Legislative changes to the way parking fines are issued under the Fines Act 1996 commenced on 1 July 2025. The aim of new legislation is to notify vehicle drivers in real time that a parking offence has been recorded.
New requirements now apply to NSW regulators, including National Parks and Wildlife Service, covering how they issue, process and report on parking fines. In most cases, fines or notification slips are to be attached to the illegally parked vehicle. There are some limited exemptions under section 24AD of the Fines Act.
Under section 24AD(4) of the Fines Act, the Secretary of the department is required to prepare a report on parking fines issued by National Parks and Wildlife Service. The report must be published on the department’s Environment and Heritage website. Reporting covers the:
- number of parking fines issued
- number of parking fines for which a notification was not attached to the vehicle
- reason the fine or a notification slip was not left on the vehicle
- number of times an exemption under section 24AD(1)(a)–(c) and clause 8(a), (b), or (d) was relied on, and must include the reason it was unsafe to leave a notification
- number of parking fines invalidated under sections 24AE(2), 24AG, 24AH(1)(a)(ii) or 24AH(1)(b) of the Fines Act.