Did you know you could be fined for parking in your own driveway?

If you're blocking a footpath, nature strip, or parked sideways across a driveway, you can be fined.

While not blocking a footpath is obvious, less so is what you're supposed to do if there's no footpath, especially if the road isn't wide enough to park on the kerb.

In instances where the road is narrow and there's no footpath, you can still be fined for blocking a nature strip.

In this situation you must park facing the direction of traffic with two wheels on the kerb and two wheels on the road.

After residents in Dubbo were fined $302 for parking in front of their homes, the Leader decided to look into whether motorists run the same risks here.

Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) confirmed the same rules apply locally.

"Parking fines can be issued to vehicles that are parked across a footpath or nature strip, or blocking a driveway. If a person is parked across a driveway that belongs to their own place of residency, there is still the possibility that they could be booked," a TRC spokesperson said

"This type of fine may not be issued as frequently as others, however it is a fineable offence that can be issued by both Parking Rangers and the Police."

According to NSW Road Safety Road Rule 197, if the vehicle is parked on a driveway - even your own driveway - and it is parked between the letterbox and the road, it is considered blocking access to a pathway and the owner of the vehicle can be fined.

The reasoning for this rule applying to nature strips [in the absence of footpaths] is to avoid potential access issues for water, telecommunications, and other utility assets.

Tamworth council says the cost of not following this rule is steep.

"If someone stops on or across a driveway, or on a path or strip of land in a built-up area, they could be faced with a $302 fine. If the infringement occurs within a school zone, the cost of the fine increases and could also result in two demerit points," a TRC spokesperson said.