Once a parking fine has been issued, there is generally nothing the person issuing the fine can do to revoke the ticket. However, if you believe you’ve wrongly been issued a parking fine, you generally have three options:

  • pay the fine;
  • appeal the fine to your local council; or
  • take the matter to court.

There are often time restrictions, in relation to contesting parking fines so ensure that you are aware of your local jurisdictions time constraints.

The main grounds under which a fine can be appealed include the facts of the fine being incorrect, another party being the driver of the vehicle, and exceptional circumstances. Often fines can be appealed due to medical emergencies, mechanical breakdowns, incorrect details, and faulty parking machines.

Appealing a parking fine is often unsuccessful where the reason for the appeal is simply not seeing a sign, financial hardship, overstaying the allotted parking time, disagreeing with the law, or being unaware of the law.

In order to appeal the fine, you must provide your evidence to your local council. Depending on your location, this can often be done online. You will need to provide your contact details, the details of the parking ticket, your vehicles details, and reasons for which you wish to appeal the ticket. Further, depending on the circumstances of the fine, you may provide additional evidence such as photos, diagrams, copies of permits, medical evidence, or a copy of a police report.

If your appeal is denied by your local counsel, you may choose to pay the fine or to take the matter to court. To take the matter to court, depending on your location, you may complete the form provided on the back of the ticket, or make a written request. You may wish to obtain legal advice prior to your court date. If you are later found guilty of the offence in court, you may be obligated to pay the original cost of the fine as well as additional court costs.