Advicenow: guide to a Single Justice Procedure Notice (England and Wales)
A guide on a charity's website for anyone sent a Single Justice Procedure Notice for a minor offence, such as a motoring offence, no TV licence or travelling without a valid ticket. It explains the deadline, how to plead, how to tell the magistrate about your circumstances, how to ask the prosecutor to drop the charge, and what to do if the case was decided without you knowing.
Good to know
This is a guide, not an advice line. Advicenow's contact page is headed "We can't give you advice", and its site asks you not to write to its address about your own legal problem because it cannot reply. The guide says free legal advice for this is rarely available, and that paying for advice is worth it if something important is at stake, such as your ability to drive. It applies to England and Wales only and was last updated in March 2025. GOV.UK's own page on these notices points to it.
Before you call
Have ready
- your notice: the deadline runs from the date shown on it, and it tells you how you can respond
- anything that explains your circumstances, such as health, caring duties or money problems
They can
- explain the deadline to respond, that it cannot be extended, and what happens if you do not respond
- explain how to plead and how to put your circumstances to the magistrate
- explain how to write to the prosecutor to ask them to drop the charge, as well as responding to the notice
- explain what to do if the case was dealt with without you knowing about it
They cannot
- look at your case or advise you on it: the charity's contact page is headed "We can't give you advice"
- give you free legal advice: the guide says this is rarely possible, and suggests paying for advice if you can afford it and something important is at stake
- help in Scotland or Northern Ireland: the guide covers England and Wales only
In the emergency guides: I got a parking or traffic fine, or a court letter about one →
- Website
- https://www.advicenow.org.uk/get-help/going-court/how-deal-single-justice-procedure-notice-sjpn
- Coverage
- England and Wales
- Languages
- English
- Last checked
- October 11, 2026
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Shared by FindAngel.org — free, always · https://findangel.org/resources/uk-advicenow/