Parking

All parking in our region is free in the Central Business Districts (CBD) areas of Laurieton, North Haven, Port Macquarie, and Wauchope.

Time limits have been set to make sure there’s enough parking for everyone.

Many of the parking spaces in these areas are electronically monitored and our rangers patrol on a regular basis.

Spaces with longer time limits in the Port Macquarie CBD can be found on the Port Macquarie Town Centre Parking Map(PDF, 256KB).  

Parking motorbikes in dedicated motorbike spaces frees up other spaces for other vehicles.

The location of motorbike spaces in the Port Macquarie CBD can be found on the Port Macquarie Town Centre Motorcycle Parking Map(PDF, 2MB). 

Street access and accessible facilities within the Port Macquarie Hastings, including disabled parking spaces, toilets, kerb ramps, ATMs and public transport points are available in this access map(PDF, 452KB).

Disabled drivers with a Mobility Parking Scheme (MPS) permit displayed on the windscreen are entitled to the following parking concessions:   

• when parking is limited by a sign to more than 30 minutes, the vehicle can park all day
• where parking is limited by a sign for 30 minutes, the vehicle can park for 2hrs
• where parking is limited by a sign to less than 30 minutes, the vehicle can park for a maximum of 30 minutes.

You must display the new Australian Disability Parking Permit along with your NSW MPS permit to be eligible for parking concessions. The permit must only be displayed when the vehicle is being used to transport the permit holder. Heavy fines apply for misuse.

Full details regarding obtaining and using MPS permits are available from the Roads and Maritime Service.

We don’t have any dedicated long vehicle car parking spaces, however there are many wide streets that will accommodate a long vehicle.

We are often called upon to help residents when parked cars are restricting residential access and traffic flow.

Use this fact sheet(PDF, 773KB) as a guide to check:

• If a car is parked illegally near or across a driveway
• How close cars can park to an intersection
• If cars can park on both sides of a road
• If signage is being obeyed.

If we can help you resolve an issue, make sure to report it to us.

Report a parking issue

Council is updating the way we issue parking infringements to comply with the NSW Government’s Fines Amendment (Parking Fines) Act 2024.

Effective immediately, our Rangers will return to issuing on-the-spot notifications for alleged parking offences. This means if you receive a parking fine, you will generally find a penalty notice or a notification card attached to your vehicle at the time of the offence. In limited circumstances, such as where it is considered unsafe for a Ranger to approach the vehicle, where the vehicle has moved on before the penalty notice or notification can be attached to the vehicle or in specific 'ticketless' enforcement zones (such as enclosed carparks with licence plate recognition), the penalty notice may still be sent directly via mail or email by Revenue NSW.

These changes are designed to improve transparency and fairness for drivers. Key benefits include:

• Immediate Notification: drivers are made aware of the penalty notice instantly, allowing them to collect their own evidence (such as photos of signage) if they wish to seek a review.
• Fairness: receiving a penalty notice at the time of the alleged offence prevents drivers from unknowingly accruing multiple penalty notices for the same offence before receiving the first notification in the mail.
• Continued Safety: while on-the-spot notification is the standard, our Rangers retain the ability to issue fines via mail in situations where their safety may be at risk.
  
  Please note that the penalty notice amount is set by the NSW Government, not Council, and penalty notices themselves cannot be altered or withdrawn once issued.

Paying a fine: Council does not accept payment of penalty notices directly. If you receive a penalty notice, you will need to follow the instructions provided on the penalty notice to pay to fine.

Review and appeals :All requests for review or court elected appeals for alleged parking offences must be made directly to Revenue NSW. Again, you will need to follow the instructions provided on the penalty notice to seek a review or appeal to have the matter heard in court.

Under NSW legislation, councils must publish an annual report on parking enforcement activities.

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council issues fines in line with these regulations. In most cases, a notice is attached to the vehicle, but in some situations - such as when it moves before a notice can be attached or it’s unsafe to do so, the notice is sent by mail.

The report provides transparency on fines issued, exemptions applied, and any invalidated fines.

Infringement report - 10 October 2025(PDF, 79KB)
Infringement report - 10 October 2025(XLSX, 85KB)