The booting industry is pushing a bill in the General Assembly that seeks to clarify that booting is legal. Here's what you need to know about how booting works now:
In some places, like Atlanta and Marietta, booting is regulated by local ordinance, with fees capped and limits set on where and how boots can be applied. In these areas, booting companies are required to be licensed, post signs with specific language and their fee is capped (usually it’s around $75).
If you think you’ve been booted illegally or improperly, your options are limited. If you want your car back, you may find yourself with little recourse other than to pay the fee and move on.
A handful of counties, including Cobb and Gwinnett, have banned booting outright, but in much of the rest of the state, booting is unregulated. Some lawmakers have called it “the Wild West.”
It's these unregulated spaces where booting fees can soar to hundreds of dollars. The sponsors of House Bill 774 say they want to rein in the worst actors by imposing state regulations over the practice. Opponents say the bill doesn't offer enough protection for consumers and the practice should be banned.
Read more about the proposal here.
About the Author
