Parking Restrictions - Apply for changes

Parking fines or infringements are issued to vehicles that do not adhere to parking restrictions. These restrictions are put in place and enforced to help facilitate traffic flow, to protect residential parking, and to ensure a good turn-over of vehicles in busy retail areas.

Council’s Parking Officers, often at the request of residents and community groups, also enforce parking restrictions for safety reasons including unblocking driveways and clearways and protecting emergency hospital spaces and school crossings.
 
When a vehicle has illegally overstayed a parking restriction a fine or infringement will be issued. Motorists have 28 days to pay the fine. The fine outlines various ways to make the payment including assistance for those with special circumstances and payment plan options.

Failure to pay an infringement notice or to contact Council within 28 days may result in further action being taken including, additional costs, enforcement and legal action.

 

• Paying for Fines                                        Internal Review – Contesting the Fine
• Internal Review Form                           Internal Review Fact Sheet

Paying for Parking Fines
Parking tickets are officially called Infringement Notices. The way they are enforced is regulated by State Law and is the same for all Councils.

A parking ticket can be handed to you, left on your car's windscreen or you can be sent to you in the mail.

Payment Options

• Online Direct via Yarra ePay
• By Telephone via Maxi:  Call 13 27 23
• By Mail: Make cheque payable to City of Yarra PO Box 168, Richmond, 3121
• In person at Council Offices: 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Council offices are located at: 
  Collingwood Town Hall
  140 Hoddle Street Abbotsford
  Richmond Town Hall
  333 Bridge Road Richmond

Late Payments           
Parking fines must be paid within 28 days of issue (or as stated on the infringement notice). Failure to pay will result in additional charges and possible legal action for fine recovery.


Internal Review – contesting the fine
If you believe there is a good reason for you not to pay the infringement notice, you may apply for an internal review.

This involves filling in an Internal Review Form  and posting or dropping into Council. This form requests Council to internally review your parking infringement. In accordance with the Infringements Act 2006, infringement notices can only be reviewed once.

The form asks you for the following information:

• Name and address
• The infringement notice number
• Offence as stated on the infringement notice
• Car registration number
• An explanation of why you believe the infringement notice should be reviewed

When you completed the form please:

• Post it to Yarra City Council, PO Box 168 Richmond VIC 3121.
• Drop it into either the Collingwood Town Hall at 140 Hoddle Street Abbotsford or the Richmond Town Hall at 333 Bridge Road Richmond.

Most internal reviews will be completed within 14 days, however the process can take up to 90 days or longer if additional information is required. 

During this period, please do not pay the infringement notice. It is also recommended you phone Council on 9205 5255 to ensure your request for an internal review has been received.

A letter will be sent to you advising the outcome of the review process.
 
An Internal review is decided on the following grounds

• Did the offence occur?
• Has the infringement been issued to the correct person?  If not then the registered owner must nominate the driver responsible providing full name and residential address.
• Is the driver claiming 'special circumstances' as defined in the Infringements Act? ‘Special circumstances’ is a person with mental or intellectual disability, disorder, disease or illness or a serious addiction to drugs or alcohol which results in the person being unable to understand the offending conduct or unable to control the conduct.
• Where the circumstances that led to receiving a parking infringement notice beyond the control of the driver (exceptional circumstances).

The following are circumstances where Council may consider withdrawing an infringement notice:

• If your vehicle has broken down. 
• If you are in or involved in a medical emergency.
• If you are a recent resident and have not yet received or purchase your parking permit.
• If you have recently purchased your vehicle and have not changed over details yet.

All of these circumstances must be backed up with third party documentation, such as a letter from the hospital or your doctor, copies of towing dockets and repair invoices, or copies of lease documents and contracts of sale.

Council may also require a Statutory Declaration if the circumstances are complex and not fully explained by third party documentation.

The following grounds of appeal are not considered valid reasons for withdrawal of parking infringement notice:

• Poor visibility due to weather.
• Not noticing a sign.
• Not having change to put in meter/ticket machine.
• Left vehicle to get coins to put in meter/ticket machine.
• Money put in wrong meter.
• Reading only part of a multi-panel sign.
• Being unable to read the sign from the front seat of the car.
• Forgetting to read the sign.
• Not noticing that a sign/restriction had been changed.
• Running late or being in a hurry.
• Parking within 10 meters of an intersection.
• Being delayed at an appointment.
• Stopping for a short time in a prohibited area (for example; stopping in a ‘no stopping’ area even if it is just to pick up or drop off passengers or goods).
• Being new to the area and unfamiliar with the restrictions (this applies regardless of whether the driver is from Victoria, interstate or overseas).
• Being unaware of the Road Rules (all licensed drivers are expected to be aware and comply with the Road Rules at all times).
• Residents with a parking permit that have parked in the incorrect Permit Zone.
• Non-residents parking in restricted resident’s areas.

Faulty meters/ticket machines
For Council to withdraw an infringement notice based on there being a faulty meter/ ticket machine, there must be record of you reporting the faulty machine. There are instructions on each meter/ ticket machine explaining how to do this.

What happens if your appeal is unsuccessful?
You have the option of either paying the infringement notice by the due date or electing to have the matter heard in the Magistrates’ Court.  You must notify Yarra City Council in writing if you wish to refer the matter to the Magistrates’ Court. If you fail to pay or respond with 28 days of the due date, the Council will commence legal proceedings. 

For more information on parking fines phone council 9205 5255.

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Further information

Transport & Capital Works Unit
Fitzroy Town Hall, 201 Napier Street Fitzroy.
Telephone 9205 5733; 9205 5731
Email info@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Links

Within this site
Yarra City Council

External sites 
(Yarra City Council accepts no responsibility for the information or opinions contained within external sites)

Yarra City Council

Information supplied by:  Electronic communications & design officer - 9205 5214

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