Pay or challenge a parking fine

To make an informal challenge select the Penalty Charge Notice issue date.

Challenges can be made against a Penalty Charge Notice 1 hour from the time of issue.

Your reference number will be the eight digits following the notice number beginning with DK.

For example if your notice number is DK12345678 enter DK12345678 as your reference number.

Over the phone

Our automated telephone number is 0300 456 2671 - please have your card details ready.

By post

Xentrall Shared Services,
Transactional Finance
PO Box 877
STOCKTON-ON-TEES
TS19 1JA

Cheques or postal orders should be made payable to 'Darlington Borough Council' and crossed 'account payee' with your name, address and excess charge notice number noted on the back of the cheque.

Any cash must be sent by registered post.

In person

By cash, cheque, Mastercard, Visa, Delta, Maestro or Solo at customer services at the Town Hall.

Office hours are:

• Monday to Wednesday, 8:30am - 4:45pm
• Thursday 9:30am - 4:45pm
• Friday 8.30am-4:15pm 

How to appeal

If you feel that you have received an unfair penalty charge notice (PCN), you can make an appeal online using the above search function or in writing to:

Parking Processing
Darlington Borough Council
Town Hall
DL1 5QT
 
We will assess your case and if the PCN was incorrectly issued, it will be cancelled with no payment required.

However if we consider that the PCN was correctly issued then we will write to you within 14 days with the reasons why.
 
The rejection of an informal representation in no way detracts from the ability of the owner to make a subsequent formal representation against the issue of the PCN to the council or to the traffic penalties tribunal.

However it should be noted that a second formal representation may only be made once the council sends a notice to owner (NTO) letter to the owner of the vehicle. 
 
For more information regarding representations, Notice to Owner (NTO) and Traffic Penalties Tribunal, refer to the civil parking enforcement procedures [pdf document].

Notice to owner

If the penalty charge notice is either:

• not paid on or before 28 days after the date the notice was issued
• the penalty charge notice is not challenged successfully

We will serve a notice to owner (NTO) letter on the owner of the vehicle which will state that full payment of the penalty charge is required. 
 
The owner of the vehicle can then make a representation to the council.

If we reject the representation the owner may also make a representation to an independent adjudicator.

The NTO letter will contain full instructions on how to do this.