These are the two parking signs that confuse the most drivers in NSW. They look almost the same — both are red circles, both go in the “you can’t” category, both appear in similar streets. But the difference between them is the difference between dropping someone off legally and a $330 fine.
This guide is short on purpose. The whole thing comes down to one rule.
The one-sentence answer
No Stopping = the car can’t be stationary at all. No Parking = the car can be stationary for up to 2 minutes, but only if the driver stays within 3 metres of it.
That’s it. Everything below is just the consequences.
What each sign looks like
No Stopping is a red circle with a red diagonal cross — no letter inside.
No Parking is a red circle with a red letter “P” and a diagonal line through the P.
If you look fast, they’re identical. If you look slowly: the cross has no letter, the P has a P. Many drivers spot one or the other and assume they mean the same thing. They don’t.
What you can do under each sign
Under a No Stopping sign
- Drop someone off: No
- Pick someone up: No
- Wait with the engine running: No
- Stop briefly to take a phone call: No
- Stop because of traffic ahead: Permitted (you have to obey the road)
- Stop in a genuine emergency: Permitted (you can use the road for safety)
The legal definition under Rule 167 of the NSW Road Rules 2014 is that you must not stop on the length of road the sign applies to. There’s no time exception, no distance-from-driver exception, no “just for a second” exception.
Fine: $330.
Under a No Parking sign
- Drop someone off: Yes — up to 2 minutes, driver within 3m
- Pick someone up: Yes — same rule
- Drop off goods: Yes — same rule
- Wait with the engine running, driver in seat: Yes (counts as not parked)
- Walk into a shop: No (you’ve left the vehicle, that’s parking)
- Wait more than 2 minutes: No
Rule 168 says the driver of a vehicle in a No Parking zone “must not stop in the area for more than 2 minutes” and must keep the vehicle “no further than 3 metres from the nearest point of the vehicle” while it’s stopped.
Fine: $114.
Where you’ll see each sign
No Stopping appears where a stopped vehicle would create a real hazard:
- The 10–20 metres before and after intersections
- Near pedestrian and children’s crossings
- On roads where stopping would block traffic flow (bridges, narrow streets)
- Around schools (especially during pick-up and drop-off zones)
- On bus routes, near bus stops, in bus-only sections
No Parking appears where the council wants to allow brief drop-offs but not parking:
- Outside schools at certain times (often combined with a Kiss-and-Drop arrangement)
- In residential streets near shops, to allow quick errands
- Near taxi ranks and Uber pickup zones
- Outside churches, community halls, or medical practices
The reason the distinction matters
If you’re picking up a kid from school and the sign says No Parking, you can pull over, stay in the car, wave them in, and drive off — all within 2 minutes. Perfectly legal.
If you’re picking up a kid from school and the sign says No Stopping, the same behaviour is a $330 fine.
In practice, schools tend to combine both: No Stopping zones for general safety, plus a No Parking strip directly outside the gate as the drop-off zone.
The mistake most people make is reading “No Stopping” and thinking “well I’m not parking, I’m just stopping briefly.” That’s the literal opposite of what the sign means.
A common pole layout
In a typical Sydney street near a school you’ll see:
NO STOPPING — 8am–9:30am, 2:30pm–4pm — School Days
NO PARKING — At Other Times
This means:
- During school drop-off and pick-up windows, you can’t stop here at all
- Outside those windows, you can stop for 2 minutes (driver within 3m) to drop off / pick up
- Either way, you can’t actually park there during school days
On weekends and school holidays, neither sign applies and the spot reverts to whatever the next-most-restrictive sign says (or unrestricted, if there isn’t one).
The intersection trap
The single most common scenario for confusing these signs: stopping near an intersection. People assume the No Stopping zone ends right at the corner. It doesn’t.
Under Rule 170 of the Road Rules 2014, you must not stop on or near an intersection, with specific minimum distances:
- 10 metres from a non-signalised intersection (no traffic lights)
- 20 metres from a signalised intersection (with traffic lights)
These default distances apply even if there’s no No Stopping sign. Many councils put up No Stopping signs anyway as a visual reminder, but the rule applies regardless. And — critically — Rule 170 violations carry 2 demerit points in addition to a fine of around $337, because they’re treated as a road safety offence rather than a pure parking offence.
So if you’re parking 5 metres from a signalised intersection on a quiet street where there’s no No Stopping sign, you can still be fined and get demerit points. The absence of a sign is not permission.
Quick reference
| Want to do | No Stopping | No Parking |
|---|---|---|
| Stop briefly | No | Yes (max 2 min) |
| Drop off / pick up passenger | No | Yes (driver within 3m) |
| Park and walk away | No | No |
| Apply when sign is in force | Always | Always |
| Apply outside listed hours | No | No |
| Standard fine | $330 | $114 |
| Demerit points (ranger) | 0 | 0 |
Related guides
- How to read NSW parking signs (the complete decoder) — for layered signs and other types
- NSW parking fine amounts in 2026 — full fine schedule
- How to appeal a NSW parking fine — if you’ve been hit with one