Parking fines and appealing parking fines

General parking offences

Park longer than permitted time - $86
Exceed maximum indicated time - $86
Park not wholly within marked space - $51
Park improperly in parking bay - $51
Park another vehicle in allocated space - $69
Double park - $69
Angle parking - failing to properly position the vehicle - $51
Park on a one way road other than parallel - $51
Park on a two way road other than left and parallel - $51
Park within 3m of continuous dividing line or strip - $51
Other parking offences and restrictions on stopping - $51

Stopping restrictions - signs and controls

Stop contrary to 'NO PARKING' sign - $138
Stop contrary to 'NO STOPPING' sign - $138
Stop contrary to 'CLEARWAY' sign - $138
Stop contrary to disabled parking sign - $345
Stop contrary to motorbike parking sign - $51
Stop contrary to continuous yellow edge line - $138

Stopping in zones (unauthorised vehicles)

Stop unauthorised vehicle in bus zone - $138
Stop unauthorised vehicle in taxi zone - $138
Stop unauthorised vehicle in permit zone - $69
Stop unauthorised vehicle in mail zone - $69
Stop unauthorised vehicle in work zone - $69
Stop unauthorised vehicle in loading zone - $86

Loading zone and authorised use

Authorised vehicle stop in loading zone for longer than signed - $69
Authorised vehicle stop in loading zone more than 30 minutes - $69

General stopping restrictions

Stop near obstruction on road so as to obstruct traffic - $138
Stop across driveway - $69
Stop at intersection - $138
Stop within 10m of intersection without traffic lights - $138
Stop within 20m of intersection with traffic lights - $138
Stop on bicycle path/footpath/shared path or dividing strip/nature strip in built-up area - $69
Stop at bus stop - $69
Stop within 20m before or 10m after bus stop - $69
Stop within 20m before or 10m after pedestrian crossing - $138
Stop within 3m of postbox - $69

Heavy and long vehicle offences

Stop heavy/long vehicle not in a built-up area other than on shoulder of the road - $345
Stop heavy/long vehicle on length of road longer than 1 hour in a built-up area - $863

Parking system, fees and compliance

Fail to comply with requirements of authorised system (30 minutes free) - $69
Fail to pay parking fee (meter) - $69

Time limited parking

Time limited parking is indicated by signage specifying the maximum time limit. The letter “P” alone means there is no time limit. Where parking is time restricted, the time limit is shown by the number before the letter “P”. For example, “2P” means parking is permitted for a maximum of 2 hours.

Paid parking

Paid parking is indicated by signage specifying when payment is required. Where applicable, this will be shown on the sign beneath the time limit, for example by the words “Pay Meter”.

Parking on a footpath/nature strip

A driver must not stop on a bicycle path, footpath, shared path or dividing strip, or on a nature strip adjacent to a road in a built-up area.

Disability parking

 A driver must not stop in a disability parking area unless the vehicle displays a current disability parking permit. The driver must be the permit holder or be parking the vehicle for the convenience of a permit holder who is entering or exiting the vehicle. The permit must be clearly displayed so that the expiry date, permit number and coloured logo are visible from outside the vehicle.

No stopping

 No stopping areas are implemented for safety and to support the safe movement of vehicles and pedestrians, as well as traffic flow. No stopping restrictions are indicated by signage or road markings. A driver must not stop on a length of road or area to which a “No Stopping” sign applies.

Yellow edge lines

A continuous yellow edge line indicates that stopping is not permitted on that section of road or the adjacent road reserve. Yellow edge lines are an Australian Standard road marking and are referenced in Queensland Government |Road rules 

No parking

'No Parking' signs permit a driver to stop in the area for up to 2 minutes only, provided the driver remains in the vehicle or is within 3 metres of the vehicle while actively picking up or dropping off passengers or goods.

Taxi zones

A driver must not stop in a taxi zone unless operating a licensed taxi. Council does not classify rideshare vehicles as taxis and therefore rideshare vehicles must not use taxi zones.

School zones

Children’s safety is the priority. Parents and visitors to school zones should be aware of all parking regulations in school zones and surrounding streets. Illegal parking may obstruct visibility for pedestrians and motorists, placing children at risk. Extra care and vigilance is required when driving and parking in and around school zones. 

