If Horizon Parking rejects the first appeal, the case moves to POPLA: Parking on Private Land Appeals, the independent service that decides private parking disputes for BPA operators. POPLA does not charge the motorist, Horizon Parking is bound by its decision, and you have 28 days from the rejection to use it.

This guide covers the deadline, the submission, the assessment timeline and the grounds POPLA upholds against Horizon Parking.

What POPLA is

POPLA is the second-stage appeals service for British Parking Association members, which Horizon Parking is. An assessor who does not work for the operator decides the case on the papers. If you win, the charge is cancelled and Horizon Parking must accept the result. If you lose, POPLA cannot order you to pay or award costs: the charge simply stands, with at least 28 days to pay.

POPLA is funded by the parking industry, and the operator pays around £27 for every appeal processed. That cost is one reason well-prepared cases are often resolved before the assessor ever decides.

The 28-day deadline and the verification code

The Horizon Parking Appeal Rejection contains a 10-digit POPLA verification code. It is valid for 28 days from the date of the rejection and cannot be reissued. While the POPLA appeal is open, Horizon Parking must not pursue payment or send debt letters.

28 Day POPLA Deadline

To start your POPLA appeal, upload your Horizon Parking Charge Notice and Appeal Rejection. We assess your grounds, prepare your POPLA document and help with submitting it before the code expires.

Start Horizon POPLA Appeal

How to submit the POPLA appeal

The submission goes through popla.co.uk: start a new appeal, enter the verification code, choose Other as the ground, enter your details, write Please see attached letter as the reason, and attach the appeal document. Your POPLA password arrives by email so you can track the case.

The portal's default questions can lead you into identifying the driver or contradicting your own letter. Follow the submission instructions that come with our document exactly, and add nothing beyond them.

The assessment timeline

  • Horizon Parking has 21 days to file its evidence pack
  • You then have 8 days to comment on that evidence if you wish
  • An assessor reviews everything and allows or rejects the appeal
  • The whole process typically takes 4 to 6 weeks

The grounds that win at POPLA

In 2025 POPLA received over 107,000 appeals and around half of the charges it decided were cancelled. Against Horizon Parking, the grounds that succeed are consistent:

  • POFA 2012 failures: a Horizon Parking Notice to Keeper served outside the 14-day ANPR deadline transfers no keeper liability
  • Inadequate signage: terms that were missing, unlit or unclear at the site
  • The Horizon Parking ANPR record: time on site including queues, and the mandatory 10-minute grace period
  • Payment and permit evidence answering the specific allegation
  • Missing landowner authority when challenged to produce it

If POPLA rejects the appeal

There is no second POPLA appeal. The charge stands with at least 28 days to pay, and settling at that point is usually the sensible end: a Court Claim is the only route left open to Horizon Parking, and reaching it without a strong defence carries more risk than it is worth.