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                    Request an infringement review

                    Have you received a fine from City of Melbourne? You can request an internal review of the infringement and consider your options for dealing with the matter.

                    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The law that sets out infringements processes is the Infringements Act 2006. 

                    You can apply only once for internal review, and you must apply in writing. We’re not able to review paid fines, fines that have been registered with Fines Victoria, or matters that have been referred to the Magistrates’ Court. 

                    The below information will help you understand the infringement review process and apply for your fine to be reviewed.

                    On this page:

                    The infringement review process

                    What we can review

                    We can review any infringement fine issued by City of Melbourne that has not been paid, not been registered with Fines Victoria and not been referred to the Magistrates’ Court.

                    Who can apply for review

                    If you have been issued with a fine, you can apply for a review in writing. 

                    For parking fines, you must be the registered owner of the vehicle. The registered owner can also nominate the person responsible for the parking fine. Find out more about how to make a driver nomination​.

                    You can also provide another person (such as a family member or friend) with written authority to apply on your behalf. 

                    For fines iss​ued to a company (or company-owned vehicle), you must be the company director or authorised to act on behalf of the company.

                    ​What are the grounds for review

                    The law provides five categories or grounds for a fine to be reviewed:

                    1. Contrary to law: you believe an offence did not occur or that the infringement notice is not valid.
                    2. Exceptional circumstances: unforeseen and exceptional circumstances outside your control may excuse the conduct that led to the offence. This could include a medical emergency or a vehicle breakdown.
                    3. Mistake of identity: you believe the fine was issued to the wrong person or vehicle.
                    4. Special circumstances: circumstances that contributed to you having a significantly reduced capacity to understand or control the offending behaviour due to a mental or intellectual disorder, disease or illness, serious addiction, homelessness or family violence. Or you are experiencing long-term circumstances (not solely or predominantly related to your personal finances) that make it impracticable for you to pay. Find out more about ​ special circumstances.

                    5. Person unaware: you did not receive advice of the infringement because your fine was served by post and you changed your address around the time the fine was issued.

                    What evidence is required to support a review

                    In most circumstances, we need verifiable evidence from a third-party to support your grounds for review.

                    You should provide this evidence as supporting documents when you apply.

                    Learn more about providing us with supporting documents.​

                    What happens next

                    When we receive your application we will place your fine on hold while we review it.

                    We consider all available information including evidence collected by the issuing officer, circumstances and supporting documents provided by you or third parties, and any requirements under law.

                    We will notify you of the outcome in writing. We’ll also notify you if we need more information from you.

                    What are the possible outcomes

                    When we review your fine there are a number of possible outcomes. These include:

                    • confirming the decision to issue a fine
                    • withdrawing the fine and replacing it with an official warning
                    • withdrawing the fine
                    • withdrawing the fine and referring the matter to the Court.

                    If the fine is confirmed, you have a number of options to deal with your infringement.​

                    How long does it take

                    Internal reviews can take up to 90 days or longer if we need more information from you.

                    If we need more information, we will notify you in writing and provide you with a due date to supply it. After that date, we’ll make a decision based on the information we have available to us.

                    If we confirm the decision to issue your fine, we’ll notify you in writing and give you a new due date to take action to deal with your fine.

                    What if I need legal assistance

                    If you need legal assistance, help finding a local community legal centre or further advice about your options in dealing with a fine, you can contact Victoria Legal Aid​.​​

                    Apply for review using an online form

                    Parking fines

                    ​Before considering what action to take, view the details of your fine and any photos taken. 

                    Request a review​ of your parking fine using our guided online form.

                    The form should take 5 to 20 minutes to complete. Have any supporting documents ready.

                    Litter, tobacco, public liquor consumption or local laws fines

                    Request a review​ of your litter, tobacco, liquor, food, road works or local laws fine using our guided online form.

                    The form should take 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Have any supporting documents ready.​

                    Domestic animal fines

                    ​Request a review​ of your domestic animal fine using our guided online form.

                    The form should take 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Have any supporting documents ready.

                    Apply for review another way

                    The Lord Mayor and councillors are not able to respond to correspondence about fines. 

