Circulars

19-01 – NSW Parking Fine – Grace Period Provisions

Category: Circular to Councils Status: Active
Circular Details: 19-01/ 18 January 2019 / A634792 Contact: NSW Treasury
Previous Circular: Nil Attachments: Nil
Who should read this: General Managers / Council enforcement staff Action required: Council to Implement
PDF Version: Council Circular 19-01 – PDF

What’s new or changing

  • Commencing on 31 January 2019, councils are required to implement a regulated 10-minute grace period for certain paid parking offences of more than one hour.
  • These changes relate to all parking fine issuing authorities, including NSW government agencies, councils and universities.
  • There is no option to be excluded; this measure is not related to the Government’s ‘opt in’ provisions to reduce the amount of parking fines.

What this will mean for your council

  • Councils should ensure enforcement staff are aware of these changes when issuing parking penalty infringement notices from 31 January 2019 onwards.
  • Councils are also encouraged to make changes to relevant manuals, procedures and systems to support the new grace period requirements.

Key points

  • Amendments to section 123C of the Road Transport (General) Regulation 2013, which were introduced by the Road Transport (General) Amendment (Parking Fine Flexibility and Grace Period) Regulation 2018, provide for a 10 minute grace period for paid parking of more than one hour, commencing on 31 January 2019.
  • Councils are required to implement the 10-minute grace period from Thursday 31 January 2019, when all of the following parking conditions are met:
    • A fee has been paid for one hour or more immediately before the grace period commences;
    • A coupon or ticket is displayed; and
    • Parking is not in a shared zone or other excluded area.
  • The grace period does not apply if, at the time the vehicle is parked in an area, one of the following restrictions applies to that area:
    • Free parking
    • A shared zone within the meaning of the Road Rules 2014
    • Where a prescribed parking control sign is in place, such as:
      • Bus lane
      • Clearway
      • Special event parking
      • Transit lane
      • Free parking
      • No stopping
      • Clearway
      • Loading zone
      • Bus zone
      • Mail zone
    • Long stay or multi-storey car parking where there are no time limits
    • Metered parking
    • Paid coupon or ticketed parking of less than an hour.

Where to go for further information

Tim Hurst
Chief Executive