Parking
NSW Police bear primary responsibility for upholding parking legislation across the State. In our local government area, Council shares responsibility with the NSW Police for enforcing parking regulations. Ensuring public safety and equitable access to parking is paramount in Council's commitment to enforcing parking rules and facilitating smooth traffic flow.
Parking is in high demand in the CBD areas of Ballina, Lennox Head and Alstonville. To ensure parking is available to everyone and access to local businesses is maintained, timed restrictions are in place in our town centres. Council Parking Officers and Rangers conduct regular patrols on foot and by vehicle using automatic number plate recognition, including on weekends. Disability parking spaces are carefully monitored to ensure individuals with disabilities have convenient access to facilities.
Report a parking offence
Child Safety and School Zone Parking
The safety of children and pedestrians around school zones is a primary aim of parking enforcement. Children may often behave unpredictably and enforcement during School Zone times is an important contribution towards the safety of children.
Council’s School Zone Parking Program is a combination of education and enforcement and is conducted in all high risk school zones within the Shire. Council regularly liaises with school officials to ensure that safety messages are conveyed to those driving children to school.
Parking Rules
Regulated parking areas are clearly sign-posted to advise motorists of parking requirements for that particular area. Pay particular attention to multiple signs and time restrictions.
No Parking
No parking areas can be used for drop off and pick up of people or goods. However the driver must remain within 3 metres of the vehicle and not stay longer than 2 minutes.
School Zones
Be aware of signage changes. For example, a parking area may become a Bus Zone during certain times of the day in school zones.
No Stopping
Do not stop for any reason other than an emergency in a No Stopping zone, Taxi zone, Bus zone or on a yellow line painted on the side of the road.
Loading Zones
Loading zones
Rules around loading zones simply are that the following are allowed:
- A bus
- A truck
- A vehicle dropping someone off or picking someone up (driver doesn’t leave the car)
- A vehicle purpose built for transporting goods. (not a sedan/hatchback etc – must be a van/utility/truck)
Important Notes: -
IF you meet points 3 or 4, you can only stay the length of time it takes you to perform the work. For example, picking up a person is only a minute or two while taking goods into a store might be 10-20 minutes.
This length of time is always to a maximum of 30 minutes. So, if you stay longer than that in any type of vehicle, you can be fined. (So even the van can be fined for staying over 30 minutes)
If you park in a loading zone in a sedan/hatchback etc, you can be fined immediately.
Example:
Loading Zone rules apply between the times listed of 9am to 3:30pm on weekdays. Outside of this time, there are no restrictions (if no other signs exist)
If no times are listed, the loading zone rules apply 24/7.
Timed Parking
Parking areas that are time restricted mean that the vehicle is only permitted to park in that parking area for the designated period time per day. For example, 2P means that the vehicle is entitled to 2 hours parking in this parking area per day; this does not mean that a vehicle can park for 2 hours in one parking spot, then move to another spot within the same area on the same day.
Disabled Parking Areas
These areas are only for drivers displaying a valid Transport for NSW Mobility Parking Scheme permit on the vehicle. Disobeying this rule attracts a fine exceeding $644 and one demerit point.
Obstructing traffic and waste collection
Motorists must leave at least 3m of clear roadway between their vehicle and parked vehicles on the other side of the road, dividing strips, traffic islands or double unbroken dividing lines. This allows large vehicles such as waste trucks to access residential streets for rubbish collection.
Parking on Nature Strips or Footpaths
Stopping or parking a vehicle on a footpath, bike path or nature strip in a built up area, is illegal.
A footpath is for pedestrians and bike paths for cyclists.
Generally the area between the road and a property’s boundary fence is known as the nature strip. Parking on the nature strip, even outside of your own property is an offence under Road Rule 197.
Continuous Yellow Line
Un unbroken kerb line means you must not stop here, except in an emergency.
Blocking Driveways
Motorists must not park on or across a driveway obstructing access to a property or footpath.
Intersections
Motorists must not stop or park within 20m of an intersection with traffic lights or 10m from an intersection without traffic lights, unless otherwise signed. At a T-intersection, you can park along the continuous road, unless otherwise signed or indicated.
Intersection with Traffic Lights
Intersection without Traffic Lights
Road Rules 2014 - NSW Legislation
Caravans and Trailers
Registered vehicles can be parked on a residential street provided it is parked safely, and it does not exceed the weight and length limit. Registered vehicles less than 4.5 tonnes in weight (GVM – Gross Vehicle Mass) or less than 7.5 metres in length can park on residential streets as they are not unattended – see Unattended Vehicles | Ballina Shire Council.
Vehicles larger than this can only park on a residential street for a maximum of 1 hour unless otherwise specified by a parking sign.
Heavy Vehicles
Heavy vehicles (4.5 tonnes or more GVM) or long vehicles (7.5 metres or longer) can only park in built up areas and con only stop in a built up area for up to one hour (buses excepted).
If you require any further information Council Rangers can provide assistance. Parking fines may be placed under your windscreen or issued by mail by Revenue NSW.
Received a Parking Fine?
Parking fines are set by State legislation and administration and recovery is conducted by Revenue NSW.
Enforcement commences with the issue of a fine which alleges that an offence has occurred. You have rights of review and appeal which can be exercised by asking Revenue NSW for a review or requesting that the matter be referred to a Local Court.
Once a fine has been issued Council will not entertain requests for review unless referred to Council by Revenue NSW.
For more information on options relating to fines refer to Fines | NSW Government
Attaching fine notifications for parking offences
Effective from 1 July 2025 and under the Fines Amendment (Parking Fines) Regulation 2025, a fine notice or a notification of a fine must be attached to vehicles at the time of the parking offence, unless one of the exceptions for not attaching a notification applies. These are where:
- It is not safe to do so
- The vehicle is in a prescribed parking zone
- The vehicle is not stationary
- The vehicle has moved before a notification can be attached
- Internet or telephone service is required to determine (not just issue a fine) if a parking offence has been committed, there is no internet or telephone access
- The parking offence is an offence under Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Act 2016
- The vehicle is a heavy vehicle
- The vehicle is a trailer
The new reforms also require photographic evidence to be taken of the offence and the notification attached to the vehicle.
Reporting requirements - Future reports will be published for the following data from October 2025.
- Number of parking fines issued
- Number of parking fines for which a notification was not attached to the vehicle
- Reason why the fine or notification was not left
- Number of parking fines invalidated
Resources
These links provide detailed policy and legislative information: