Clean Air Zone – Penalty Charge Notices

The Clean Air Zone (CAZ) was launched on Monday 29 November 2021.  If a vehicle does not meet the required emission standards and is caught on camera driving in the Clean Air Zone the Clean Air Zone daily charge must be paid.

Drivers will not receive a reminder that they need to pay the charge and they have up until 11:59pm on the sixth day after the date the vehicle was used in the zone to pay the charge. If the daily charge has not been paid within this payment window a Penalty Charge Notice will be sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle.

We enforce Portsmouth’s Clean Air Zone using ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) which records the registration plate of vehicles travelling within the Portsmouth Clean Air Zone boundary. Motorists are made aware when they are about to enter the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) as every entry to the zone is clearly signed.  The signs have a cloud symbol which is used on all clean air zones across the country.

Portsmouth’s Clean Air Zone has the letter ‘B’ which shows the Clean Air Zone class and all the boundary signs have a white background.  There are also blue background advance warning signs on the main approaches to the zone with the cloud symbol, which are placed to allow motorists time to take alternative routes to avoid entering the CAZ.

The signs are there not just to alert drivers on their first time within the zone, but also to remind anyone who regularly travels through the zone of the need to pay a CAZ charge, if they have a non-compliant vehicle.

There are 55 cameras within the zone, a map showing the zone can be viewed on Cleaner Air Portsmouth.

The penalty charge for not paying the clean air zone charge in time is £120 (reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days*). The penalty charge is payable in addition to the Clean Air Zone daily charge. The daily charge is:

£10 for taxis/private hire vehicles

£50 for buses/coaches/heavy goods vehicles

*Beginning on the date on which the PCN was served

You may pay by cash, cheque, postal order or a debit or credit card in the following ways:

• follow the link to pay a Penalty Charge Notice online using a debit or credit card
• phone 0800 876 6576 for our 24-hour automated payment system
• pay in person at the Civic Offices or at one of our area housing offices – addresses and maps are available on our Contacts Directory page
• send a cheque or postal order – not cash – to the parking office (address below). Please write the PCN number on the back of your cheque/postal order and make it payable to ‘Portsmouth City Council’

If you feel that you have been issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) incorrectly, you may make a representation in writing within 28 days of receiving the PCN either:

• online on our parking tickets portal
• by post to Parking Service, Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth PO1 2NE

If you make a representation against the PCN but are not successful, you can appeal against our decision to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal Traffic Penalty Tribunal for independent decision.