Parking rules and offences

The mobility parking scheme is designed to assist vulnerable members of our community by reducing barriers to mobility. See Service NSW for additional information on the conditions of use relating to mobility parking scheme  permits.

Service NSW

Councils rangers proactively patrol our streets and carparks to ensure the conditions of use are complied with. Misuse of mobility parking scheme permits can lead to significant fines and confiscation of the permit.

Offending parties may receive a letter from Council’s Safe City Unit outlining actions in relation to a revoked, expired, stolen or copied permit.

Expired, revoked or invalid permits: Council will confiscate these permits and return them to Service NSW and permit holders will need to reapply for a new permit.

Misused or stolen permits: Council will confiscate these permits and return them to Transport for NSW who will in turn return them to the rightful owner.

Please respect the sign posted restrictions and the needs of people who can most benefit from the mobility parking scheme.

The No Parking Motor Vehicles Excepted parking restriction prevents parking with the exemption of motor vehicles. A motor vehicle is a vehicle with a motor. The intention of the sign is to allow the parking of motor vehicles, and restrict the parking of all types of trailers and caravans. Boat-on-trailers will not be permitted to park in streets following the introduction of this parking restriction.

Parking meters are a good way to ensure that car spaces are shared throughout the day. Meters have been installed in the busy CBD areas in Chatswood and St Leonards. Meters are cheaper and more efficient than ‘tyre marking’ and are therefore a better use of rate-payers’ money. Meters are inspected several times a week to make sure they are still working. Please note that even if a meter is broken and does not accept payment, the time restriction is still in force.

Parking fees and restrictions apply on public holidays in two instances. These are:

• when parking signs do not state days of the week, and
• when a sign states “and public holidays”.

The reason for this is to increase parking turnover and ensure parking is appropriately managed on public holidays.

Drivers must check signs carefully when parking on a public holiday and adhere to the restrictions and fees if required. 

Note that some signs will include “and public holidays”, while other signs will be simplified by removing all days of the week to infer the same message. For more details, see the Australian Road Rules for New South Wales, rule 318 (3).

The new Public Spaces (Unattended Property) Act 2021 came into effect on 1 November 2022, replacing the Impounding Act 1993.

The Act classifies items into three classes – personal items (class 1), sharing service items (class 2) and vehicles (class 3).

Class 1 (personal) items are small or medium-sized things capable of ownership that can ordinarily be collected by 1 or 2 people without the need for machinery to lift, tow or move them. Examples include baggage or personal recreational equipment such as bicycles or kayaks.

Class 2 (sharing service) items are available for the use of the public at large, whether on payment of a fee or other benefit, including as part of a ‘sharing service’. Examples are shopping trolleys and share-bikes. 

Class 3 items (vehicles) are motor vehicles, which have the same meaning as that of the Road Transport Act 2013, and include caravans, boat trailers or other trailers, whether or not attached to a motor vehicle. 

An integral element of this new legislation is the introduction of the word ‘unattended’. This effectively replaces the word ‘abandoned’ from the now repealed Impounding Act 1993.

Unattended is defined in the Act as ‘not under the direct control or supervision of the responsible person’. Owners and others responsible for unattended items may be liable to on-the spot-fines and/or Court action if they do not remove their property when directed, from the public land.

To find out more about the current legislation, please read the Public Spaces (Unattended Property) Regulation 2022 document.

Abandoned shopping trolleys

Shopping trolleys are provided by retailers for the convenience of their customers. Shopping trolleys are designed to be used by the customers of retailers to transport their purchases within the store or to an adjoining carpark. It is inappropriate for shopping trolleys to be taken from the store and left unattended on any public place. They can pose a hazard to pedestrians and road users and are unsightly in our parks and reserves.

Unfortunately, some trolleys are taken from the premises and left unattended in a public place. In this regard, it is the responsibility of the owner of the shopping trolley to retrieve the shopping trolley and return it in a safe and timely manner to the store.

Report a trolley