Acronyms/Abbreviations/Terms List

If you are genuinely worried about threads from a PPC, please post in the forum for help, advice and reassurance.

Bailiffs - Individuals with powers to seize goods/enter your property to recover a debt. This only happens after a PPC takes you to court (unlikely) wins their court case (very unlikely) and you then fail to pay the amount on the court order.

BPA - British Parking Association - note this is a trade association responsible for promoting the PPCs' and clampers' interests, they are NOT a regulatory body (link). The BPA now have a representative presence on this board (LINK)

Debt Collectors - These are usually used by PPCs to threaten victims. Contrary to popular belief, they have no special powers & can't enter your property or seize goods. If they do turn up on your doorstep you can simply ask them to go away. If they fail to do so, you may call the police to remove the trespassers. If they take anything, it's theft (again, call the police). Whatever they may say, there is no 'debt' until a court has ruled on the dispute. As we know, PPCs prefer to stay away from court.

DVLA - Driver Vehicle Licencing Agency - they sell RK details to the PPCs (link)

POFA - Protections of Freedoms Act (2012) (link)

POPLA - Parking On Private Land Appeals (link)

PPC - Private Parking Company

RK - Registered Keeper (of a given vehicle at a particular time)

TS - Trading Standards


Appellant - Individual in receipt of/appealing a PCN.

CEO - Civil Enforcement Officer - the 'equivalent' of traffic wardens, CEOs are used in areas where parking offences have been decriminalised.

Charge Certificate - Issued after a failure to pay the fine following issue of an NtO.

ECN - Excess Charge Notice.

FPN - Fixed Penalty Notice

LGO - Local Government Ombudsman (link)

MTC - Moving Traffic Contravention

NtO - Notice to Owner - Sent 28 days after issue of the PCN (though not all PCNs have an NtO stage). You can make formal representations (appeal) after you have received the NtO.

OfR - Order for Recovery (follows Charge Certificate)

PA - Parking Attendant (in Scotland, where decriminalised)

PATAS - Parking and Traffic Appeals Service - if the council don't accept your appeal, this is the independent body responsible for making a binding final decision (link)

PCN - Penalty Charge Notice

RK - Registered Keeper (of a given vehicle at a particular time)

RTA - Road Traffic Act 1991 - used in Scotland for decriminalised offences.

RTRA - Road traffic regulation Act 1984 - for criminal tickets FPN, ECN

SPAS - Scottish Parking Adjudication Service

TEC - Traffic Enforcement Centre (Northampton) - bulk processing centre

TMO - Traffic Management Order - London's equivalent of a TRO

TMA - Traffic Management Act - Primary legislation for decriminalised parking enforcement

TPT - Traffic Penalty Tribunal (link)

TRACE - Locates your vehicle if it's been towed

TRO - Traffic Regulation Order - this is a legal document which sets out local traffic law, requiring road users to obey certain conditions such as one-way systems, parking restrictions, etc. You can obtain a TRO for any road, simply by contacting the council and asking. Some councils even have them available on their websites.

TSRGD - Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions - The law directing use, layout and appearance of signs and road markings.