A nationwide inspection of parking zones is to take place after authorities were inundated with complaints from drivers claiming they should not have been clamped.
The National Transport Authority is ordering the review as many motorists said they were not adequately warned.
Consultants are being hired, at a cost of €150,000, to carry out the audit into whether clamping signs comply with the law, which states they must be “prominent” and “indicate clearly” private clampers are operating.
Last year, more than 300 motorists cited signs that were inadequate under the legislation in appeals or complaints to the NTA about being clamped.
Four in every 10 appeals against clampers were upheld last year.
AA Ireland spokesman Conor Faughnan said the clamping process was often "ugly and crude".
He told the Irish Daily Mail: "I welcome the audit, we need to know if the process is fair and proper.
"In Dublin at least, most genuine cases taken by motorists in Dublin - where they have been dropping someone into hospital or there has been a defective machine - there is usually a satisfactory outcome.
"However, outside of Dublin, the process is a bit more hit-and-miss, so I think the audit is important in that respect."
A spokesman for the NTA said it is hoped the two-year audit will lead to “clearer communication to motorists of the rules associated with parking in clamping places and the consequences of non-compliance with same”.
