Found a PCN with Code 16 on it? Here is exactly what it means, what the officer checked before issuing it, whether your car can be towed for it, and when an appeal is actually worth making.
What probably happened
You were parked in a residents'/permit zone without a valid permit for that specific zone — a blue badge alone does not cover this.
What the officer checks before issuing a Code 16
- Zones 1–4 (central): 8:30am–6:30pm Mon–Sat, 12:30pm–6:30pm Sun — enforced 7 days a week.
- Zones 5–8 (and N/S prefix extended zones): 8:30am–5:30pm Mon–Fri only — not enforced on weekends.
- 🏘️ Residential mews — signed at the entrance ("Permit holders only past this point") rather than bay by bay — get a 5-minute observation before a Code 16, to check for loading. Ordinary permit bays are instant.
- Electronic permits are checked via the enforcement officer's handheld device — you don't need to display paper.
- Trades permits are only valid between 9:00am and 4:30pm.
- Expired permits: 14 days grace before a PCN is issued (monthly Trades permits have no grace).
- 🚫 Blue badges do not exempt you from permit zone restrictions — a valid permit is still required.
Can you appeal a Code 16?
Most Code 16 tickets are correctly issued. These are the grounds that can win:
- You held a valid permit for that zone — electronic permits are checked on the officer’s handheld, so a missing paper permit is not the issue if the e-permit was live.
- Your permit had expired fewer than 14 days before — there is a 14-day grace period (monthly Trades permits excepted).
- It was a residential mews signed at the entrance, and the PCN times show it was issued without the 5-minute observation that mews get.
- The signs or road markings were missing, faded, obscured or contradictory — a restriction is only enforceable if its signs and markings meet the legal standard. Photograph everything before you leave the street.
- The PCN details are wrong — the registration, street, date, time or code does not match what actually happened.
- The officer’s evidence photos (viewable online from the day after issue) do not clearly show the contravention.
Not sure if yours is worth fighting?
Send me your Code 16 ticket and photos. I will read it personally and tell you straight: pay it while it is £50, or challenge it — and on exactly which grounds. The verdict is free.
Get a free verdict on my ticket →Paying or challenging a Code 16
You have 14 days to pay the reduced £50. Before deciding, look at the evidence photos on the council’s online PCN viewer (ED plus 8 digits, from the day after issue). If you are challenging, do it inside those 14 days and do not pay — paying closes the case. My Edinburgh parking ticket guide walks through paying, the challenge stages and the independent tribunal.
Common questions about Code 16
How much is a Code 16 parking ticket in Edinburgh?
£100, reduced to £50 if you pay within 14 days of the ticket being issued. Left unpaid, a Charge Certificate raises it to £150.
Can my car be towed for a Code 16?
Yes. Code 16 is one of the contraventions where the council removes vehicles straight off the street. Getting it back from the car pound costs £240 all-in, which includes the PCN, plus £25 a day storage after the first day.
Can I appeal a Code 16 PCN?
Yes, if you have grounds and evidence. The strongest for this code: You held a valid permit for that zone — electronic permits are checked on the officer’s handheld, so a missing paper permit is not the issue if the e-permit was live.
Every other Edinburgh PCN code
Each code has its own page. Not sure which you have? It is printed near the top of the ticket — or see what does my parking code mean?