Ask Council to review a parking or tolling fine, or an animal or environmental infringement you want to dispute.
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Council issues fines or infringement notices for various offences, such as illegal parking, and breaches of local or state law.
If you believe your fine or infringement should be withdrawn, you can request Council to review it.
If you want to dispute a fine or other infringement, you can do this online.
We have a 3-stage dispute process.
Stage 1 - Local level review
Lodge a dispute and Council will investigate.
Stage 2 - Disputes Commissioner review
If you’re unsatisfied with the stage 1 outcome, you can appeal to the Disputes Commissioner.
Stage 3 - External review
If you disagree with the stage 2 decision, you can elect to have your case heard in the Magistrates Court.
Check the details of your fine or infringement notice using the self-service portal.
You can ask for more information or photos of the infringement.
There are certain circumstances where Council may withdraw a fine or infringement.
If your appeal relates to any of these scenarios, you must provide sufficient evidence when making your submission.
These include but are not limited to:
Parking fines and infringements:
Animal and pet fines and infringements:
Other fines and infringements:
When disputing a fine, it’s important you supply evidence to support your dispute upfront.
Depending on the fine or infringement, you should include (where applicable):
If you’ve received a fine but weren’t the person driving the vehicle, complete a Statutory Declaration - Motor Vehicle form.
You have 28 days from the date your fine was issued to submit your request to Council.
If you leave it longer than 28 days, it may mean you’re charged more on top of the original fine (e.g. late payment costs).
Once you’re ready, use our dispute a fine online form.
Once Council has received your appeal, we’ll put the matter on hold until a final decision is made.
We aim to provide you with a full response within 20 working days.
Council will send you a written response via mail or email to let you know the outcome.
If you’re satisfied with the decision:
If you’re unsatisfied with the decision:
You can request a review by Council’s Disputes Commissioner to appeal the outcome of your dispute.
This option is only available if the fine or infringement was issued for an offence regarding:
animals
environment
malls
parking
pool fences
signage
water
vegetation.
You can either:
complete a new online form and select the box ‘Request a review by the Disputes Commissioner’, or
download and complete the Prescribed Infringement Notice (PIN) Submission for Review form.
The Disputes Commissioner is an independent office within Council that can overturn or uphold an initial decision after their review.
It determines whether:
the offence occurred
the infringement notice was issued correctly
there are any exceptional circumstances warranting a withdrawal.
Make sure you’ve read and considered the circumstances in which the Disputes Commissioner may consider upholding or withdrawing a fine or infringement.
If you disagree with the decision made by the Disputes Commissioner, you can elect to have your case heard in the Magistrates Court.
Details about how to do this can be found on the back of your fine or infringement notice.
Alternatively, you can pay the fine online to resolve the matter.
Council offers a number of ways for you to pay your fine. You can pay online, by BPAY, phone, post, in person at a Council Customer Centre or Australia Post, or by instalment plan.
Learn more about how you can pay a fine or infringement.
