Wrong Authority Issued Your Northern Ireland Ticket
In Northern Ireland, parking tickets on public roads can only be issued by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Roads, or by an enforcement officer officially authorised by DfI Roads. This is different from England, Wales, and Scotland, where councils handle this. If your ticket was issued by a council or any other body that does not have DfI Roads authority, the ticket is not valid.
Legal basis
Road Traffic Regulation (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (SI 1997/276 (N.I. 2)); Traffic Management (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (SI 2005/1964 (N.I. 14)); the Department for Infrastructure (DfI Roads) is the authority for on-street civil parking enforcement in Northern Ireland
How to identify this in your case
Check who issued the PCN. It should reference DfI Roads or a contractor authorised by DfI. If the PCN is issued by a council or other authority not authorised by DfI, it is ultra vires.
Sample appeal wording
I am writing to formally appeal Penalty Charge Notice [number] dated [date]. In Northern Ireland, parking enforcement on public roads is the statutory responsibility of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Roads, operating under the Traffic Management (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 and associated legislation. This PCN purports to have been issued by [issuing authority]. I require you to confirm: 1. The precise statutory authority under which this PCN was issued 2. That the Civil Enforcement Officer who issued this notice was duly authorised by DfI Roads 3. A copy of the relevant authorisation If this PCN was not issued by or under the authority of DfI Roads, it is a nullity and must be cancelled immediately. I await your evidence.
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
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Scan my ticketSources
- Traffic Management (Northern Ireland) Order 2005
- DfI Roads enforcement procedures
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