ATLANTA — Georgia’s new booting bill is now the law of the land. The new protections against predatory booting for consumers went into effect statewide at the start of the year.
Under the new law, booting operators must obtain permits from the state.
Signs have to clearly show the company’s name, contact info and the removal cost and the new law also prohibits kickback payments from booters to property owners.
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“The real problem we’re trying to solve is what we’re going to call the wild west of booting,” Atlanta attorney Matt Wetherington told Channel 2’s Justin Gray.
For years, Wetherington has represented Georgia consumers battling booting fees.
He believes that the new prohibition on kickback payments will be the most impactful part of the changes.
“We’ve seen countless people who are shot, stabbed, or just getting into fights with car booters. It’s my hope that we will see a dramatic reduction in that as some of these financial incentives are taken away,” Wetherington said.
The booting law also limits what booting companies can charge to remove boots.
The new rules set by the Department of Public safety sets a maximum $75 a day removal fee for a boot on a passenger vehicle.
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Those new rules also require boot operators to respond to a removal request within an hour and say that “if the vehicle operator returns before immobilization is complete, the vehicle must be released without charge.”
The Department of Public Safety has given property owners an extension until February 15 to replace their signage, but all other parts of the law are now active.
“If someone boots you right now, take photos of the sign, take photos of the lot, take photos of the notice that’s on your car. Make sure that it complies with the new law, and if it doesn’t, dispute it with your credit card company,” Wetherington said.
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