What to Do if You Get a Parking Ticket in Melbourne

It's a reality all Melbourne drivers dread. You head back to your car, which is parked along a busy road in Carlton, South Yarra or even the Melbourne CBD, and notice a small piece of paper that's wrapped in plastic, nestled securely under your windscreen wiper.

When you return to your car, parked on a busy road in Carlton, South Yarra or the Melbourne CBD, you notice the small piece of paper tucked under your windscreen wiper, wrapped in plastic. Your heart drops; you've received a ticket to pay for parking.

The reality of parking in the city is that many locals can receive a fine for metered parking, denied for no apparent reason, and the process of enforcing the time limits is tedious and complicated for local councils, who have thousands of bays across Victoria to monitor. But if you have a ticket on your car doesn't mean that you have to panic. Whether it's paying the ticket promptly or contesting it properly, you have legal avenues to do so.

This essential guide explains what to do if you receive a parking fine in Melbourne, appeals against a parking fine and how to prevent having your car towed away.

Step 1: Examine the Infringement Notice Carefully

Before taking any action, carefully read the fine print of the Infringement Notice (Step 1). Never leave it in the glove box and forget about it or you will get financial penalties if you don't pay parking tickets.

• The Issuing Authority: Verifies at the top of the document that it has come from the appropriate issuing authority. It will most likely be a local authority such as City of Melbourne, City of Yarra or City of Port Phillip.
• The Offence Details: The ticket will give a very specific reason for the fine (e.g., parked for too long, parked in a loading zone, did not pay a meter).
• Photos and Evidence: Most parking inspectors today will take digital photos of your car, wheels, and the signs nearby as evidence. These evidence photos can normally be found online with the reference number on your ticket.

Step 2: Make A Decision About What You Will Do Next

You will usually have 28 days to respond from the date you received this ticket in Victoria. There are three options for dealing with a parking infringement notice.

Option A: Pay the Fine Promptly

If you have exceeded your parking time or parked in an active clearway, or failed to pay the parking meter, paying the fine is the quickest method for solving the problem. The majority of Melbourne Councils offer the option to pay online in real time with a credit card, via phone banking or BPAY. If paid within 28 days the amount of initial penalty is not increased with additional administrative or enforcement penalties.

Option B: Request an Official Internal Review (Appeal)

If you think you were ticketed unfairly, or you think there were extenuating circumstances, you have the lawful right to ask for an internal review prior to going to Court.

• Contrary to Law: You think that the parking inspector made a mistake in the ticket, and you actually did not violate any parking laws.
• Incorrect Registration: The registration number or vehicle make on the ticket is different than what you have.
• Unexpected Medical Emergency or Mechanical Breakdown: You had an unexpected medical emergency or mechanical failure that prevented you from moving your car in time.
• Severe Issues: Factors include severe issues like homelessness, mental illness or substance addiction that contributed to the offence.

If you wish to appeal, go to the council that issued the parking notice and check out their parking review website. A clear statement is required explaining the situation, and there is a requirement to provide solid supporting evidence. This evidence may be a towing receipt from a professional tow truck driver, a letter from a certified mechanic, or official medical certificates from a hospital.

Option C: Dispute the Ticket in Court

If the council refuses to come to a decision on your internal review and you are still convinced that the fine is unfair, you can choose to take the matter to the Magistrates' Court of Victoria. Please note that you will need to wait a long time to get a parking ticket through court and if the magistrate decides against you, there may be additional court costs. This is generally the last thing you want to do without independent legal counsel.

The Danger of Ignoring a Melbourne Parking Ticket

Failing to pay a Melbourne Parking Ticket is the worst thing you can do. If debt is not paid or action is not taken within the first 28 days of the initial notice, the council will send a reminder notice of penalty, which will incur an immediate administrative charge in addition to the outstanding debt. Failure to take these actions will result in the infringement being passed on to Fines Victoria, the state government's collection agency. Once they have stepped in, Fines Victoria can impose very harsh fines without your knowledge and none of your consent. They may cancel your vehicle's registration, suspend your Victorian driver's licence and issue a property seizure warrant.

Additionally, if your vehicle gets several unpaid tickets, it may get scanned by automated license plate recognition cameras and be towed by Sheriff's officers or be clamped to the wheel. It's easy to find that a paper parking ticket may be lost, and/or a penalty reminder notice to pay the fine may be missing; particularly if you've recently relocated and have not updated your address with VicRoads. It's advisable to be proactive and check for any outstanding parking fines as leaving them in the system could result in an automatic suspension of your licence or sudden towing of your vehicle.

How to Check for Unpaid Parking Fines in Victoria

You can log straight onto Fines Victoria's official online portal with your Victorian driver's licence number or vehicle registration information to see if any fines remain. Any fines, historic notices and enforcement actions that are active at any time and are tied to your name will be instantaneously returned to the database from all metropolitan councils. Additionally, if you discover a great fine that's already advanced past the council phase, you can reach out to the portal to immediately establish a feasible payment routine or apply for an extension to avoid a sudden process by the Sheriff's office on your vehicle. The embarrassing time you've seen your own car get towed, as you wave at the tow truck while it's still towing your car.

The Awkwardness Of Getting Towed: Resolved With Car Towing Melbourne

There's nothing more embarrassing than running down a Melbourne street with your arms in the air to see someone else's tow truck operator having already lifted your wheels off the ground. It typically occurs very quickly. In South Yarra or Brunswick you went into a shop for just two minutes, and you thought that you would beat the parking inspector. Rather, you step out and see your car suspended!

It is a very helpless feeling to see the opposite car you are driving off without you. You are now standing on the footpath with your keys in your pocket, your plans ruined, and the hectic reality of finding a way out of impoundment in a far off holding yard with your keys in hand. In a bind?; Sometimes, parking tickets occur due to things completely beyond your reach. A parking ticket is the last thing you should have to worry about if your engine quits, your transmission locks up or your battery goes dead while you park in a strictly timed city zone.

When a car breaks down in a parking bay, clearway or in a multi-level carpark, it is best to respond quickly before a parking inspector of the state arrives. Put a prominent note on your dashboard that tells what the breakdown is, and call Car Towing Melbourne right away. We offer fast, professional and reliable towing and emergency roadside assistance in Greater Melbourne. Our qualified crew will reach you promptly, safely remove your vehicle from the scene and take it right to your property or a reliable local auto mechanic to avoid costly council tickets and the inconvenience.