How to Dispute a Parking Fine in NSW (2026)

Valid grounds for review

New South Wales recognises the following as grounds to ask Revenue NSW to review your fine, under Fines Act 1996 (NSW) s24A.

• Nearest meter was broken or out of order

  the penalty notice should not have been issued having regard to the facts of the offence (e.g. the parking meter or ticket machine relied on was not functioning)

• Signage was obscured or missing

  the penalty notice was issued contrary to law, including where required signage was missing, obscured, or non-compliant

• Technical or administrative error on the ticket

  the penalty notice was issued contrary to law due to an administrative or factual error on the notice itself

• Walking to/from the meter to buy a ticket

  the facts of the offence, considered as a whole, do not support the penalty notice having been issued

• Compassionate or emergency grounds

  special circumstances applied at the time — for example a medical or mental health episode, or a cognitive impairment that meant the person could not reasonably understand the parking restriction

• First-time leniency request

  a caution or warning is more appropriate than a penalty notice in the circumstances, having regard to the person's history

• No real chance to see or comply with the restriction

  the facts of the offence, considered as a whole, do not support the penalty notice having been issued — there was no real opportunity to see or comply with the restriction at the time

• I wasn't the owner or driver at the time

  the penalty notice was issued contrary to law where the person given the notice was not the responsible person for the vehicle at the time of the offence

• Valid permit or pass held, but not displayed properly

  the penalty notice should not have been issued having regard to the facts of the offence — a valid permit or pass was held at the time but not properly displayed

• Loading or unloading at the time

  the facts of the offence, considered as a whole, do not support the penalty notice having been issued, where the vehicle was stopped for genuine loading or unloading

• A road closure or diversion forced the parking

  the penalty notice should not have been issued having regard to the facts of the offence, where a road closure or diversion outside the person's control led to the vehicle being parked as described

• Valid ticket bought, but it fell, faded, or the machine failed

  the penalty notice should not have been issued having regard to the facts of the offence, where a valid ticket was purchased but was lost, damaged, or not dispensed correctly by the machine

How to submit your review

Request a review as soon as possible — ideally before the due date on the notice. If unpaid, a review can still be requested up to 28 days after the fine becomes overdue, before further enforcement action begins.

1. 01

   Go to the Revenue NSW fine review page and enter your penalty notice number.

2. 02

   Select "Request a review" and choose the ground that matches your appeal.

3. 03

   Paste your appeal letter into the review request details.

4. 04

   Upload your evidence PDF, then submit the request.

Common questions