, which deadline applies and how a complaint or court response works.

Parking signs on a city street

Reviewed: 22 October 2026. Procedures may change. Check the notice and current operator terms; follow the court’s instructions in a court case.

First identify the document

A municipal parking surcharge, a private operator’s civil claim and a court payment order follow different procedures. Check the issuer, basis, deadline and instructions. Do not ignore a notice, but its title alone does not prove the claim is valid.

Municipal paid-parking zone

Check the city resolution, zone signs, road authority and complaint procedure. Follow the authority’s instructions.

Private car park

Check the creditor, terms in force on the parking date, signs at entry and how the amount was calculated.

Court or bailiff

This is a separate stage. Check the court, case number, service date and instructions. A complaint to the operator does not replace a court filing.

Check and preserve evidence

  1. Keep the notice and envelope; note the date received and deadline.
  2. Photograph the entrance, terms, signs, machine and space.
  3. Collect the ticket, payment confirmation, app history, receipt or breakdown record.
  4. Compare registration, location, times and amount. Ask for photos and the terms relied upon.
  5. Send copies and keep proof of delivery.

A complaint may not suspend a payment or court deadline. Check the notice and terms.

Complaints to parking operators

APCOA

APCOA’s current FAQ says complaints may be filed within 14 days of issue and replies are given within 14 days. It lists a form, post and other channels. Check your notice and the specific car park’s terms.

APCOA FAQ

ParkDepot

ParkDepot directs drivers to its case portal and says it records number plates at entry and exit. Ask for case images, timestamps and the local terms.

ParkDepot FAQ

Other operators

Use the details on the notice, explain the facts, state what you request and attach evidence copies. UOKiK says a trader cannot require one exclusive complaint channel.

UOKiK: consumer complaints

What UOKiK decisions actually say

They concern specific practices, not every parking charge.

APCOA: RKR-4/2022

UOKiK challenged restrictions on complaint channels, information about extended response times and categorical suggestions that collection and enforcement costs were inevitable. On 8 November 2024 the Court of Appeal dismissed APCOA’s appeal but partly modified the earlier judgment. This did not decide the validity of every individual charge.

UOKiK announcement · Court judgment

WEIP and TD System

Those cases involved defined groups with valid tickets and evidence of shopping within the free period. Keep tickets and receipts, but do not assume a decision automatically applies to every case.

WEIP decision · TD System decision

ParkDepot: inquiry is not a judgment

A 2026 parliamentary interpellation mentioned complaints and UOKiK examining the matter. It is not a UOKiK decision finding a violation or cancelling an individual claim.

Polish Sejm interpellation 14844

Received an EPU order? Watch the deadline

An opposition is different from a complaint to the operator. The general deadline is two weeks from service; check the order’s instructions. File with the Lublin-Zachód District Court, VI Civil Division, through the official EPU account or by post as instructed. Email and ePUAP do not replace the EPU system.

A valid opposition makes the order lose force in the challenged scope and ends the EPU case in that scope. The claimant may pursue the claim in an ordinary court, so opposition does not automatically extinguish the claim. Evidence is not attached to an EPU opposition; keep it for a later stage.

Gov.pl EPU guide · Official e-court system · Civil Procedure Code 2026

Sample wording

Informational examples only. Use accurate facts and adapt to your notice.

Private parking complaint

[Name and contact details]
[Operator on the notice]

Re: notice [number], vehicle [registration], car park [location], date [date]

I submit a complaint and dispute the claim. Please review it and provide the basis and calculation, terms in force on the date, timestamped images and information about the signage.

Reasons: [truthfully explain what happened and why you dispute the notice]. Evidence copies: [list].

Please confirm receipt and reply to [contact details].
[Date and signature for paper letter]

Keep proof of sending. A complaint may not suspend a payment or court deadline.

Opposition to an EPU payment order

District Court Lublin-Zachód in Lublin, VI Civil Division
Defendant: [name and address]
Claimant: [name from the order]
Case no.: [case number]

OPPOSITION TO PAYMENT ORDER

I oppose the order issued on [date] in case [number], challenging it in full.

[If applicable, truthfully state which claims or amounts you dispute and why.]

[Date and signature for paper filing]

This does not replace the EPU form or the instructions attached to your order. Seek legal help promptly if service or the deadline is unclear.

Check parking in ParkWise before your next trip

Open ParkWise to view parking near your destination. Always read local terms and signs; if a notice arrives, keep it and follow the correct procedure.

Check parking in the ParkWise app

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