A car is parked across your driveway again, or a delivery van has taken the only visitor bay at your unit block. The first sensible move is to put up a no parking sign, but the sign works differently depending on where you stand. Across a driveway, the road rule already applies. On private land, the sign is how you state your parking terms.
This guide explains the driveway road rule, what a sign on private property can and cannot do, the towing rules in Queensland and Western Australia, and how to choose and place the sign. It is general information, not legal advice.
The short version
- The driveway rule applies with or without a sign. A driver can stop for a passenger pick up or drop off for up to 2 minutes, but must not leave the vehicle more than 3 metres from it.
- A sign on private land states the owner’s terms. It is not a road-rule sign and does not create a road rule.
- Towing on private land is regulated state by state. Queensland and Western Australia are two examples with different obligations.
- The ready parking sign layouts carry no towing wording, so check your state’s rules before adding any.
- The three board sizes are 450 x 600mm, 600 x 450mm and 600 x 900mm.
- One 600 x 450mm sign is $30. After proof approval, production takes 48 hours for delivered orders of 4 or more signs, and also for any order of more than 10 signs. The 24 hour option covers 1 to 3 signs, and up to 10 signs collected from Oakleigh South.
What the road rule says about parking across a driveway
A car stopped across your driveway is a road-rule problem before it is a sign problem. No parking signs across a driveway do not create the rule. Road rule 198 says a driver must not stop on or across a driveway, or another way of access for vehicles to or from adjacent land, unless the stop fits a narrow exception.
In Queensland, the rule sits in section 198 of the Transport Operations (Road Use Management, Road Rules) Regulation 2009. A driver can stop only to drop off or pick up passengers, cannot leave the vehicle unattended, and must drive on as soon as practicable and within 2 minutes. Unattended means the driver is more than 3 metres from the closest part of the vehicle. The maximum penalty in Queensland is 20 penalty units. The same rule number appears in each state’s road rules because they follow the Australian Road Rules, but wording and fines vary by state.
On the street, councils and police issue infringement notices under the driveway rule. If a car is across your driveway, contact the local council’s parking team or police. The rule applies whether or not you have a sign up, so a driveway sign is a reminder that helps a driver avoid a fine, not the thing that makes the conduct a breach.
The same question often comes up about your own driveway. Tasmania’s Road Safety Advisory Council says you must not stop or park over a driveway, even your own, except for two minutes for picking up or dropping off passengers or goods. Advice in other states differs, so check with your local council.
What private property no parking signs actually do
On private land the job changes. Private parking signs do not create a road rule. They are the owner’s notice of the parking terms for that property. Western Australia’s Department of Transport puts it plainly: owners and occupiers of private property can set terms and conditions for parking on their property.
Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads guideline, Signage guidelines for parking on private property, March 2018, is written for private car parks open to the public without a boom gate or locked barrier. It says the conditions on a sign form the basis of the contract between the property owner or occupier and the motorist. The guideline also says it is not legal advice.
Private property no parking signs are one tool, not the only option. Western Australia also lists a local parking agreement with the local government so its rangers enforce your conditions, and barriers such as chains or boom gates. The signage rules do not apply where entry is controlled by boom gates or locked barriers. These signs are for private property only, not public roads.
Towing a vehicle from your property is regulated by the state
Towing is not a simple extension of putting up a sign. Having a car towed from private land is regulated in some states and the rules differ, so you cannot assume a sign gives you the right to have a vehicle removed.
| State | Towing rule | What it means for signs |
|---|---|---|
| Queensland | The Tow Truck Act 2023 and Tow Truck Regulation 2024 regulate the removal of vehicles from private property in regulated areas. | The 2018 guideline recommends what a towing sign shows and where it goes. |
| Western Australia | Part 6A of the Road Traffic Act 1974 and the Road Traffic (Towing of Vehicles) Regulations 2020 regulate private property towing. Wheel clamping is banned. | Tow away signs must use Class 1 retroreflective sheeting under AS/NZS 1906.1 and meet set size, colour and lettering rules. |
| Other states | Rules vary by state. | Check your state transport department before adding towing wording. |
In Queensland, the guideline recommends a towing sign show what the parking is for, that unauthorised vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense, the times the restriction applies, the maximum towing and storage charge, the towing company’s name and contact, and a tow truck symbol. Capped towing fees are regulated in Queensland.
