On 10 April 2025 the Highway Code was updated to reflect Scotland’s national parking ban. Rule 243 now bans double parking in Scotland, along with parking at any point where the kerb is dropped for people walking or cycling. Rule 244 bans parking with any part of the vehicle on the pavement in Scotland, as it already did in London. Both rules allow exceptions only in limited circumstances.
Key facts
- What Rules 243 and 244 updated for Scotland
- Code updated 10 April 2025
- Law enforced From 11 December 2023 in Scotland
- Penalty GBP 100, cut to GBP 50 if paid within 14 days
Where the law came from
The ban was created by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. Transport Scotland says councils could start enforcing it from 11 December 2023, with a penalty charge of GBP 100, reduced to GBP 50 if paid within 14 days. Councils can mark some pavements as exempt, and each council decides how it enforces the rules. Transport Scotland describes Scotland as the first of the four UK nations to make pavement parking illegal nationwide.
Why it matters for the theory test
Parking rules sit in the Waiting and parking section of the Highway Code, one of the main sources for the theory test. The wording uses MUST NOT, which in the code marks a legal requirement rather than advice. Elsewhere in Great Britain outside London the code still says you should not park on the pavement unless signs allow it, which is guidance rather than a ban.
What this means
Learn the difference between the rules for Scotland, London and the rest of Great Britain, and the difference between MUST NOT and should not. Never park where the kerb has been lowered for pedestrians, wheelchair users or cyclists. Read the current Waiting and parking rules rather than an older printed copy.