                    Applications must be in writing and directed to the Infringement Review Team.​

                    Download a form

                    ​If you can't use our online form for parking fines and need an accessible document, you can complete and return one of the following forms:

                    Contest a parking fine (PDF 159 KB)

                    Contest a parking fine (DOC 113 KB).​

                    Post us a letter

                    ​Your letter must include:

                    • your name and postal address (we’ll write back to you at this address)
                    • the infringement issue number
                    • your vehicle registration (for parking fines)
                    • an explanation of why you believe the fine should be reviewed
                    • any relevant supporting documents.​

                    Address your letter to:

                    • Infringement Review Team​
                      City of Melbourne
                      GPO Box 780
                      Melbourne 3001.

                    ​Other options to deal with your fine

                    If you don’t act before the due date on your fine, it will continue through the infringements process and add more costs. You should act promptly to avoid further costs and enforcement action.

                    Click on a link below for more information on an option.

                    If you do not want us to review your fine, or you have already received a review outcome, your options to deal with your fine are:

                    If you are eligible, you may also be able to undertake activities through a work and development permit with Fines Victoria​ (external link).​​

                    ​Providing us with supporting documents

                    If your vehicle broke down

                    You’ll need to supply a:

                    • letter from a roadside assistance provider (showing the car registration, date, time and location of where it was repaired) or
                    • mechanic’s invoice (detailing the work performed, date and time) or
                    • receipt/invoice for parts that were purchased on the day if you fixed the problem yourself or
                    • towing invoice if the vehicle was towed (indicating the car registration, date, time and location it was towed from).

                    This must be on official letterhead and include the company’s ABN and contact information. We’ll contact the provider to check the details. 

                    Unfortunately from time to time, applicants provide us with false or misleading documents. This is illegal and may lead to prosecution or referral to Victoria Police.

                    If a medical emergency occurred

                    We consider a medical emergency to be a severe injury or illness posing an immediate risk to a person’s life or long term health.

                    If an emergency occurred, you’ll need to supply an official letter on letterhead from the hospital or treating doctor that confirms:

                    • you were involved in a medical emergency at the time the fine was issued, and 
                    • how this prevented you from parking legally.

                    The medical facility may have a Patient Liaison Team that may be able to assist you with a letter that confirms what happened on the day. A medical certificate isn’t sufficient. If you were driving your passenger to the emergency department, we’ll consider a certificate of attendance from that department.

                    If an unexpected medical delay occurred

                    We consider that drivers should make allowances for common delays like doctors or appointments running behind schedule.

                    Sometimes, verifiable and unforeseen circumstances outside of your control can cause your vehicle to be illegally parked. For example if your appointment led to an unexpected immediate hospital admission, or you required unexpected immediate testing like an MRI scan. 

                    If an unexpected medical delay happened to you, you’ll need to supply an official letter on letterhead from the hospital or treating doctor, confirming:

                    • that the medical circumstances were unexpected, and 
                    • how this prevented you from returning to your car.

                    The medical facility may have a Patient Liaison Team that may be able to assist you with a letter that confirms what happened on the day. A medical certificate isn’t sufficient.

                    If you believe special circumstances apply

                    Read our web page about supporting documents for special circumstances​.​

                    Privacy and collection statement

                    The City of Melbourne is committed to protecting your privacy. 

                    When you contact us to request an infringement review we collect your personal information, including your name, postal address and vehicle registration (for parking fines). We require these details in order to fulfil our internal review responsibilities set out in the infringements legislation. 

                    We also ask you to provide your telephone number and email address to expedite cases where we need to contact you to clarify the information provided or request further information. 

                    Supporting documents are often required, and some of these may contain health or sensitive information. We securely store these documents in our system to refer to them only when reviewing your infringement/s. 

                    Unless we need to verify your supporting documents, or are required or authorised by law, we will not disclose the information you provide to any other third parties. 

                    Please contact the Infringement Review Team on 03 9658 9658 if you wish to access the personal information held by City of Melbourne. You can also read our full Privacy Policy.

                    Infringement review FAQs

                    What grounds can I request a review under?

                    Infringements legislation provides the following five review categories:

                    1. Contrary to law: you believe you didn’t commit an offence.
                    2. Exceptional circumstances: there were unforeseen and verifiable circumstances outside of your control that could excuse your conduct. For example, a medical emergency or vehicle breakdown.
                    3. Mistaken identity: you believe the fine was issued to the incorrect person or vehicle. For example, you weren’t in the alleged location.
                    4. Special circumstances: this is a specific term defined in infringements legislation, where a driver is unable to either understand or control the conduct that led to the offence due to:
                      • a mental or intellectual disability, disorder, disease or illness
                      • a serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or a volatile substance
                      • homelessness
                      • family violence.
                    5. Person unaware: you didn’t receive the fine because you changed your address with VicRoads around the same time you incurred the fine.

