Parking restrictions

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There are places in Barnet where parking is limited or not allowed. You’re responsible for checking all signs in or near where you want to park and must make sure that you’re legally parked before leaving your vehicle.

Civil Enforcement Officers, also known as parking attendants or wardens, patrol Barnet’s streets to help enforce parking restrictions.

Detailed information about parking regulations and restrictions in Barnet can be found on our traffweb site

Parking restrictions in Barnet

Where parking restrictions are in place:

  • yellow-lined waiting and loading restrictions
  • parking bays e.g. resident, business, disabled and doctor parking bays
  • council-run public car parks
  • the London-wide prohibition on parking on footways, verges, etc.
  • a borough-wide overnight commercial vehicle waiting restriction
  • mandatory school keep clear markings
  • pedestrian crossing zigzags
  • motorcycle parking areas
  • loading places
  • restricted bus stops
  • parking in a car park when it is closed
  • re-parking in the same parking bay within an hour of leaving
  • parking adjacent to a dropped kerb
  • parking more than 50 cm from the edge of the carriageway if not in a designated parking space
  • using a vehicle in a car park or on the street to sell or advertise the sale of goods

Bank holiday and public holiday enforcement

Parking type

Bank holidays enforced?

Christmas Day enforced?

Across a dropped kerb

Yes

No

All council car parks

No

No

Bus lanes

Yes

No

Business bays

No

No

Disabled bays

Yes

No

Double parking

Yes

Yes

Double yellow lines

Yes

No

Footway parking

Yes

No

Pay and display bays

No

No

Residents' bays, Controlled Parking Zones

No

No

Single yellow lines

Yes

No

Zigzag lines (white)

Yes

Yes

School markings

No

No

Bus stops

Yes

No

Loading bays

Yes

No


Bank Holidays include New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May bank holidays, August bank holiday, Boxing Day, and Christmas Day. See a full list of dates on the GOV.uk website.

Penalty Charge Notices

You can be issued with a Penalty charge notice (PCN) if you break any parking enforcement rule.

Civil Enforcement Officers use digital cameras to take images of vehicles that are in contravention. These images will be used as evidence in the appeals process.

If you receive a PCN, you can view images of the contravention if you have the PCN reference and the Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM).

Civil Enforcement Officers don’t have targets or incentives. They only issue PCNs to vehicles parked or driving illegally.

All officers wear uniforms with an identification number, and the words 'Civil Enforcement Officer' and 'Barnet Council'.

Pay a Penalty Charge Notice

Challenge a Penalty Charge Notice 

Bus lane enforcement and CCTV cameras

You’ll get a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) if you enter a bus lane during restricted hours which are displayed on signs: Monday to Saturday, 7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm.

CCTV cameras record bus lane traffic during these times, which means you’re unlikely to get a PCN if you travel less than a car length in the bus lane.

Bus lanes on the A5 are enforced by the Council and are not on the Transport for London red route, this means that any exemptions Transport for London allow, such as motorcycles, are not valid. This includes all public and bank holidays except Christmas Day.

Civil Enforcement Officers

Civil Enforcement Officers, also known as parking attendants or wardens, patrol Barnet’s streets to help enforce parking restrictions.

They patrol controlled parking zones and some busy main routes on foot, as well as by motor scooter across Barnet to provide a quick response to enforcement requests.

Civil Enforcement Officers don’t enforce restrictions on:

  • private land - this is a matter for the landowner
  • most housing estates
  • red routes, red route clearways, and parts of some side roads adjoining them - these are controlled by Transport for London

Dangerous or obstructive parking is a matter for the Police.

Civil Enforcement Officers use digital cameras to take images of vehicles that are in contravention of parking laws. These images will be used as evidence in the appeals process.

You can view images of the contravention if you have the PCN reference and the Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM).

Civil Enforcement Officers don’t have targets or incentives. They only issue PCNs to vehicles parked or driving illegally.

All officers wear uniforms with an identification number, and the words 'Civil Enforcement Officer' and 'Barnet Council'.

Report a parking contravention

If you wish to report a vehicle parked in contravention you can call our enforcement line on 0203 856 0020, Monday to Saturday 7:30am to 22:30pm, Sunday / Bank Holiday 08:30am to 16:30pm.

Your call will be answered by officers who'll review your report and send a Civil Enforcement Officer where it is appropriate to do so.

We aim to respond to reports as soon as possible, however, there may be times when we cannot reach the location as quickly as we would like. Requests received after 10pm are likely to be attended the following morning.

In all cases, we will try our best to deploy a Civil Enforcement Officer within a maximum timescale of three hours.  If the Civil Enforcement Officer attends the location and finds a vehicle parked in contravention we may issue a Penalty Charge Notice.

If you can’t find your vehicle on street

Your vehicle may have been relocated to a safe space by the Council if it was parked in obstruction or a suspended parking bay. 

Contact Tow-away Removal and Clamping Enquires (TRACE). This is a free online service which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TRACE will advise where your vehicle has been moved to. 

If you can’t access the TRACE service online, you can call our enforcement line on 0203 856 0020, Monday to Saturday 7:30am to 22:30pm, Sunday / Bank Holiday 08:30am to 16:30pm and we will check the TRACE service on your behalf.

Why we have parking and traffic measures

Parking and traffic management measures like parking places and waiting restrictions help:

  • ease congestion caused by inconsiderate parking
  • improve road safety
  • disabled users of vehicles
  • provide parking for specific users (such as residents, businesses, or blue badge holders)
  • increase the turnover of parking to help visitors, clients of businesses, and shoppers to park
  • provide facilities for loading and unloading

Complain about our service

You can make a complaint online about a Civil Enforcement Officer or the service that we provide