Minns Labor Government to tighten ticketless parking fine rules amid 87% drop in 2025-26

A year on, the Government’s reforms have already delivered a dramatic reduction in ticketless parking fines across NSW.

In the 2025-26 financial year, 92 per cent of parking fines have had a notification left for motorists, compared with just 42 per cent in 2024-25.

Over the same period, 108,496 fewer parking fines have been validly issued across the state. The total number of parking fines issued fell by around 7 per cent: 1,378,946 fines were issued by councils in NSW in 2024-25, compared to 1,270,450 in 2025-26.

The Minns Government’s reforms require parking officers to attach physical notifications of a parking offence to cars, bikes and trucks unless there are exceptional circumstances.

While the reforms have significantly improved fairness and consistency in parking enforcement, the NSW Government is using the data and experience of the last 15 months to propose additional improvements.

Physical parking tickets are vital in making sure motorists are aware of a parking offence as soon as it occurs, improving transparency and helping drivers avoid repeat penalties.

The overwhelming majority of parking officers have embraced the reforms, however the NSW Government is also aware of cases where, for example, dashcam footage is being relied on to issue infringement notices.

The current exceptions to leaving a physical notification – including where it is not safe to attach the notification, or the vehicle is not stationary or has moved – will be maintained.

However, proposed amendments will clarify that:

• an officer relying on the “vehicle moved before a notification could be attached” exception must get out of their vehicle, make a reasonable attempt to attach a notification and must record the circumstances that led the officer to decide the exception applied, and
• where an officer decides it is unsafe to attach a notification, there must be an immediate risk to the officer arising from the circumstances at the time.

Parking officers will continue to be required to record detailed reasons where a physical notification is not left on a vehicle.

Consultation on the amendments to Fines Regulation 2025 will begin today.

The NSW Government is also proposing a pilot program in conjunction with Bayside Council to combat anti-social behaviour and hooning activity.

Under the six-month trial, a new exception will be provided to Bayside Council, allowing them to use fixed cameras to target hoons from congregating and engaging in specific locations in the Bayside foreshore precinct. The Council will only be able to issue fines for specific offences, and only between 9pm and 5am, to ensure the exception is not applied to motorists for regular parking infringements.

Minister for Finance Courtney Houssos said:

“Our government’s parking fine reforms have created a fairer and more transparent parking fine system for motorists. One year in, it’s clear our reforms are delivering real change.

“We understand in some cases parking officers will be unable to attach a physical ticket, but we expect a genuine attempt be made to provide a ticket before issuing a ticketless fine.

"People deserve to know immediately if they’ve received a fine, not days or weeks later when a penalty notice arrives in the mail.

“These reforms have been informed by the data councils are now required to collect. We’ll continue to monitor the implementation of these reforms to ensure parking fines are used to improve driver behaviour, not just to raise revenue.

“Our Minns Labor Government thanks industry and advocacy groups, councils, state government authorities and unions for their continued engagement as we improve fairness, consistency and transparency for all motorists.”

Mayor of Inner West Council Darcy Byrne said:

“Enforcement should always be about improving parking management not revenue raising.

“In the Inner West we have always maintained the need for physical tickets to be issued so that residents have a fair shot at appealing when an error occurs.

“This new data proves that paper ticketing can and should be used to provide transparency for motorists every time a fine is issued.”

Deputy Mayor of Inner West Council and Labor candidate for Balmain Philippa Scott said:

“People should know as soon as possible that they’ve been given a parking fine – that’s why delivering these reforms is so important.

“Councils and parking officers have been doing the right thing, but there’s still more work to do.

“I commend the government for ensuring there’s more fairness and transparency in the system for the community.”

NRMA Spokesperson Peter Khoury said:

“The NRMA strongly supports these proposed new parking reforms.

“This is exactly the type of evidence-based policy formulation the NRMA advocates for because we know it leads to better outcomes for the community.

“A lot of progress has been made to ensure parking laws are enforced in a fair and transparent way and these changes will build on these crucial measures further.”

Data on the reduction of ticketless parking in some of Sydney’s largest councils:

• City of Sydney: 98 per cent of parking offences had a notification left on a vehicle in 2025-26, compared to 7 per cent in 2024-25.
• North Sydney Council: 97 per cent of parking offences had a notification left on a vehicle in 2025-26, compared to 9 per cent in 2024-25.
• Northern Beaches Council: 98 per cent of parking offences had a notification left on a vehicle in 2025-26, compared to 7 per cent in 2024-25.
• City of Newcastle: 90 per cent of parking offences had a notification left on a vehicle in 2025-26, compared to 11 per cent in 2024-25.
• Bayside Council: 92 per cent of parking offences had a notification left on a vehicle in 2025-26, compared to 6 per cent in 2024-25.
• Canterbury-Bankstown Council: 86 per cent of parking offences had a notification left on a vehicle in 2025-26, compared to 56 per cent in 2024-25.