Order for Recovery of unpaid penalty charge
An Order for Recovery of unpaid penalty charge allows the authorities to take legal action to recover the money you owe.
You cannot challenge the PCN at this stage.
After receiving an Order for Recovery, you have 21 days to:
- pay the PCN promptly. If you do not take action, the matter may be escalated and passed to enforcement agents (bailiffs), potentially increasing the total amount owed
- make a witness statement to the Traffic Enforcement Centre
Grounds for filing a witness statement
You can file a witness statement if:
- you did not receive the Notice to Owner or the Penalty Charge Notice
- you made representations about the Penalty Charge Notice to the charging authority within 28 days of service of the notice, but did not receive a reply (notice of rejection)
- you appealed against the local authority’s decision to reject your representation within 28 days of the service of the rejection notice, but have received no response to your appeal
- you paid the charge shown on the Notice to Owner or Penalty charge notice. You will need to give the date of payment and the method of payment (e.g. cash or cheque)
Page last updated: 18 July 2025
