Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you can be fined multiple times for the same parking offence in South Australia.

So, if you’re someone who leaves your car in parking bays for a little too long, consider this article a warning. To help you avoid a hefty fine, we explain which situations could lead to you being pinged more than once, and how to avoid them happening.

What the law says

You can be fined multiple times for the same parking offence for a few different reasons.

Staying in a parking spot for longer than the sign-posted time is a common parking mistake, and one situation where you could end up with multiple tickets.

If you leave your car in an area where parking is permitted for less than an hour, you could be fined every 30 minutes after your first ticket is issued.

If the time limit is more than an hour, you could be fined every hour after the first fine.

So, if you park in a 1-hour spot for just over 3 hours, you could be hit with 3 tickets.

What if the offence doesn’t involve a time limit, say parking in a bike lane for example? Well, then you could also be fined every hour. This applies to any parking rule that doesn’t involve a time limit.

What else you need to know

If you’ve read this far, you probably know what move to make next – quite literally, move your car!

Parked your car in an area with a time limit? You’ll need to completely move your car off the length of road or out of the area to which the sign applies before you can leave your car in the same zone again. So, if you drive out of the area, come back and the same space or another space is free, then you can park there again.

The moral of the story

Set your alarm so you know exactly when you need to move your vehicle. It could save you hundreds of dollars in parking fines.