Do parking inspectors work at night?

Parking can be a headache in some highly populated areas with confusing signs, paid times, unpaid times, and clearways. People can get complacent and think, "Oh well, it's 9pm; what parking inspectors are going to be around?".

RELATED: Legitimate reasons to get out of a parking fine

It turns out you're not as safe from a parking fine as you may think. You may be susceptible to a fine ranging from $97 to $200 depending on your parking region if you overstay on parking, even if it is 3am on a Wednesday.

You may have thought you've gotten away with a risky park, but a fine can pop up in the mail a week or two later.

According to the City of Melbourne, "Fines aren't always visible on vehicles. An officer may hand a fine to the driver, put it on the vehicle or post it to the registered owner".

Port Phillip Council Mayor Heather Cunsolo says parking restrictions are in place to ensure everyone shares the space fairly.

"Parking restrictions prioritise safety on our streets, while encouraging the necessary circulation of limited on-street parking spaces to balance the needs of those who live, work and play in our city."

But how do parking inspectors know when you've overstayed your welcome in a parking bay? And do they work the night shift?

Yes, but not everywhere has timed zones that extend overnight. Parking is run by the local council, so each council has different rules surrounding parking zones.

Night-time parking inspectors aren't patrolling larger areas since a smaller portion of parking is timed, so you can expect them to focus on the areas that are.

In recent years, cities have begun to roll out parking sensors that detect a car's arrival in, and departure from, a parking space.

The City of Melbourne website states that the sensors placed in parking bays kick in once a vehicle has overstayed the time permitted. After this, it is given a five-minute grace period before a parking officer in the vicinity will receive a notification. The officer will then check to see if a parking offence has occurred before issuing a fine.

Port Phillip Mayor Cunsolo says that parking officers are rostered on a night shift to ensure everyone follows the rules and shares the space.

"We have officers rostered in the evenings to patrol and respond to complaints and call-outs. The alerts [from the parking sensors] are sent to officers when vehicles have overstayed the timed restrictions," said Cr Cunsolo.

Most councils have similar parking rules. If the timed parking extends overnight, you can safely assume someone will enforce it.

There are several ways to report illegal parking. Mayor Cunsolo shared some of the most popular options for residents who want the rules enforced.

"There are several options: report directly via our website [or your local council website] using the request option, call the City of Port Phillip's [or your local council] ASSIST number, which is diverted to our after-hours service from 5pm, or report via Snap Send Solve."

"Our Council received 10,600 reports of illegally parked vehicles in the last 12 months to date. This figure includes 3836 reports submitted through Snap Send Solve."

Snap Send Solve is a free app that allows you to report issues with a photo directly to your local council. You can download the app here to have an easy solution to reporting problems that may arise in your local community.

"The most common reports submitted about illegally parked vehicles include 'overstaying time restrictions in residential areas', 'overstaying time restrictions in commercial areas', 'parked in a resident permit zone without a visible permit', and 'parked across my driveway'," said Cr Cunsolo.

If someone has parked over your driveway or on private property, you can contact the police on the non-emergency hotline of 131 444 (this is a national number) to have it towed away in some instances.