Fines for non-payment of the congestion charge
What to do if you receive a penalty charge notice (PCN) for non-payment of the congestion charge.
Don't forget to pay your fine. You will not get a reminder.
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.
Warning notice
You do not need to pay a fine if you have received a warning notice. However, you must ensure that you pay the congestion charge for future journeys or apply for a permit if you qualify. Contact us if you want to discuss the notice.
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 a fine issued in Oxfordshire
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 don't pay a fine
We'll issue a late penalty if you fail to pay or submit a formal challenge within 28 days (charge certificate). After that, the penalty will increase by 50 per cent, which is £105.
You have 14 days to pay. After that, we can 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' (PE2). The charge will be the unpaid PCN, plus a £9 debt registration fee.
The PE2 includes a statutory declaration form (PE3).
You have 21 days to either:
- pay the PCN, plus a £9 registration fee
- return a signed and completed statutory declaration form.
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 certificated bailiff to seize and sell goods belonging to you to the value of the outstanding amount plus the cost of executing the warrant.
Making a statutory declaration
You can only use the statutory declaration form for one of these three reasons.
- You did not get a PCN.
- You made a formal challenge (representation) but didn't get a rejection notice.
- 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.
Filing a false declaration knowingly and wilfully is a criminal offence under Section 5 of the Perjury Act 1911. You may be imprisoned for up to two years or fined (or both).
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