Parking Charges in Denmark: How to Appeal — and When Not to Pay
A parking charge on your windscreen is not always justified — unclear signage, a typo in the parking app or missing observation time can make it challengeable. This guide covers the difference between private and public charges, the common grounds to appeal, and the route through the complaint system.
The first thing to establish is who issued the charge. If it carries a parking company's name — as on private grounds at supermarkets, housing associations and parking garages — it is a private control fee (kontrolafgift): a civil claim based on the idea that by parking you accepted the site's terms.
If the charge was issued by municipal parking wardens or the police on a public road, it is a public parking fine with fixed rates and an entirely different complaint route.
The distinction decides everything that follows: who you complain to, which arguments carry weight, and what happens if you do not pay. Check who issued the charge before doing anything else.
Is the charge justified? Common grounds to appeal
A private control fee requires that the terms were clearly signposted and that you actually broke them. The typical lines of attack: missing, hidden or unclear signage; an obvious typo in the app or machine where the right car was in fact paid for; a payment machine out of order; and missing observation time, where the warden did not wait long enough to establish a real violation.
Loading and unloading is a classic point of dispute: actively loading or unloading heavy or bulky items is in many situations not "parking" — but you need to be able to document the activity.
Whatever your ground, one rule applies: photograph everything immediately. The signage — including any you say was missing — the car’s position, the machine or app receipt, and the surroundings. Evidence you do not secure on the spot is hard to obtain later.
How to appeal a private parking charge
Complain to the parking company in writing — use the company's complaint form if one exists. Explain concretely why the charge is unjustified, and attach your photos and receipts. Quote the charge's reference number, and keep a copy of everything.
Complain as soon as possible. Many companies pause the payment deadline while the complaint is processed — ask for this explicitly in your complaint, so reminder fees do not accumulate meanwhile.
If the company upholds the charge, the case is not over: the road to the parking appeals board (Parkeringsklagenævnet) is open.
The parking appeals board (Parkeringsklagenævnet)
The parking appeals board (Parkeringsklagenævnet) handles complaints from private motorists about control fees issued by the affiliated private parking companies. Filing costs a small fee, which you typically get back if you win — check the current rate on the board's website.
The case is handled in writing: you submit the complaint with your evidence, the company responds, and the board decides. You do not need a lawyer, and collection of the charge is normally paused while the case is pending.
If you win, the charge lapses. If the company unexpectedly does not follow the decision, or you lose, the question can ultimately be decided by the courts.
Appealing a public parking fine
Public parking fines — issued by the municipality or the police — are appealed directly to the authority that issued them. The complaint must be written and reasoned, and here too, photos of the signage and your car’s position are decisive.
If the authority upholds the fine, you can demand that the question be brought before the enforcement court (fogedretten), which reviews whether the fine was justified. That is a genuine judicial review, and deadlines apply — so react to the authority's decision immediately.
Public fines have fixed rates set politically. There is no early-payment discount — but if you pay while appealing, you get the money back if you later win.
What happens if you don't pay?
A private control fee you neither pay nor dispute follows the debt-collection track: reminder fees, collection agencies and ultimately a possible civil lawsuit where the company must prove its claim. A public fine, by contrast, can be collected directly by the state with the extra costs that brings.
Ignoring the charge is therefore the worst strategy on both tracks. A timely, reasoned, written complaint typically stops the reminders, documents your objection and forces the other side to engage with your evidence.
Remember that in practice the claim does not disappear on its own — actively dispute it, or pay it. If you dispute it, do it in writing and keep everything.
No — that is a bad idea. The claim does not disappear; it grows with reminder fees and can end in debt collection or court. Dispute the charge in writing instead if you believe it is unjustified.
A control fee (kontrolafgift) is issued by a private parking company on private grounds and is a civil claim. A public parking fine is issued by the municipality or police on public roads. The complaint routes are completely different.
Not necessarily. If you can document that the parking was in fact paid for — just with an obvious typo — the charge is dropped in many cases after a complaint. Attach the app receipt as evidence.
Appeal as soon as possible — ideally before the payment deadline on the charge. A prompt written complaint typically pauses the claim, secures your evidence and keeps reminder fees at bay.
A small fee, which you typically get back if you win. The current rate is on the board's website — and you can easily write the complaint yourself.
When you complain to the parking appeals board, collection is normally paused until the case is decided. When complaining directly to the company, explicitly ask for the payment deadline to be paused while the complaint is processed.
Where to complain
The parking appeals board (Parkeringsklagenævnet) for private charges · the municipality or police for public fines
Public fines can be reviewed by the enforcement court (fogedretten) after the authority’s decision. Private charges can ultimately be tested in court.
Photograph the signage, your car’s position and the machine/app receipt immediately
Complain to the parking company in writing — and ask for the payment deadline to be paused
Company upholds the charge? Complain to Parkeringsklagenævnet (small fee, typically refunded if you win)
Public fine? Complain to the municipality or police — and demand review by the enforcement court if needed