The Parking Complaints Board

The Parking Complaints Board (Parkeringsklagenemnda) is an independent dispute-resolution body for private and municipal contract parking. The board is established under the Parking Regulations § 45, and all operators that run contract parking for the public must be affiliated with it. That is what makes a decision in your favour actually be followed.

What the board handles — and not

The board handles appeals on a control sanction (Parking Regulations § 36) and on having had the vehicle removed (§ 38). It does not handle a parking fee issued by the municipality or the police on a public road — those cases belong in the district court. See the difference between the two systems if you are unsure which fine you have.

How to proceed

You must have appealed to the operator first and received a full or partial refusal before the board can handle the case. Only the owner or driver of the vehicle has the right to appeal; if someone appeals on your behalf, a power of attorney is required. The case can be brought in up to one year after you appealed to the operator. To avoid paying while the case is ongoing, you should send it on within three weeks of the refusal.

Free, and with real weight

The complaint handling is in principle free for you as the complainant. Costs are only imposed in special cases, such as obvious harassment or attempted fraud. The processing time is normally up to four months from when the appeal is registered.

The decision and the way forward

A decision becomes legally binding when both parties have confirmed receipt, and then has the same effect as a legally binding judgment. If you disagree with the decision, you can bring the case before the district court by writ within four weeks after the decision is served. So can the operator.

In short: appeal to the operator first, and send the case to the board if you are refused. It is free, independent, and the decision binds the parking company — but it only covers control sanctions, not public parking fees.