Hobart City Council is taking a high tech approach to parking fines.

The council is installing up to 2,000 in-ground sensors to detect over-stayers across the city.

The sensors will detect and identify cars that stay in a park too long and alert parking officers.

Locals want to know whether this mean they will be fined for staying just a second over time.

Alderman Damon Thomas said the new system would not be draconian.

“When an attendant sees a meter that is almost expired, they don't wait sitting behind a post waiting for that meter to expire and then go forward; they just continue on their way,” he told reporters.

“There is not a process, practice or procedure (currently) which is designed to catch out the person who may be unavoidably detained by a few minutes, so we will not be putting that in place with this new procedure.”

The council received over $5 million for parking fines in 2015-16, but that number could now soar.  

The council says the sensors are not about revenue raising, but gathering data on parking in the city.

The plans also include 370 new parking meters that allow users to pay with credit and debit cards, as well as cash.

“It's entered the convenience stage,” Alderman Thomas said.

“So many people have complained to us that they just don't carry dollar coins in ready supply and they don't understand why we don't have credit and debit card facilities ... it's just an antiquated system.”

In fact, people will be able to use their phones to make payments with a parking account similar to road toll accounts interstate.

They will also be able to top up meters from their phone (without having to visit the meter), and claim back money if they have overpaid.

“We want to be a liveable city — we want to be available to everyone and this is just one of the ways we're doing that,” Alderman Thomas said.

The Council is speaking to contactors about who will actually supply the equipment, which should be in place by the end of the year.