It often surprises people that in Australia they can receive a parking fine for parking in front of their own driveway. Most people have the view that if they block their own driveway that are not impacting anyone, other than themselves, so they should not be fined. However, this law is in place for the following reasons:
1. Council officers have no way of knowing if the property belongs to you or not when they fine you.
2. Blocking the driveway can prevent emergency services from accessing the property in an emergency, such as fire.
The most common scenario for you to be fined in is when someone in your street has made a complaint to council. This will often be a disabled or bind person who has hurt themselves when they have bumped into your car. For example:
- Brad Perry of Algester was given a driveway parking fine of $110 after the tip of his bumper was found to be partially blocking his Dalmeny St Queensland driveway.
- Elisabeth Galvin of Norman Park was given a $110 parking for parking across the driveway to her own property in Queensland.
- In Sydney NSW, Waratah West, Nikki Lee Trevithick was shocked to find a parking ticket on her car's front windscreen - in her driveway. She's not disputing the vehicle was "a couple of inches" over the boundary line but said the $101 fine seemed a little steep and heavy handed.
6. The property owner does not own the part of the driveway that extends out past your property boundaries. The part of your driveway outside your property boundary is owned by your local council.
The only time it is permitted for you to park in a driveway is when the entire part of the vehicle is contained within private property. But you can be fined if even just a small part of your vehicle buts out onto the footpath.
3. Blocking the driveway can prevent other vehicles from using the driveway to turn around.4. If your vehicle abuts onto the footpath, it is possible to disrupt the path of a blind or physically disabled person. You might be restricting access for the elderly and people with disability. People in wheelchairs or on motorised scooters find it particularly difficult to navigate around vehicles parked on driveways across footpaths. 5. Parking in the driveway can impede the view of other cars further down the street who are entering or leaving the property.
The amount of the fines differs front state to state. In Victoria the fine is $110. In Victoria, it is covered under a state parking law that says "a driver must not stop on or across a driveway or other way of access for vehicles traveling to or from the adjacent land. No part of the vehicle is permitted to encroach across the driveway or access. If you live in and/or own the property to which the drive belongs, you are still not allowed to park your vehicle in a way that blocks your driveway. Vehicles may not block access to driveways of commercial properties, even if the business is closed at the time. Council has authority to tow and impound vehicles parked denying access to driveways".