Found a PCN with Code 01 on it? Here is exactly what it means, what the officer checked before issuing it, whether your car can be towed for it, and when an appeal is actually worth making.
What probably happened
You were most likely parked on a single or double yellow line during its restricted hours (or 24/7 for a double yellow), with an enforcement officer having observed your vehicle for at least 5 minutes.
What the officer checks before issuing a Code 01
- Single yellow line: no waiting during the hours shown on the nearby sign plate.
- Double yellow line: no waiting at any time — restriction is permanent, no sign needed.
- The restriction applies to the carriageway AND the adjacent footway or verge.
- Single yellow lines are enforced every day of the week in the central zones (1–4), during the hours on the plate — and Monday to Friday only in every other zone, so outside the centre a single yellow is not enforced at weekends. Double yellow lines are 24/7, everywhere, regardless of zone.
- Zones 1–4: 8:30am–6:30pm Mon–Sat, 12:30pm–6:30pm Sun — enforced 7 days a week.
- Zones 5–8 (and N/S prefix extended zones): single yellow lines are enforced Mon–Fri only, usually 8:30am–5:30pm — not at weekends. Double yellow lines are still enforced 24/7, every day.
- ⏱️ The 5-minute observation period starts from the moment an enforcement officer first comes across your vehicle — not from when you actually parked. Even if your car has already been sat there for an hour before an enforcement officer arrives, the clock still starts fresh at that point.
Variations of Code 01 you might come across
Footway parking adjacent to yellow lines
Used when 1–3 of a vehicle's wheels are resting on the footway (pavement) alongside a single or double yellow line.
- Applies whenever one to three wheels are on the footway next to a yellow line restriction.
- Instant PCN — no observation period, regardless of the time of day.
- Applies to both single and double yellow lines.
- 🚫 Blue badges do NOT exempt you from this restriction.
Commercial vehicles on yellow lines
Vans and commercial vehicles parked on a single or double yellow line during restricted hours are given a longer observation period than ordinary vehicles, as they may be actively loading or unloading goods.
- Vans and goods vehicles get longer than cars: up to 30 minutes on a single yellow and 10 minutes on a double, as long as loading is actually seen (cars get 10 and 5).
- This extra time accounts for the loading/unloading of goods to and from the vehicle.
- Still applies to both single and double yellow lines during restricted hours.
- ✅ Blue badge holders can be exempt here, as this code relates to single/double yellow line restrictions.
Can you appeal a Code 01?
Most Code 01 tickets are correctly issued. These are the grounds that can win:
- You were genuinely loading or unloading within the concession — 30 minutes for a van or 10 for a car on a single yellow, 10 for a van or 5 for a car on a double — and can prove it (delivery notes, receipts, a witness).
- Your Blue Badge was correctly displayed — badge holders can park on yellow lines without a time limit, as long as they are not causing an obstruction and there are no kerb marks.
- It was a single yellow outside the centre at the weekend — outside zones 1–4, single yellows are only enforced Monday to Friday.
- The signs or road markings were missing, faded, obscured or contradictory — a restriction is only enforceable if its signs and markings meet the legal standard. Photograph everything before you leave the street.
- The PCN details are wrong — the registration, street, date, time or code does not match what actually happened.
- The officer’s evidence photos (viewable online from the day after issue) do not clearly show the contravention.
Not sure if yours is worth fighting?
Send me your Code 01 ticket and photos. I will read it personally and tell you straight: pay it while it is £50, or challenge it — and on exactly which grounds. The verdict is free.
Get a free verdict on my ticket →Paying or challenging a Code 01
You have 14 days to pay the reduced £50. Before deciding, look at the evidence photos on the council’s online PCN viewer (ED plus 8 digits, from the day after issue). If you are challenging, do it inside those 14 days and do not pay — paying closes the case. My Edinburgh parking ticket guide walks through paying, the challenge stages and the independent tribunal.
Common questions about Code 01
How much is a Code 01 parking ticket in Edinburgh?
£100, reduced to £50 if you pay within 14 days of the ticket being issued. Left unpaid, a Charge Certificate raises it to £150.
Can my car be towed for a Code 01?
Code 01 is not one of the contraventions removed on the day. But any contravention can end in removal if the vehicle is flagged as a persistent evader with unpaid PCNs.
Can I appeal a Code 01 PCN?
Yes, if you have grounds and evidence. The strongest for this code: You were genuinely loading or unloading within the concession — 30 minutes for a van or 10 for a car on a single yellow, 10 for a van or 5 for a car on a double — and can prove it (delivery notes, receipts, a witness).
Every other Edinburgh PCN code
Each code has its own page. Not sure which you have? It is printed near the top of the ticket — or see what does my parking code mean?