Infringement notices and payments

Council can issue fines called infringement notices. Infringements can relate to:

• parking
• animals
• parks and reserves
• signage
• vegetation
• illegal dumping
• littering.

Why council issues infringements

Council issues infringements according to local laws and state laws including, but not limited to:

• Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995
• Transport Operations (Road Use Management - Road Rules) Regulation 2009
• Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008
• Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011.

To view the state laws, visit the Queensland Legislation website.

Paying an infringement

• Pay your infringement notice with Visa or MasterCard
• Pay in person at any post office by the due date
• Post a cheque or money order to Locked Bag 72, Sunshine Coast Mail Centre, QLD 4560. Please include a copy of the infringement notice.

Additional charges can apply if the infringement is not paid by the due date. If council conducts a search to find the vehicle owner and sends out a reminder notice, the search fee is then passed on to the owner.

The infringement amount and any additional charges must be paid on time. If it is not, it will be referred to the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER). This will result in further charges. Once the matter has been referred to SPER, all dealings must be conducted with them and not with council.

You can request to enter into a payment plan with the State Penalties Enforcement Registry. This is only available for amounts over $200. You must contact council to make the arrangement. Any extra charges must also be paid to prevent the matter from being referred to SPER.

Payment options

Option 1: Pay in full

Option 2: Have this matter dealt with by a magistrates court

Option 3: Apply to pay by instalments

Option 4: Lodge a statutory declaration (vehicle related offences only)

Withdrawal of an infringement

Council may consider the withdrawal of an infringement notice in extenuating circumstances.

These include but are not limited to:

• medical emergencies
• vehicle malfunction
• the circumstances leading up to the issuing of the notice were unavoidable.

Infringements will not be withdrawn for the following reasons:

• financial hardship
• being unaware of the law or not seeing the sign
• disagreeing with the law. You may feel the offence for which the infringement notice has been issued is trivial or did not cause hazard
• running out of petrol
• not having adequate coins for the meter
• stopped briefly in restricted zone.

You can submit a request for withdrawal via MyCouncil:

• register and/or login as an registered user
• refer to instructions
• once logged in, select + Submit a new application which is located on the Applications tile
• read, then tick to agree to the terms and conditions, and select Continue
• locate Issued infringement notice options
• select Request for withdrawal (appeal/review of decision)
• follow the application loading screens to complete the application submission details, and attach evidence where required.

All supporting evidence must be attached. You can provide a statutory declaration as support for extenuating circumstances.

Upon receipt of your request for withdrawal your infringement will be placed on hold. You will be notified of the outcome within 45 days by your preferred method of correspondence.

You must submit a request for review within 28 days of issue of the infringement.

Providing evidence and additional information

It is important that you provide sufficient supporting evidence when you lodge your request for a withdrawal form. This helps council to make an informed decision.

Please include with this form (if applicable)

• photographs or diagrams
• vehicle repair receipt
• statutory declaration
  • advising the vehicle has been sold (copy of transfer papers or receipt of sale must be provided)
  • advising illegal use (written advice or crime report from the Queensland Police Service must be provided)
  • if you were not the driver of the vehicle, indicating who the driver was at the time the infringement notice was issued. Include the name and contact details of the driver.
• copies of permits or disabled permits not displayed at the time of the offence
• copies of medical certificates or other proof to support your case.

The fastest way to lodge an infringement request for withdrawal is through the MyCouncil application process. Alternatively, you may wish to lodge a hardcopy request via mail or email - request for withdrawal form (DOCX, 231KB).

Contact

For more information, or if you need assistance, please contact council.