POPLA or the IAS? The two UK parking appeal services, side by side
If a private parking operator rejects your appeal, your free independent appeal goes to one of exactly two bodies — and you do not get to choose. It is decided by the trade association the operator belongs to. Both give you the same 28 days — so the thing that goes wrong is never the clock, it is the address: the guidance that tells everyone to go to POPLA is wrong for 110 of the 217 operators we hold.
BPA and IPC published member lists · verified 03/08/2026
| POPLA | IAS | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Parking on Private Land Appeals | Independent Appeals Service |
| Hears appeals against | British Parking Association members | International Parking Community members |
| Operators on our list | 105 of 217 | 110 of 217 |
| Time to appeal | 28 days from the rejection code | 28 days from the rejection code |
| Cost to you | Free | Free |
| When the clock starts | The operator's rejection, not the original notice. You must complete the operator's own appeal stage first either way. | |
| What it expects | A written case with your evidence attached: photographs of the signage as it was at the time, your payment record or permit, arrival and departure times, and the notice itself. Neither body will take a case you have not first put to the operator. | |
No signup, nothing stored. Notice date and operator in, your 28-day window and the body that will actually hear it out.
How to tell which one you are on
- Read the rejection letter. It must name the independent appeals service and give you a code. That letter is the authority — above this page and above any guide.
- Look up the operator. All 217 operators are mapped to their association and their appeals body, searchable by trading name as well as legal name.
- If the operator is on both lists — Parking Group Ltd and Premier Parking Enforcement Limited, the association printed on your notice decides. Do not guess.
Common questions
Can I choose POPLA instead of the IAS?
No. The body is fixed by the operator's trade-association membership. An appeal sent to the wrong service is not forwarded — it is simply not an appeal, and the window keeps running.
Do I pay either of them?
No. Both independent stages are free to the motorist. The only money at stake is the early-payment discount, which usually closes 14 days after the notice and is not extended by appealing.
Do I have to appeal to the operator first?
Yes, for both routes. Neither service will look at a charge you have not first put to the operator, and neither will act without the rejection code the operator has to give you.
Which is easier to win?
We do not publish a claim the data cannot carry. POPLA publishes its outcomes — every operator's decided-appeal record, ranked, is here — but the IAS has published no allowed or refused figure since 2021/22, so a like-for-like comparison does not exist. What we can say from what both sides do publish is that the two windows are the same 28 days, and that a misdirected appeal wins nothing at either.