General information, not legal advice.
A grace period is time at the start or end of a stay when a parking company should not charge you. The industry codes have required these for some time, and the new statutory code proposes specific periods.
What the new code proposes
The Statutory Private Parking Code of Practice was laid before Parliament on 20 October 2026. It is not in force yet. As laid, it proposes:
- a 5-minute consideration period on arrival, to read the signs and decide whether to stay (10 minutes at free car parks with 500 or more spaces); and
- a 10-minute grace period at the end of a stay (none at clearly signed short-stay sites).
See the new private parking code.
What applies today
Until the statutory code takes effect, the industry code of the operator's trade body applies (the BPA or the IPC). The periods are in those codes and you can check the current figures on their sites. A grace period is a common ground in an appeal: see how to appeal.
Using it in an appeal
- Show times from your own records, such as receipts, phone location history or photos with time stamps.
- Compare them with the operator's ANPR times, which are often entry and exit times for the whole site.
- Be honest about what happened.
Loading…
Sources
- Private Parking Code of Practice (government publication; laid before Parliament on 20 October 2026, not yet in force)
- British Parking Association and International Parking Community: current industry codes