Which UK cities have a Clean Air Zone?

There are currently eight English CAZs: Bath (Class C, since March 2021), Birmingham (Class D, June 2021), Bradford (Class C, September 2022), Bristol (Class D, November 2022), Portsmouth (Class B, November 2021), Sheffield (Class C, February 2023), and the Tyneside zone covering Newcastle and Gateshead (January 2023). London is separate and uses ULEZ and the Low Emission Zone, not a CAZ. Scotland operates Low Emission Zones in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow under different legislation.

What is the difference between Class A, B, C and D?

Class A targets buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles. Class B adds HGVs. Class C adds LGVs and minibuses. Class D adds cars and motorcycles. So a Class D zone is the broadest. The class determines which vehicles can be charged in that city. If your vehicle category is outside the local class for the date of travel, the PCN cannot stand. Check the council's Charging Order in force on the journey date to confirm the class and the vehicle types covered.

Can I appeal a CAZ PCN if the signage was unclear?

Yes, where you can prove that signage at a specific entry point was missing, obscured or contradictory on the date of travel. The Department for Transport has prescribed sign types under the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 and councils must use them at every CAZ entry. Take dated photographs of the signage if you return to the area, and include them with your representation. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal will consider sign-quality defences where the evidence is dated and specific to the journey route.

Are blue badge holders exempt from the CAZ charge?

Some zones grant blue badge exemptions, others do not. Bath and Birmingham have specific exemptions for vehicles in the disabled or disabled-passenger tax class on the V5C, which is broader than just blue badge. Bradford and Bristol have similar tax-class exemptions. Possession of a blue badge alone is not enough, the vehicle itself usually needs to be in the disabled tax class. Check the issuing council's exemption register, and if you qualify, send DVLA evidence of the tax class on the date of travel.

How do I challenge a Tyneside CAZ PCN if my bus or coach is exempt under transition rules?

The Tyneside zone phased in vehicle types: buses, coaches and HGVs first, with LGVs and taxis added later. Some operators were also given temporary exemptions under the council's transition rules, particularly where contracts predated the zone or where the vehicle was due for replacement under a CleanBus or CleanVan upgrade scheme. Check the council's published exemption register for the specific vehicle type, fleet operator status and date. Send any evidence of registered exemption with your representation.

Where do I appeal if the council rejects my representation?

Appeals from all English CAZs (outside London) go to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal in Manchester, the same tribunal that handles Dart Charge, Mersey Gateway and Tyne Tunnel PCNs. There is no fee and no risk of being ordered to pay anyone's costs. You can submit online at trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk. Most appeals are decided on the papers within a few weeks. Tribunals adjudicators apply the Transport Act 2000, the local Charging Order, and the 2022 Regulations strictly, so a clear letter setting out the statutory ground usually carries the day.

Clean Air Zone PCN Appeal: All UK Cities | AppealAFine

A Clean Air Zone is a defined area where non-compliant vehicles pay a daily charge. England now has CAZs in Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Newcastle and Gateshead. Each operates under the Transport Act 2000 Part III and a local Charging Order made by the council, and each has its own daily charges, exemptions and operating hours. The Joint Air Quality Unit runs the central payment and ANPR service, so payments and PCNs look similar across cities even though the underlying authority is the local council. PCNs are typically £120 for cars and LGVs and £450 for HGVs, buses and coaches, with 50 percent discount for payment in 14 days. Appeals go first informally to the issuing council, then formally after a Notice to Owner, and finally to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal in Manchester. For city-specific exemptions, sunset periods and Class A to D rules, check the individual council's page.

Grounds that work for Clean Air Zone pcns

Vehicle is actually compliant

Each CAZ targets vehicles below a Euro standard: typically Euro 4 for petrol and Euro 6 for diesel cars, with separate rules for taxis, LGVs, HGVs, buses and coaches. The central vehicle checker at gov.uk pulls data from DVLA, but the data is sometimes wrong, particularly for retrofitted vehicles or imports. If your V5C or Certificate of Conformity shows the vehicle meets the relevant Euro standard for that CAZ class, send the documentation to the issuing council and ask for cancellation. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal cancels on documentary evidence that the vehicle was compliant on the date of the journey under the Transport Act 2000 framework and the local Charging Order.

Charge was paid in time

The CAZ daily charge can be paid up to six days after the date of travel through the central gov.uk service. If you paid within that window, the PCN cannot stand. Mismatches happen when the registration is mistyped or when payment is made against the wrong date. Send the council the payment reference, registration as on the V5C, and the date the payment cleared. Ask them to reconcile against the ANPR record. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal will cancel on documentary evidence of payment, applying the local Charging Order strictly.

Statutory exemption applies

Each CAZ has a list of national exemptions, including vehicles in the disabled or disabled-passenger tax class, military vehicles, historic vehicles (over 40 years old and unmodified), and certain showmen's vehicles. Local exemptions vary: Birmingham has a financial-incentive sunset period for residents and workers earning under set thresholds, Bath exempts blue badge holders, Bradford and Newcastle have specific local resident schemes. Check the council's published exemption register for the date of travel. If your vehicle qualified but was not registered, you can apply retrospectively in many cases.

Hire vehicle, lease or recent sale

Under regulation 14 of the Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (England) General Regulations 2022 a hire firm can transfer liability to the named hirer by serving the agreement and a statement of liability. The agreement must cover the date of travel. If you are the hirer and the council has billed you direct, request the transfer paperwork from the hire firm. If you sold the vehicle before the journey, send the V5C/2 sale slip dated before the journey and ask the council to reissue to the actual keeper. Both routes are standard grounds at the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.

Out-of-time service or defective PCN

Schedule 1 of the 2022 Regulations requires the PCN to be served within six months of the contravention and the Notice to Owner within six months of the PCN. Regulation 9 sets out the required content: date, time and location of the contravention, the amount of the penalty, the discount and full-penalty amounts, and the procedure for representations. CAZ PCNs sometimes go out late because of postal delays or where DVLA records are stale. If your PCN is dated more than six months after the journey, write to the council stating service is out of time and ask for cancellation. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal applies the limit strictly.

Got a Clean Air Zone pcn?

Our tool checks your specific notice details and tells you in 60 seconds whether you have grounds to appeal.

Check my fine free

Local detail: Clean Air Zone

Bath was the first English CAZ outside London, launching on 15 March 2021 as a Class C zone (no cars).
Birmingham followed on 1 June 2021 as a Class D zone (charges cars too).
Bradford launched on 26 September 2022 as a Class C zone for commercial vehicles only.
Bristol's Class D zone began on 28 November 2022.
Portsmouth opened on 29 November 2021 as a Class B zone (no cars).
Sheffield went live on 27 February 2023 as a Class C zone (no cars).
Newcastle and Gateshead Tyneside zone launched on 30 January 2023, charging buses and coaches first, then expanding.
All English CAZs are administered through the central gov.uk service and Joint Air Quality Unit infrastructure.

Got a pcn in Clean Air Zone?

How to appeal a UK Clean Air Zone PCN

Quick facts