If you have received a Low Emission Zone Penalty Charge Notice (LEZ PCN) you can either pay it, or appeal against it.
If you receive an LEZ PCN for a vehicle you hired or leased, this means that the hire company have transferred liability for the vehicle to you and have given us your details so we can issue the notice. If you do not think that liability should have been transferred to you, you must dispute this with the hire company and let us know that you have done so.
You can pay an LEZ PCN online:
Pay Low Emission Zone Penalty Charge Notice
If you do not have your LEZ PCN number, please contact us. To comply with Data Protection requirements, you will be asked some details about the contravention before being given the reference number. If you cannot answer these questions you will be asked to send us a copy of your V5C or hire/lease agreement.
Charges
Charges are set at national level by the Scottish Government for consistency across cities. The initial penalty charge for all non-compliant vehicles is set at £60, reduced by 50% if it is paid within 14 days.
The penalty amount doubles with each subsequent breach of the rules detected in the same LEZ. The penalty charges are capped at £480 for cars and light goods vehicles and £960 for minibuses, buses, coaches and HGVs.
Where there are no further breaches of the rules detected within the 90 days following a previous violation, the rate is reset to the initial penalty charge i.e. £60.
| Vehicle | Vehicle Category (as defined by the DVLA) | Initial penalty charge | Subsequent penalty charges | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Light passenger vehicles (cars) | M1 | £60 | £120 | £240 | £480 | £480 |
| Minibus | M2 | £60 | £120 | £240 | £480 | £960 |
| Bus and coach | M3 | £60 | £120 | £240 | £480 | £960 |
| Light goods vehicle (LGV) | N1 | £60 | £120 | £240 | £480 | £480 |
| Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) | N2 | £60 | £120 | £240 | £480 | £960 |
| Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) | N3 | £60 | £120 | £240 | £480 | £960 |
| Special purpose vehicle (SPV) | Type dependant | £60 | £120 | £240 | £480 | £960 |
Find out more about Aberdeen's Low Emission Zone.
Reasons you may have received a Low Emission Zone Penalty Charge Notice
If you enter a Low Emission Zone at any time, the vehicle registration details will be captured on camera. A check will then be done with the DVLA to establish if the vehicle is compliant or not. You can find out if your vehicle is compliant by using the online vehicle checker. If it is not, we will carry out the following further checks
- Is the vehicle exempt? Checks will be done for both national and local exemptions.
- Has the vehicle or the journey that it was being used for, been registered on the National Blue Badge Exemption system because the vehicle was either being driven by someone who holds a Blue Badge, or was being used to carry a passenger who holds one.
Where none of the above apply we will ask the DVLA for details of the registered keeper of the vehicle. We will then issue a low emission zone penalty charge notice to the registered keeper.
The notice will show:
- The registration number of the vehicle involved in the alleged contravention.
- When the alleged contravention occurred
- Why we believe a charge is payable.
- How much the charge is.
- That the charge must be paid within 28 days.
- That you can appeal within 28 days if you have grounds to do so.
If you disagree with a Low Emission Zone Penalty Charge Notice
If you believe that you have been issued with an LEZ PCN incorrectly, you should appeal it as soon as possible.
If you appeal against the LEZ PCN do not make any payment until we have let you know the outcome of the appeal. If you pay the charge while the appeal is ongoing, we will close your case.
If you appeal and it is rejected, you must pay the amount given on the Notice of Rejection within 28 days of receiving it, or make an appeal to The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.
If you do not pay a Low Emission Zone Penalty Charge Notice
We will issue a Charge Certificate to the registered keeper of the vehicle if:
- We have issued a Low Emission Zone Penalty Charge Notice and it has not been paid or appealed within 28 days.
- We have rejected an appeal and the LEZ PCN has not been paid within 28 days of the Notice of Rejection being issued.
When a Charge Certificate is issued, this increases the amount due on the LEZ PCN by 50%. This applies to all amounts in the table above.
If you receive a Charge Certificate you no longer have the right to appeal but we will review cases in some circumstances. Find out more about how you can request a review.
If you do not request a review or make payment of the full amount due on the charge certificate within 28 days of the date of service, we will pass your details to our debt collection agents. They will take action to collect the outstanding debt and may add additional fees. Once your LEZ PCN has been passed to our debt collection agents, you must make payment directly to them using the details they provide when they get in touch with you.