Canberra Parking Fines: City Guide (2026)

Two bodies issue parking infringement notices in Canberra:

• Access Canberra: The primary issuing authority for parking infringement notices across Canberra. Access Canberra officers patrol paid parking zones, timed bays, and clearways throughout the city.

• City Renewal Authority: Issues notices in specific city centre renewal areas — primarily the Civic core and adjacent areas including parts of Braddon. The City Renewal Authority's remit is urban renewal in the city centre precinct.

Check the top of your infringement notice to identify which authority issued it. The internal review request goes to the issuing authority, not the ACT Revenue Office.

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Canberra's paid parking and enforcement activity is concentrated in four main areas:

• Civic — Canberra's city centre, surrounding the Canberra Centre shopping precinct. High turnover timed bays and paid parking. Officers active during business hours and into the evening.
• Braddon — inner north commercial and dining precinct. Active enforcement on Lonsdale Street, Mort Street, and surrounding blocks. Timed parking strictly enforced.
• Kingston Foreshore — southern lakeside entertainment and dining area. Timed parking and permit zones. Active enforcement especially on weekends.
• Manuka — inner south commercial village. Timed parking in the commercial strip.

Common violations in these areas:

• Timed parking overstay in Civic timed bays
• Clearway violations near Northbourne Avenue during peak hours
• Failure to display a valid CivicaPark session

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CivicaPark is the primary app for paid parking in Canberra. MyPark is also used in some areas. When using either app:

• Screenshot the session confirmation immediately — include the start time, bay number or zone, and transaction ID
• Do not rely on the app display alone — keep your confirmation

App session failures are a known issue in Canberra's paid parking zones. A Pine user near the Canberra Centre in Civic experienced this firsthand: their CivicaPark session showed as active on their phone throughout their visit, but they received an infringement notice for the same period. The internal review submitted to Access Canberra included a screenshot of the active session and the transaction confirmation. Access Canberra upheld the review and withdrew the notice.

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All ACT infringement notice payments go through the ACT Revenue Office at myportal.act.gov.au. You will need the infringement notice number from the document.

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Step 1: Request an internal review from the issuing authority (Access Canberra or City Renewal Authority) within 28 days. This is free and does not require a lawyer.

Step 2: If the internal review is rejected and you wish to contest further, the escalation pathway in the ACT is ACAT — the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal. This is different from other Australian states; the ACT does not use the Magistrates Court as the first escalation for parking infringement disputes.

Common grounds in Canberra:

• CivicaPark or MyPark payment failure with transaction screenshot
• Timed parking bay sign obscured or missing
• Wrong vehicle details on the notice
• Clearway violation where the restriction period was ambiguous or signage unclear
• Medical or emergency circumstances

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Who do I contact to dispute a Canberra parking fine? Contact Access Canberra or the City Renewal Authority (whichever issued your notice) within 28 days. Do not contact the ACT Revenue Office for a dispute — the Revenue Office handles payment, not reviews.

What is ACAT? ACAT — the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal — is the escalation body for rejected parking infringement internal reviews in the ACT. If Access Canberra or the City Renewal Authority rejects your internal review, you can apply to ACAT for further review.

Does the ACT use ANPR cameras for parking enforcement? ANPR enforcement exists in the ACT. Roving officers are the primary enforcement mechanism in most zones.

What is CivicaPark? CivicaPark is the main paid parking app in Canberra. It is used for most paid parking zones in Civic, Braddon, Kingston Foreshore, and Manuka.

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Pine AI prepares internal review requests for Access Canberra and City Renewal Authority infringement notices. For CivicaPark or MyPark session failures in Civic or Braddon, Pine structures the letter around your transaction screenshot — the clearest evidence of an active session at the time of the alleged offence.

Pine identifies whether the issuing authority is Access Canberra or the City Renewal Authority from your notice details and addresses the review request accordingly. Pine also notes the ACAT escalation pathway if the internal review is unsuccessful.