Tennessee reforms vehicle booting laws

Published 3:35 pm Thursday, May 30, 2024

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By Jon Styff

The Center Square

A $75 cap on how much a company can charge for removing a boot from a vehicle will go into place July 1.

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed House Bill 1731 into law Tuesday that prohibits booting unless an individual is licensed through a local government. To boot a car in a commercial parking lot, a licensed parking attendant must be present, identifiable as an employee and available to remove the boot within 45 minutes of a driver’s call.

Vehicle owners must be properly notified if their vehicle is being towed, sold or demolished by a towing company and, if the towing process has begun but the vehicle hasn’t left the parking area, the bill requires towing companies to release vehicles to the owner for a fee of no more than $100.