Know the law
Despite the headlines, there is no England-wide ban on parking on the pavement. Here is what the law actually says right now, where you can be fined today, and what is going to change.
Last reviewed 2026-08-26
In January 2026 the government published its response to the pavement parking consultation. It considered a national ban and decided against one. Instead, each local transport authority will be given the power to prohibit pavement parking in its own area, so the rules will differ from council to council rather than applying everywhere at once.
Parking with one or more wheels on or over a footway, verge or footpath is prohibited throughout Greater London in its own right, and has been for decades. No yellow line or Traffic Regulation Order is needed for the council to enforce.
Parking on the pavement is NOT in itself a contravention outside Greater London. A council can only enforce where an existing Traffic Regulation Order prohibits it, where a waiting restriction (for example a yellow line, which covers the footway and verge as well as the carriageway) is contravened, or where the vehicle is a heavy commercial vehicle over 7.5 tonnes.
If you have been ticketed purely for being on the pavement outside London, and none of those exceptions applies, that is a strong ground of appeal.
The London prohibition is not absolute. Section 15 of the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1974 carries statutory defences, and councils do not always apply them correctly. If any of these describes your situation, your ticket may be challengeable.
Parked in accordance with permission given by a constable in uniform
GLC(GP)A 1974 s. 15(3)(a)
Parked for the purpose of saving life, extinguishing a fire, or meeting any other emergency
GLC(GP)A 1974 s. 15(3)(b)
Rendering assistance at an accident or a bona fide breakdown, where the assistance could not have been safely or satisfactorily rendered otherwise and the vehicle was never left unattended
GLC(GP)A 1974 s. 15(3)(c). Helpful evidence: Recovery call-out record, repair invoice, or breakdown provider report
Loading or unloading goods for no more than 20 minutes (or longer if the council permits), where it could not have been satisfactorily performed otherwise and the vehicle was never left unattended
GLC(GP)A 1974 s. 15(3)(d). Helpful evidence: Delivery note, timed receipts, or photos showing the loading activity and the times involved
The highway authority has by resolution authorised parking on this footway or part of it, in which case parking there is lawful. Signs must have been placed under s. 15(5)
GLC(GP)A 1974 s. 15(4) and (5). Helpful evidence: Photos of the location showing any signs or bay markings permitting footway parking
The vehicle falls within an exempt class: fire, police, ambulance, street cleansing, refuse collection, gritting or snow clearance, lighting maintenance, road or premises works, statutory undertakers, or a class specified by the authority
GLC(GP)A 1974 s. 15(7)
Section 15 applies to a mechanically propelled vehicle or something designed or adapted for towing by one, and excludes a heavy commercial vehicle within s. 19 Road Traffic Act 1988 (which is dealt with under code 61 instead)
GLC(GP)A 1974 s. 15(12)
Schedule 32 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 lets the Secretary of State make regulations giving each English local transport authority power to prohibit footway and verge parking. The Act received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, but only the power to make those regulations is in force. The regulations themselves need approval by both Houses and have not been made.
What changes when it is live: Once a council imposes a prohibition, parking on the pavement in that area becomes a civil parking contravention enforceable by PCN, in the same way it already is in London.
Read the sourceThe government is proceeding with Option 2 from its consultation response: a civil enforcement power against unnecessary obstruction of the pavement, to be delivered through secondary legislation. It will not require additional traffic signage, and the Department for Transport will issue statutory guidance.
What changes when it is live: Councils with civil enforcement powers will be able to issue a PCN where a uniformed civil enforcement officer sees a vehicle unnecessarily obstructing the pavement, even without a Traffic Regulation Order in place.
Read the sourceUpload it with your photos. We check which rules actually apply where you were parked, test every exemption against your evidence, and draft the appeal for you.
Check my ticketParking Appeals is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This page is general information about the law as at 2026-08-26.