Towing and Booting

Although the Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division is not responsible for enforcing towing and booting laws, we hope this information will help guide you to resources that will assist you in resolving your complaint. 

The laws and the recourse that consumers have vary depending on several factors, including whether the vehicle was booted or towed, whether the vehicle was towed on private property or government property, and whether the vehicle was towed with or without your consent.   

Note: Towing caused by vehicle repossession is a separate matter. Please see the Federal Trade Commission’s article on Vehicle Repossession. 

If you believe your car was wrongly booted and want to file a complaint, you have several options:  

  • First, contact the booting company and talk to a service representative. If you aren’t satisfied with the response you get, ask to speak to the manager or owner. Some booting companies have online complaint forms that you can submit through the company’s website. 
  • Contact the property owner of the parking facility. Property owners contract with booting companies, giving them permission to boot cars illegally parked on their property. They should be notified if a company is booting legally parked vehicles, as this could have a detrimental impact on their business. 
  • Some municipalities and counties require that a booting company have a special license to boot cars in that area. If a license is required where you were booted, check to see if the company is properly licensed and file a complaint with the local licensing authority. Depending on the county or municipality, this may be the city or county business license and permitting office or the police department. 
  • If you believe that you have given the company enough time to resolve the problem and they have failed to do so, file a complaint with the Business Bureau at www.bbb.org.    

BOOTING AND NON-CONSENSUAL TOWING FROM PRIVATE PROPERTY 

The Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS) regulates non-consensual towing and booting from private property. If the towing or booting company tows or boots a vehicle from private property, it must have an agreement with the owner of the property and must have also filed with the DPS.  

Please note that this Georgia law does not cover: 

  • consensual towing; 
  • towing from government property; 
  • or towing or booting within a municipality that has not authorized towing or booting by ordinance.   

A municipality that allows towing/booting within its jurisdiction may strengthen existing Georgia laws or apply its own towing or booting regulations within city limits, such as the time of day a vehicle may be towed.  

What does the law provide? 
The owner of private property, or his or her authorized agent, has the right to have your motor vehicle booted or removed from that property if you parked there without authorization and a notice was conspicuously posted informing you that your vehicle may be immobilized (booted) or removed at your expense. In addition, the notice must also provide the following information: 

  • Towing 
  • the location where you can recover your towed vehicle or personal property; 
  • the cost to recover your vehicle (towing fees and storage costs); and 
  • what types of payment are accepted.  
     
  • Booting 

Beginning on February 15, 2026, all booting companies must erect signage at each entrance to a property showing: 

  • the name of the booting company  
  • a 24-hour contact phone number for removal of the boot; 
  • accepted methods of payment; 
  • and the all-inclusive, flat rates assessed by the company based on the vehicle’s gross vehicle weight rating. 

The law also forbids any towing or booting operator from taking kickbacks from private property owners, i.e. entering into agreements with the property owners under which the towing/booting company would pay the property owner for allowing it to surveille or tow/boot vehicles trespassing on the property. 

How much can a towing or booting company charge? 
DPS sets the rates that towing and booting companies can charge you and institutes a maximum tariff. However, certain cities may set a lower maximum fee than the state standard inside their city limits. If your car was towed or booted, please inquire about the ordinances of the city where this took place. 

Are towing and booting companies regulated? 
Any company wishing to engage in non-consensual towing or booting from private property must have a permit from the DPS and pay an annual filing fee. A list of permitted non-consensual towing and booting companies can be found on the DPS web site. In addition to possessing a permit, any person who tows or boots a vehicle may only do so within a jurisdiction that has authorized the towing or booting of trespassing vehicles by ordinance or resolution. Georgia law requires booting and non-consensual towing companies to maintain safety standards, carry a minimum amount of insurance coverage and have insurance information on file with the DPS.  

Consumers should keep the following tips in mind: 

  • Before you park your vehicle anywhere, look for signs indicating whether parking is allowed, whether you must pay to park there (and how much), how long you’re allowed to leave your vehicle after you pay, and the potential consequences for improperly parking your vehicle, including car booting or towing. 
  • Don’t park in parking lots or spaces assigned to a particular business if you are going to visit another business. A booting company may be watching to see which business you enter, and even if you do enter the right business at some point, if you leave and go to another business, your vehicle may still get booted.      
  • If you find your car has been booted, immediately call the booting company at the number indicated on any notice left on your vehicle, or the number provided on the parking signage. Get information on why the booting company believes you were parked improperly. If you pay to remove the car boot, make sure you get a receipt, the name of the person who removed the boot, and the name of the booting company.  All of this information will be important if you choose to dispute the car boot later.