                    Who can request a review?

                    Only specific people may apply for a review, as per infringements legislation.

                    For parking fines, these include:

                    • the registered vehicle owner
                    • someone acting on the vehicle owner’s behalf with their consent or
                    • a person who has been formally nominated as the driver.

                    For a litter, liquor, local laws or domestic animal fine, these include:

                    • the person issued with a fine (whose name is written on it)
                    • a person acting on their behalf with their consent
                    • the company director (or authorised representative) if the fine is issued to a company.

                    How will the review be conducted?

                    When reviewing a fine, we'll take into account all of the available information, including:

                    • information collected by the officer who issued the fine, which may include photographs
                    • circumstances and any supporting documents provided in your application or by third parties
                    • requirements under the relevant legislation.

                    What happens after I apply?

                    Your fine will be placed on hold while the review is conducted.

                    The process may take up to 90 days or longer if we require additional information from you. We’ll notify you of the outcome in writing to the postal address you provided.

                    If insufficient information is provided, we may contact you for additional details before reviewing your fine. If we don't receive this information by the specified date, we’ll make a decision based on the information at hand.

                    What happens if my application is unsuccessful?

                    Your remaining options will be outlined in the letter we send you, and we’ll set a new payment date. If you don’t pay the fine or take any other action (for example, request a payment extension or elect to have the matter heard at court) by the new due date, the fine will continue through the infringements process and you’ll incur additional costs. This process is set out in the infringements legislation. 

                    As the legislation allows you to only make one application for review, we won’t consider further correspondence regarding a fine that’s already been reviewed unless you’re providing new evidence that we’ve requested.

                    What supporting documents do I need for medical emergency/delay or vehicle breakdown?

                    If your vehicle broke down

                    You’ll need to supply a:

                    • letter from a roadside assistance provider (showing the car registration, date, time and location of where it was repaired) or
                    • mechanic’s invoice (detailing the work performed, date and time) or
                    • receipt/invoice for parts that were purchased on the day if you fixed the problem yourself or
                    • towing invoice if the vehicle was towed (indicating the car registration, date, time and location it was towed from).

                    This must be on official letterhead and include the company’s ABN and contact information. We’ll contact the provider to check the details. 

                    Unfortunately from time to time, applicants provide us with false or misleading documents. This is illegal and may lead to prosecution or referral to Victoria Police.

                    If a medical emergency occurred

                    We consider a medical emergency to be a severe injury or illness posing an immediate risk to a person’s life or long term health.

                    If an emergency occurred, you’ll need to supply an official letter on letterhead from the hospital or treating doctor, confirming:

                    • that you were involved in a medical emergency at the time the fine was issued, and 
                    • how this prevented you from parking legally.

                    The medical facility’s Patient Liaison Team may be able to assist you with a letter that confirms what happened on the day. A medical certificate isn’t sufficient. If you were driving your passenger to the emergency department, we’ll consider a certificate of attendance from that department.

                    If an unexpected medical delay occurred

                    The only medical delays we usually consider are verifiable and unforeseen circumstances outside of your control. For example, your appointment led to unexpected immediate hospital admission, or you required unexpected immediate testing like an MRI. Delays due to doctors running behind schedule are not usually considered – these are common and drivers need to make allowances for this.

                    If an unexpected medical delay happened to you, you’ll need to supply an official letter on letterhead from the hospital or treating doctor, confirming:

                    • that the medical circumstances were unexpected, and
                    • how this prevented you from returning to your car.

                    The medical facility’s Patient Liaison Team may be able to assist you with a letter that confirms what happened on the day. A medical certificate isn’t sufficient.

                    This will take approximately 5 to 20 minutes to complete. Please have any supporting documentation ready before you start.
                    This will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Please have any supporting documentation ready before you start.

                    ​Litter, tobacco, public liquor consumption or local laws fines

                    This will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Please have any supporting documentation ready before you start.

                    ​Domestic animal fines

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