Ticketless parking fines abolished in NSW

The “unfair system” of ticketless parking fines introduced in NSW back in 2020 has officially been abolished, with many councils already implementing changes ahead of the new laws which came into effect on July 1. 

Drivers will now be issued on-the-spot notices for any infringements, which may be the penalty notice itself or a short description of the offence and an indication that a penalty notice will be sent out. 

Ticketless parking legislation came under fire from the NRMA, the Minns state government, and other advocacy groups because it “allowed the number of ticketless fines to explode, denied drivers transparency, and eroded trust in the parking fine system”. 

In some cases, drivers reported being fined multiple times for the same infringement before they became aware of the original offence. 

Changes to ticketless parking legislation

Reforms to the legislation were passed back in November 2024, but councils were given until July 1 to prepare for and implement the changes. 

Under the revised regulations, councils and other fine-issuing bodies will now have to:  

• Attach a parking fine or notification to the vehicle (except in limited circumstances, for example where it is unsafe for the parking officer) 
• Send to Revenue NSW images of the parking offence and the fine or notification, and make them available to the driver on request 
• Issue a parking fine no later than seven days after the offence, if a notification was not attached 

• Collate data on their use of parking fines and make it publicly available 

Since November last year, Revenue NSW has worked with councils, the NRMA, the United Services Union and advocacy groups to ensure issuing agencies could meet the reforms “as soon as practicable”. 

For many of NSW’s 128 councils, this meant purchasing new equipment, such as handheld printing devices and cameras, and re-training officers and other staff. 

Revenue taskforce to monitor reforms

Revenue NSW has established an internal taskforce to monitor implementation of the reforms, ensure compliance by councils, and invalidate fines which do not meet the new legislative requirements. 

The taskforce will also monitor exemptions to providing an on-the-spot notification to ensure they are not used as an excuse to continue issuing unfair ticketless fines. 

“Motorists who abuse the limited public parking spaces available obviously deserve to be fined, however ticketless parking fines removed transparency and made it almost impossible for motorists to contest their fine if they felt they had a legitimate case,” said NRMA spokesperson, Peter Khoury. 

“The NRMA welcomes the end to ticketless parking fines in NSW and commends the NSW Government for listening to motorists and making this commonsense reform. 

“Transparency matters. People deserve to know when and why they’re being fined – and to have a fair chance to challenge it if needed. 

 “The Government has worked through the issues, consulted widely, and come to an app ropriate solution. Today is a great day for NSW motorists."