Fines for non-payment of the congestion charge

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras check all vehicles moving through congestion locations. 

You must pay the daily charge if you go through a congestion location without a permit.

If you do not pay the daily charge, you will receive a £70 fine (reduced by half to £35 if paid within 14 days).

If you do not pay the fine within 28 days, the fine increases by half to £105.

You'll find more information on the PCN.

How to pay a fine

You will need:

• the penalty charge notice (PCN) number from your penalty charge notice
• your car registration number
• a valid credit or debit card.

If you don't know your PCN number, you can contact us.

Pay by telephone

You can pay your congestion charge zone fine over the phone with a debit or credit card.

Phone 0345 337 1138 (option 1).

Pay by post

Do not send cash.

Make your cheque or postal order payable to 'Oxfordshire County Council'. Write the penalty charge notice (PCN) number on the back of the cheque.

Complete the slip on the PCN, attach it to the cheque, and send it to the address given on the notice.

What happens if you do not pay a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)?

If you do not pay the penalty charge or submit formal representations within 28 days of the Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) being served, we will issue a Charge Certificate.

The Charge Certificate increases the penalty charge by 50%, bringing the amount payable to £105.

You then have 14 days to pay the outstanding amount. If payment is not received, we may register the debt with the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC) at Northampton County Court.

The TEC will issue an Order for Recovery of Unpaid Penalty Charge (Form TE3). The amount due will be the outstanding penalty charge plus an £11 court registration fee.

The Order for Recovery will include:

• Form TE9 – Witness Statement
• Form TE7 – Application to File a Witness Statement Out of Time (for use if the witness statement is submitted after the deadline)

You have 21 days to either:

1. Pay the outstanding penalty charge and £11 court registration fee; or
2. Return a completed Witness Statement (Form TE9).

If you do not pay or submit a Witness Statement, we may apply to the TEC for authority to issue a Warrant of Control.

The warrant authorises certificated enforcement agents (bailiffs) to recover the outstanding debt and any statutory enforcement fees that become payable.

Making a Witness Statement

You may submit a Witness Statement (Form TE9) on one of the following grounds:

1. You did not receive the Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).
2. You made representations to the charging authority but did not receive a Notice of Rejection.
3. You appealed to the adjudicator against the Notice of Rejection but did not receive a decision.
4. The penalty charge has been paid in full.

If you are submitting a Witness Statement after the 21-day deadline, you must also complete Form TE7, explaining why the Witness Statement is being filed out of time.

A Witness Statement must be signed before one of the following:

• A Commissioner for Oaths
• An officer of a county court authorised to administer oaths
• A Justice of the Peace

Knowingly or wilfully making a false Witness Statement is a criminal offence under Section 5 of the Perjury Act 1911 and may result in a fine, imprisonment for up to two years, or both.

Warrant of Control

If you do not pay the outstanding amount or submit a Witness Statement within 21 days of the Order for Recovery being served, we may apply to the TEC for authority to issue a Warrant of Control.

The warrant authorises certificated enforcement agents (bailiffs) to recover:

• the outstanding penalty charge;
• the £11 court registration fee; and
• any statutory enforcement fees that become payable.

Enforcement agents may take control of goods belonging to you and, if necessary, sell them to recover the amount outstanding and any enforcement costs incurred.

Making a statutory declaration

You can only use the statutory declaration form for one of these three reasons.

1. You did not get a PCN.
2. You made a formal challenge (representation) but didn't get a rejection notice.
3. You appealed to a parking adjudicator against our decision to reject your representations, but received no response to the appeal.

You must sign a statutory declaration in the presence of one of these people.

• A commissioner for oaths
• An officer of a county court appointed by a judge to take affidavits
• A justice of the peace. 

Warrant of execution

If you don't pay or complete a statutory declaration, we can ask the TEC for authority to prepare a warrant of execution. The warrant authorises a bailiff to seize and sell goods belonging to you. They will take both:

• goods to the value of the outstanding amount
• the cost of executing the warrant