Law and Ethics of Parking Enforcement

Law of Trespass

With respect to unauthorised parking on private property, a strong legal argument can be made by the land owner under the laws of trespass.

A person entering and parking on privately owed land without the permission of the legal owner is trespassing on that land for the duration that the vehicle is parked.

If the land owner can prove the trespass, then he or she is entitled to recover nominal damages, even if he or she has not suffered any actual loss or damage. If the trespass has caused the land owner to suffer loss or damage, then he or she is entitled to an amount to compensate for that loss or damage.

In order for the land owner to claim costs for trespass in the form of PCNs, there must be prominent and easily observed signage warning that unauthorised parking will result in a charge.

Contractual Law

When there is prominent and clear signage displayed by the owner of private land warning drivers of parking regulations, a motorist enters a contractual agreement to pay a parking charge if he or she parks in contravention those regulations. We operate our collection procedures under the Administration of Justice Act 1970.

DVLA Code of Practice for Private Parking Enforcement

When obtaining the keeper’s registration details for an illegally parked vehicle in order to enforce parking penalties, NPC strictly adheres to the DVLA’s Code of Conduct. This ensures that lawful, ethical and fair business practices are employed by us at all times.

Data Protection Act 1998
We will not disclose any information regarding the registered keeper’s details to the land owner, just as we will not disclose the land owner’s details to parking offenders. This is in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.