Belgium’s Court of Cassation has settled a dilemma that has frustrated generations of drivers: if a parking meter is broken, you are not required to go looking for another working one. You can simply display the parking disc. Local municipal rules cannot override national law.

(Staff: Belgium / Mobility & Justice)

It is a scene almost every driver has experienced at least once. You park in a paid-parking zone and walk to the meter, only to discover that the screen is black, the buttons do not respond and the machine is completely dead. What do you do? Spend precious time looking for another meter, risk losing your space, try to pay through an app, or risk a fine? Belgian justice has now given a definitive answer that could change the rules across the country.

The Case That Reached the Court of Cassation

In 2022, the case began in Charleroi. A woman parked in a paid-parking zone and found that the meter was broken. She left her car there and displayed the parking disc (also known as the “blue disc”), believing she had done what was required. When she returned, she found a fine on her windscreen. The local authorities argued that she should have found another working meter nearby and paid.

The Ruling: National Law Prevails Over Local Rules

The woman challenged the fine. In 2024, a judge ruled in her favour, but the municipality of Charleroi appealed to the Court of Cassation, Belgium’s highest court.

A Green Light for Drivers, a Headache for Municipalities

The Court of Cassation dismissed Charleroi’s appeal. In its reasoning, the court referred to Belgium’s Highway Code, which clearly provides that when a parking meter is defective, drivers may use the parking disc. Local parking regulations cannot contradict a higher-ranking national rule.

Conclusion

In other words, municipalities cannot use local regulations to impose an obligation that conflicts with national law. The woman had used the blue parking disc as the law allows, and that was enough for her to comply.

This ruling is not just a victory for the woman from Charleroi; it has nationwide implications. Many Belgian cities and municipalities have local rules requiring drivers to find another meter or pay through an app when a machine is broken.

Those local administrations will now have to bring their rules into line with the Court of Cassation’s decision. Although the court did not explicitly rule on payment by app, it made clear that municipalities cannot force drivers to do so. If the parking meter is broken, the parking disc takes precedence.

The decision brings common sense and fairness to an area long dominated by bureaucratic traps. It recognises that drivers should not be held responsible for technical failures in municipal infrastructure.

The Court of Cassation’s ruling is a lesson in sound administration. In a world where digital services and payment apps are increasingly presented as universal solutions, the court has reaffirmed a basic principle: the law must be predictable and workable regardless of the state of the technology. If the meter does not work, drivers should not pay the price in fines or wasted time. A correctly displayed blue parking disc can protect them from an unjustified fine.