Western Australia has regulated private property towing since 14 December 2020. A vehicle cannot be towed unless signs are displayed as the regulations require, except for a vehicle causing a hazard or unreasonable obstruction. Wheel clamping is banned. A tow away sign must use Class 1 retroreflective sheeting under AS/NZS 1906.1, Helvetica lettering, and the words TOW AWAY ZONE in white on candy apple red. Minimum sizes are 30 cm x 45 cm for a minor sign and 60 cm x 90 cm for a major sign, plus the towing provider’s phone number. Towing also needs a signed towing arrangement with a towing service provider.
For other states and territories, check your state transport department before any towing wording goes on a sign.
At Paperlust Print Shop, the ready parking sign layouts carry no towing, tow away, clamping or fines wording. That is deliberate, because removing vehicles from private land is regulated in some states and wording that fits one state may not fit another. If you want towing terms, check your state’s rules first, then select Upload my own artwork. In Western Australia, a tow away sign also has to meet the material and size rules described above.
Choosing a no parking driveway sign that fits the site
Two fixed layouts on the Parking Signs page fit most driveway and private land situations. One layout reads: round no parking symbol, NO PARKING, KEEP DRIVEWAY CLEAR, 24 HOUR ACCESS REQUIRED. The other reads: red PRIVATE PROPERTY band, NO PARKING, NO UNAUTHORISED PARKING. Both print exactly as shown.
| Problem | Layout | Size to start with |
|---|---|---|
| A car blocks a home driveway | No parking driveway: round no parking symbol, NO PARKING, KEEP DRIVEWAY CLEAR, 24 HOUR ACCESS REQUIRED | 450 x 600mm for a wall, post or gate |
| Strangers park in a unit block or business car park | No parking private property: red PRIVATE PROPERTY band, NO PARKING, NO UNAUTHORISED PARKING | 600 x 900mm at the entry, read from further away across a car park, or 600 x 450mm on a fence panel or wide wall |
| Visitors need a marked bay | Visitor parking, staff parking or customer parking fixed layout | 450 x 600mm for a wall, post or gate |
| One bay kept for one unit or person | Reserved parking fill-in layout, with a bay number, unit number or name | 450 x 600mm for a wall, post or gate |
If the bay is for a named group, the fill-in layouts cover reserved parking, customer parking with a logo, and parking for groups such as residents, doctors or deliveries. A permitted-parking layout is usually more useful when the sign’s job is to direct, not to warn.
The board comes in 450 x 600mm portrait, 600 x 450mm landscape, and 600 x 900mm portrait sizes. It is available in 3mm or 5mm corflute, printed one sided. You can order up to 10 different designs in one order, with no minimum order. The page does not offer the accessible parking symbol or road-rule signs such as No Stopping, No Standing or Loading Zone. If the sign only has to remind a driver of a rule that already exists, a simple no parking sign is enough.
Where to put your sign so it is read before the driver stops
Placement decides whether the sign works. Face it toward the approach, at the entry, or beside the bay. The driver should see it before they stop, not after the car is parked.
Queensland’s parking sign guideline, written for private car parks, is a useful set of placement and readability habits for any parking sign. Make the sign readable from inside a moving vehicle at 20 metres. Place one at each vehicle entry facing entering traffic, with more signs inside as needed. Use strong contrast, and choose an easy-to-read font rather than novelty or cursive. The board should be made from robust material, should look professionally made rather than hand written, and should be replaced if damaged, generally within 7 days.
Fixing is simple. Optional eyelets add four silver metal eyelets, 10mm diameter, one near each corner, so you can cable-tie the board to a fence or gate. Screws through the board into a wall or post also work. No fixings are supplied, so buy cable ties, screws, posts or stakes separately.
