• Being unaware of, not understanding or believing you are exempt from the Victorian Road Rules
• Believing that it is unconstitutional for a Council to issue a parking fine
• Being a resident, ratepayer or local employee (including hospital employees) or business owner
• Not noticing that parking restrictions have changed
• Not noticing, understanding, reading in full or forgetting to read a parking sign
• Being new to the area and unfamiliar with the parking restrictions, even if the driver is from Victoria, interstate or overseas
• Running out of petrol or experiencing vehicle issues that did not need immediate repair or towing
• Leaving the vehicle because you, or a passenger, needed to use the toilet
• Being on a restricted income or having insufficient funds to pay the fine/infringement.
  NOTE: Victorian legislation does not allow for student or pensioner discounts for fines. A payment arrangement is available in these cases allowing for an extension of time to pay the fine
• Being delayed at an appointment or being in a hurry (Example: medical appointments are often known to run late). Procedures can often take longer than expected. You must make an allowance for this when parking your car
• Having an excellent driving or parking record before the issuing of the fine
• Forgetting to move your car
• Finding nowhere else to park
• Parking or stopping for 'a short time' over the limit, in a permit zone without a permit, without paying for parking or in a no stopping zone.

Time-limited parking occurs in areas where there is high demand for parking spaces. Time limits ensure busy areas remain accessible for all users. An over-stay of even a few minutes may result in a fine.

Below are common reasons used to request Council to withdraw a parking overstay fine. They are NOT considered to be valid reasons to withdraw the fine:

• Moving your vehicle directly from one parking space to another between the same parking signs. You must move your car to a new parking area
• Poor visibility due to weather conditions.

You need to pay the parking fee using PayStay or display the ticket printed from the parking ticket machine in a parking ticket machine area. The onus is on drivers to ensure they have enough money to cover the cost of parking and that the time paid for is enough.

In the event of a faulty meter, you need to report the fault and staff will review. They will advise what you can do, or you may get a fine. Most on and off-street parking areas have a number of parking ticket machines in near. If one is broken you must buy a ticket from a nearby working machine or use PayStay.

Below are common reasons used to request Council to withdraw a ticket machine fine. None of them are considered to be valid reasons to withdraw the fine:

• Assuming the parking ticket machine was not working
• Believing that if the parking ticket machine was actually not working, there were no restrictions
• Re-feeding a parking ticket machine. You must leave the area once the time has expired
• Leaving the vehicle to get change or running out of change
• Not having the correct change for the parking ticket machine
• Not having a credit card or your credit card has expired or has no available funds
• Not having a PayStay account as well as not using a credit card nor coins
• Making an error when using the meter
• Not displaying the parking ticket face up on the dashboard so it is easily read by a Parking Service Officer.

"No Stopping" means not stopping your vehicle at all. No stopping zones are placed in busy traffic and high pedestrian areas especially around schools to protect the safety of pedestrians and keep traffic moving. You are not allowed to stop your vehicle to let someone out or into the vehicle, regardless of whether you leave the engine running or stay in the vehicle.

Below are common reasons used to request Council to withdraw a No Stopping fine. None of them are valid reasons to withdraw the fine:

• Finding no room at the school pick-up/drop-off area and using the No Stopping area
• Stopping to let a passenger in or out for any reason such as bad weather
• Stopping to make a quick delivery or collection.

In some areas where parking space is limited, Council has set aside parking areas for residents or other designated groups such as disabled people. Parking without a valid parking permit may result in a fine.

Below are common reasons used to request Council to withdraw a parking permit fine. They are not valid reasons to withdraw the fine:

• Displaying an expired or invalid parking permit when parking in a restricted area
• Parking a vehicle that is not permitted to be parked in the permit zone e.g. a private vehicle in a bus or taxi zone
• Moving your vehicle within the same parking zone and not leaving the zone at the end of the time restriction.
   

Only authorised vehicles may stop in designated parking zones such as a loading zone.

You can only park in a Loading Zone only when delivering or picking up goods, services or people, Authorised vehicles include taxis, buses, trucks, vans and other vehicles used for delivery that have permanent signs fixed to both sides of the vehicle. Magnetic signs are not permitted. If there is no time limit on the Loading Zone sign, 30 minutes is the maximum time that an authorised vehicle may park in a Loading Zone.

For mail, works, taxis and bus zones, only certain types of vehicles or drivers who carry the appropriate permit allowed to park in these areas.

Below are common reasons used to request Council to withdraw a designated parking zone fine. None of them are valid reasons to withdraw the fine:

• Stopping a privately registered vehicle to drop off or pick up passengers or goods
• Stopping to answer your mobile phone
• Being unaware of which vehicles can use specific parking zones and not driving the correct vehicle for that zone. For example loading zones, mail zones, taxi zones, truck zones, bus zones or permit zones.

Not all parking restrictions are required to have signage displayed. They are listed in the Victorian Road Rules and drivers may be fined if they do not follow the rules. For example, a vehicle must not stop if it is:

• Double-parked
• Not parking wholly within a parking bay when your vehicle could fit in the available space
• Inside an intersection
• Too close to an intersection
• Across a lane or private driveway
• On the wrong side of the road facing the opposite direction of the traffic
• Parking on the road too far from the kerb (including facing the wrong direction)
• On a footpath, reserve or nature strip
• In a bus or transit lane
• Obstructing the flow of traffic or leaving less than 3 metres of road clearance for traffic to pass
• Opposite a continuous solid white line (either one or two lines), unless there is 3 metres of road clearance between your vehicle and the line - for traffic to pass - or parking signs are in place.