Brisbane drivers are risking jail time by covering their number plates to avoid getting parking fines from a new automatic camera system. Many motorists are obscuring their car’s plates with plastic sheets, camping chairs and even dishcloths so that the new cameras cannot see their registration number.

The new automatic parking enforcement camera system, as well as mobile enforcement vehicles and officers working on foot, have handed out almost $35 million in parking fines so far this year from more than 176,494 infringement notices, according to the ABC.

Brisbane city traffic
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But some drivers are trying to keep a step ahead of the new technology in order to not get fined in a move that could land them in jail, according to a legal expert.

Avinash Singh, principal lawyer at Astor Legal, has explained when covering a number plate becomes illegal, the penalties drivers could face, and why claiming ignorance is unlikely to be a defence. 

“The exact requirements vary between states, but in most jurisdictions, number plates must remain clearly visible and legible from up to 20 metres away, including the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland,” Singh said.

In Queensland, a driver could face an on-the-spot fine of $341 for using a towel, cardboard, camping chair or other household item to obscure their number plate. But according to Singh, the consequences for obscuring your number plate can extend well beyond a standard traffic infringement.

“If police can prove a driver deliberately modified their number plate to avoid detection by speed cameras or toll roads, they could potentially face the criminal offence of perverting the course of justice. That offence carries a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment,” Singh said. 

According to the ABC, the new cameras were first rolled out in four of Brisbane’s busiest areas in early 2025 before expanding to more than 40 locations in November. Just two of those sites – Graham Street in South Brisbane and Park Road in Milton – accounted for more than 3000 infringement notices alone.

The other three locations in the top five for infringement notices, according to Brisbane City Council, are Latrobe Terrace in Paddington, McLachlan Street in the Fortitude Valley and Green Square Close, also in the Fortitude Valley.

While the new cameras are already handing out many infringement notices, it’s the council’s mobile enforcement vehicles that have delivered the most so far in 2026 with over 100,000 lodged since January 1st.