Corflute is weather-resistant and holds its appearance for weeks to several months outdoors depending on sun exposure and handling. If the sign faces full sun or gets scuffed, replace it once the text fades. For more on the material, read the full corflute signs guide.
How to order the sign and time the job
Start with the layout. The five fixed layouts print exactly as shown, so there is nothing to type. The three fill-in layouts ask you to type one detail on the Upload Artwork step, such as a bay number, unit number or name. Our team sets the detail into the layout and emails a PDF proof. Fixed layouts get a PDF proof too, and nothing prints until you approve it.
For any other wording, such as a time limit or a number of spaces, choose Upload my own artwork with a print-ready PDF or high resolution image. Our team checks the file at the proof stage. If you want a designer to create the sign from your brief and logo, custom design has two design options on the first proof, three rounds of revisions, and a one-off design fee of $49.90.
Prices from the live corflute sign ladder include GST. For 3mm corflute, one sided, no eyelets and one design, a 600 x 450mm sign is $30 for one, $45 for two, or $130 for ten ($13 a sign). A 600 x 900mm sign is $39 for one or $190 for ten ($19 a sign). Adding eyelets costs $3.50 a sign. Fixed layouts and own artwork cost the same. The page prices every other combination, including 450 x 600mm and 5mm board.
After you approve the PDF proof, orders of 1 to 3 signs in our standard sizes are produced within 24 hours when approval is in by 10am Melbourne time. Up to 10 standard-size signs collected from Oakleigh South can use that 24 hour window. Delivered orders of 4 or more signs take 48 hours, and any order of more than 10 signs does too. Both 48 hour cases require approval by 8am Melbourne time. Orders ship the business day after production finishes. For 1 to 3 signs, standard delivery with Australia Post is $15 to capital-city metro addresses, $25 to regional addresses and $45 to remote addresses, per order. Orders of 4 or more signs have free delivery to every Australian postcode because delivery is included in the price. Express delivery with StarTrack is $35 per order and is available only for 1 to 3 signs to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra metro addresses. Pickup from Oakleigh South is available at no charge. Put a needed-by date in the Special Request box at checkout and the team will reply whether it can be met.
See the production and delivery page for the full timing and courier details.
Frequently asked questions
Does a no parking sign on my driveway make blocking it illegal?
The road rule already applies whether or not a sign is up. Road rule 198 prohibits stopping on or across a driveway except for a short passenger pick up or drop off, and councils or police can issue an infringement notice. A no parking sign is a reminder that helps drivers avoid the fine, not the thing that makes the conduct a breach. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can I park across my own driveway?
Tasmania’s Road Safety Advisory Council says you must not stop or park over a driveway, even your own, except for two minutes for picking up or dropping off passengers or goods. Advice in other states differs, so check with your local council before you rely on it.
Can I have cars towed from my property?
Having a car removed from private land is regulated state by state. In Queensland, the Tow Truck Act 2023 and Tow Truck Regulation 2024 apply in regulated areas. Western Australia regulates towing under the Road Traffic (Towing of Vehicles) Regulations 2020 and bans wheel clamping. Our ready layouts carry no towing wording. Check your state transport department first, then place the wording through Upload my own artwork for any permitted towing terms.
What size no parking sign should I buy?
The boards come in 450 x 600mm portrait, 600 x 450mm landscape and 600 x 900mm portrait. Start with 450 x 600mm for a wall, post or gate, 600 x 450mm for a fence panel or wide wall, and 600 x 900mm when a sign needs to be read from further away across a car park.
What does a no parking sign cost?
Prices are in Australian dollars and include GST. For 3mm corflute, one sided, no eyelets and one design, a 600 x 450mm sign is $30 for one, $45 for two, or $130 for ten. Eyelets add $3.50 a sign. Other sizes and options are priced live on the page.
How do I put up the sign and do fixings come with it?
No fixings are supplied. You can add four silver metal eyelets, 10mm diameter, one near each corner, for cable ties to a fence or gate. Screws through the board into a wall or post also work. Buy any cable ties, screws, posts or stakes separately.