Loading zones - unspecified

Unspecified loading zones have the following time limits unless otherwise signed:

• up to 30 minutes for commercially identified vehicles loading or unloading goods
• up to 20 minutes for other vehicles loading or unloading goods
• up to 2 minutes for passenger pick-up or drop-off.

These time limits apply unless otherwise indicated by signage at the location.

What is the Licence Plate Recognition Vehicle?

The Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) vehicle is equipped with technology that monitors parked vehicles, detects parking offences and issues infringements.

Where is the vehicle used?

The LPR vehicle is used to monitor parking compliance in all areas of the Toowoomba Regional Council.

How does the LPR vehicle work?

The LPR vehicle captures images of parked vehicles and records:

• vehicle location (GPS coordinates)
• registration number
• the time when the vehicle was parked

This information may be used to issue an infringement notice for unlawful parking to the registered owner via post.

Why has council introduced this system?

Parking management is important to the community. Effective parking management supports:

• traffic flow
• community safety
• access to businesses.

The LPR vehicle enables parking officers to monitor clearways, school zones, loading zones and bus zones without compromising the safety of officers or other road users.

Why are school zones monitored with the LPR vehicle?

Council prioritises safety and traffic management around schools. Monitoring helps ensure compliance with parking regulations and supports a safer environment for children, parents, teachers and other road users.

How is privacy managed?

Information privacy is a priority for Toowoomba Regional Council and personal identifiable information is not used for other purposes or shared with other parties.

Licence plate information is used to determine the registered owner of a vehicle, for the purpose of issuing an infringement notice.

Photo masking technology is used to protect the identity of individuals (and other vehicles) which are unintentionally captured in photographs.

How are infringement notices issued?

Infringement notices are issued by post to the registered owner of the vehicle. All correspondence is clearly marked as official correspondence from Toowoomba Regional Council and will contain all the relevant information, including photographs relating to the offence.

How long does it take to receive an infringement notice?

It may take up to a week or longer to receive an infringement notice in the mail, depending on the address of the registered owner. The time to make payment, or select another option is 28 days from the date of the infringement being issued, not the date of the offence.

How will I know if the LPR vehicle has detected my vehicle?

Should your vehicle be parked unlawfully, a notice will be posted to the registered owner. There is no information or correspondence left on the vehicle.

Will the LPR vehicle know if I have moved my vehicle?

Yes, the system uses GPS and photographic equipment to determine if a vehicle has moved.

What happens if I have a disability permit displayed?

There will be no change to parking regulations for disability permit holders. Please ensure you park lawfully and display your permit on the windscreen or dash so that it is clearly visible from outside the vehicle.

Council will only consider withdrawing an infringement notice under exceptional circumstances and reserves the right to enforce all infringement notices at its discretion.

The following circumstances may constitute reasonable grounds for Council to withdraw the infringement notice:

• you have a valid legal defence
• you have an exemption from the law
• there is an error on the infringement notice
• there are exceptional circumstances.

To assist our decision-making, it is important you provide sufficient supporting evidence when lodging a request for review. The grounds of your application will be considered with any supporting documentation or evidence supplied.

Depending on the type of offence indicated on the infringement notice, you should try to include, where applicable:

• the grounds of any legal defence, exemption from the law, exceptional circumstances, or error on the infringement notice
• photographs or diagrams showing the exact location of the incident
• vehicle repair invoice, spare part receipts or towing receipts
• a copy of a valid parking permit or disability parking permit
• a copy of a parking ticket or receipt
• a bank statement showing date and time of purchase of a parking ticket
• a Statutory Declaration from a witness
• written advice or crime report from the Queensland Police Service
• a reference number for reporting a meter fault
• a letter from a medical specialist
• any other supporting documentation or evidence relevant to your application.

The following reasons for requesting a review are not considered valid grounds for withdrawing an infringement notice, including but not limited to:

• good behaviour or first-time office
• weather conditions
• not noticing or only partially reading a parking sign
• not having sufficient change for the meter or leaving the area to obtain coins
• not noticing a change in parking restrictions
• being delayed or running late
• being unfamiliar with the area
• incorrectly displaying a paid parking ticket or permit
• financial hardship.

If your infringement noticed remains enforced following the review, your options will be to:

• pay the penalty in full to finalise the matter
• apply to make payments by instalments (for an infringement notice penalty of $200 or more)
• elect to have the matter heard in the Magistrates Court.