2026 kicked off with several new laws going into effect in Georgia. Possibly one of the most talked-about new laws, however, is the new booting law, which intends to protect residents from predatory booting practices. Keep scrolling to learn more.
Hold up… what exactly is the law?
Georgia House Bill 551 is a bit of a doozy–several pages and multiple different vehicle-related regulations. If you want to read the whole thing, you can find the bill here. Or, let us break it down for you.
Here are some of the things you can expect, now that HB 551 is law of the land:
- charging to more than $75 for passenger vehicles and $125 for commercial vehicles.
- no more cash-only booting
- booting companies can no longer pay kickbacks to property owners/managers
- ALL booting companies must be licensed by the Georgia Department of Public Safety, which will also work to enforce the new law.
- If the vehicle operator returns before immobilization is complete, the vehicle must be released without charge.
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Other updates to the law include response time caps as well. Atlanta News First reports, “Starting in 2026, companies may face consequences if they take too long to respond.” In other words, the booting operators must arrive within one hour of the release request.
Many drivers have also complained in the past about not knowing they were parking in a booting area, since signage was hidden, missing or hard to see. Per this new bill, booting companies will install visible signs with the company name and a 24-hour contact number on property entrances.
If you’d like to learn more, you can visit the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s website, here.This is great news for residents and drivers in the ATL, since for too long, we’ve had to deal with shady booting practices. Hopefully this law will create a safer, better city for us all!