Parking controls and zones

Enforcement is necessary because motorists don’t always follow the rules.

Community Safety Officers are on duty to enforce parking controls and minimise problems during normal working hours and other times and locations outside of working hours.

Find out more about parking and the South Australian Road Rules.

Information disclosures

The City of West Torrens may disclose personal information to the following government organisations for the purposes of traffic enforcement:

• SAPOL
• SA EzyReg
• Other state government authorities including, but not limited to, VicRoads (Vic), Road Users Services (ACT), Roads and Maritime Services (NSW), Department of Transport (NT), CITEC (Qld), Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources (Tas).

It should be noted that these government organisations may disclose personal information to the City of West Torrens for the same purpose.

Expiation notices (parking tickets) are issued when vehicles are parked contrary to the Australian Road Rules

Further expiation notices may be issued when a vehicle remains parked in the same location after the first notice has been issued.

Find out more about expiations.

Pay a parking ticket online.

Vehicles cannot be parked:

• on any footpath or verge
• on parks or reserves
• across driveways
• within 10/20 metres of any intersection
• in 'no stopping' or no 'parking zones'
• in disabled parking zones without a permit
• in bike lanes
• in clearways or bus lanes during sign-posted times
• near fire plugs or hydrants
• within 3m of a postbox.

Camping or sleeping overnight on the road, public car parks, or Council reserves is not permitted in the City of West Torrens. This includes sleeping in your vehicle.

Illegal camping can impact the community, including public safety, littering, and damage to reserves. If you camp overnight on a road, car park, or reserve, you may be fined.

For information on where you can camp legally in South Australia:

• Visit National Parks SA
• Talk to your camper van hire company
• Contact local holiday parks like West Beach Parks 

Parking controls serve the whole community’s best interests. Controls are put in place to:

• ensure that vehicles are lawfully parked
• ensure that vehicles do not over stay in time limited zones
• remind motorists to avoid penalties and to maintain road safety.

Parking in a loading zone is permitted for:

• vehicles meeting the eligibility criteria
• no longer than the time specified on the sign.

Parking restrictions are imposed by council at and near schools to ensure a safer environment for all children and to optimise traffic safety and movement.

You cannot set down or pick up a school student:

• in any area marked with a 'No Stopping' sign
• within 20 metres before a school crossing
• within 10 metres after a school crossing.
• in any area marked with a continuous yellow line
• in any 'Bus Zones'
• in any 'Disabled Zones' (unless a current disability permit is displayed)
• in any operational bicycle lanes
• in any clearways
• in any lane of traffic. 

More information

A vehicle is not permitted to stay parked in a built up area for longer than one hour if it is:

• over 7.5 metres in length
• and/or 4.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Mass or over. 

Vehicles three tonnes or over cannot be parked on a residential premises without approval.

Parking a vehicle over three tonnes on a residential premises is considered to be a change of use from residential use to industrial use.

To obtain approval to park a vehicle three tonnes or over on a residential premises, a Development Application must be submitted and granted. Applications are assessed against the Planning and Design Code which includes consideration of the impact on the local neighbourhood amenity. Find out more about making an application, fees and the decision-making process.

Find out more about parking long and heavy vehicles.

If you suspect that a vehicle has been abandoned, you should notify Council. You should only report this to Council if the vehicle has not moved for at least one week and the owner is unknown. If, however, the car is damaged (i.e. smashed glass, appears to have been in an accident) and poses a safety issue, contact Council anytime.

Before contacting us, please contact the SA Police on 131 444 to check if the vehicle is stolen or unregistered; if so it will be a SAPOL matter.

If a vehicle is registered and parked legally on a road the vehicle is not abandoned; vehicles can be parked indefinitely on a Council-owned road. You can still report this to Council if the vehicle is committing an offence such as parked illegally or if the owner of the vehicle is unknown and you believe the vehicle is abandoned.

Vehicles that are parked on the street and owned by nearby residents, whether they are actively used or not, are not abandoned vehicles. These can be parked in the street for any length of time providing they are parked legally.

When making a report to Council, please include as much information as possible:

• exact location of vehicle
• type of vehicle
• registration number.

The following information may help when reporting suspected abandoned vehicles:

• Vehicle is registered and parked legally - one week before reporting.
• Vehicle is registered, parked legally and the owner is known - the vehicle is not abandoned.
• Vehicle is unregistered or stolen - contact SAPOL.
• Vehicle is registered, parked legally and is creating a nuisance (i.e. debris, rubbish, graffiti) - wait 2 weeks before reporting. (Council Officers will try and contact the owner regarding it being a nuisance issue.)
• Vehicle is registered, parked legally and is damaged and causing a safety issue - contact Council anytime.

Illegally parked vehicles are best reported to our Customer Service team at the time the offence is happening. You can report via our online Chat service or by contacting us on 8416 6333.

Vehicles can be parked for limited periods as displayed on signs located on the roadside or footpath. The signs clearly show:

• the length time you can park e.g. 1 hour
• times when restrictions apply e.g. 7am to 6pm
• days the restrictions apply e.g. Monday to Friday.

Unregistered vehicles that are parked on the street are not necessarily abandoned as they may belong to someone nearby.

Unregistered vehicles are the responsibility of SA Police, not the City of West Torrens.

Vehicles which are owned by nearby residents can be parked in the street for any length of time, provided they are parked legally. A vehicle which is on the street and is parked illegally is more likely to be abandoned, rather than unregistered.

Under the Motor Vehicles Act, Council staff are not authorised to act upon unregistered vehicles. You must contact SA Police, 131 444.