Your Car Was Booted: What to Do, What It Costs, and How to Get It Removed

We are not attorneys. This guide is for informational purposes only.

You return to your parked car to find a bright yellow or orange metal clamp locked around one of your wheels. Your car is booted — and until you resolve it, the vehicle is not moving.

A boot (also called a wheel clamp or Denver boot) is placed on vehicles that have accumulated a threshold number of unpaid parking citations. It is designed to be immediately disruptive: you cannot drive the vehicle, you cannot ignore the situation, and storage costs mount if you leave the car in place.

Here is what you need to do, in order.

Step 1: Stay Calm and Read the Notice

The boot will have a bright notice attached to the vehicle — a large sticker or placard explaining why the boot was placed, who placed it, and how to pay for removal.

Before doing anything else, read this notice carefully. It should contain:

• The agency or company that placed the boot (city parking enforcement or, in some cities, a contracted booting company)
• A phone number to call or website to visit for payment
• A deadline — if the boot is not addressed within a set period (typically 24–72 hours), the vehicle may be towed to an impound lot
• The specific outstanding tickets that triggered the boot, or a reference to your license plate

Do not remove or tamper with the boot. Attempting to remove a city-placed boot is typically a criminal offense — it can result in a misdemeanor charge, damage the wheel or vehicle, and make the overall situation significantly worse.

Step 2: Find Out Your Total Balance

Call the number on the notice or visit the payment portal. Your total balance to release the boot typically includes:

1. All outstanding parking citation fines (including accumulated late fees)
2. A boot removal fee — typically $75–$200 depending on the city
3. Any additional storage or impound fees if you let too much time pass before resolving

In some cities, you can negotiate a payment plan for the underlying fines while still getting the boot removed — but you must pay the boot removal fee immediately in all cases.

Major city boot removal fees (approximate):

• New York City: $80–$100 boot fee plus all outstanding fines
• Chicago: $150 boot fee plus all outstanding fines
• Los Angeles: $90–$125 boot fee plus all outstanding fines
• Denver: $75 boot fee (Denver invented the boot in 1953; the device is named after the city)
• Philadelphia: $90–$150 boot fee plus outstanding fines

These amounts change periodically — verify the current fee with the violations bureau when you call.

Step 3: Pay — in Full or Through a Plan

Option A: Pay in full. The fastest way to get the boot removed. Pay all outstanding fines plus the boot fee. Once payment is confirmed, the booting company or city agent will typically come to remove the boot within 1–4 hours during business hours.

Option B: Payment plan. Some cities allow you to enter a payment plan for the underlying fines and have the boot removed once the plan is active and a down payment is made. You still pay the boot removal fee immediately. Call the violations bureau to confirm whether this option is available and what the down payment requirement is.

Payment options typically include:

• Credit or debit card by phone or online
• Electronic check (ACH)
• In some cities, in-person payment at the violations bureau

Do not pay a cash amount to an individual on the street who approaches you claiming to be a city employee. Booting payments are made through official channels — phone, online portal, or in-person office. Unauthorized “removal services” that accept cash and claim to remove boots are a scam.

Step 4: Schedule Boot Removal

Once payment is confirmed, the process for removal varies by city:

City-operated booting programs: After payment is processed, you receive a confirmation number. Call the boots hotline with that number and request removal. In most cities, removal is dispatched within a few hours during business hours. After-hours removals may take longer.

Contracted booting companies: Some cities contract with private companies (like Barnacle, Denver Boot, or ParkSmart) to operate boot programs. These companies typically respond faster because their revenue model depends on prompt removal and vehicle turnover.

Wait at the vehicle if you can. You do not need to be present in most cities for the boot to be removed, but being there means you can confirm the removal is complete and photograph any damage to the vehicle or wheel.

Step 5: Inspect Your Vehicle After Removal

Before the removal agent leaves, inspect your vehicle for any damage caused by the boot installation:

• Wheel or rim damage
• Tire sidewall damage from boot contact
• Damage to the vehicle’s body

Boot damage is relatively uncommon with properly installed equipment, but it does occur. If you observe damage, document it with photos immediately and before the agent leaves. Report damage to the city’s booting program, and follow up in writing. Cities typically have a process for damage claims.

What If You Can’t Pay Right Now?

If you cannot pay immediately, you have a limited window before the situation worsens:

Contact the violations bureau immediately. Many cities have a hardship or emergency removal process for vehicles that are creating safety hazards — a vehicle parked in a fire lane, blocking an alley, or in a situation that needs to be moved for public safety. Explaining the situation can sometimes result in a temporary extension before towing.

Know your towing timeline. If the boot notice says towing begins after 24 or 48 hours, that is the real deadline. Once towed, you owe towing fees and daily impound storage on top of everything else. Impound storage typically runs $50–$100 per day — a one-week impound stay can add $350–$700 to what you already owe.

Ask about a payment plan for boot release. As noted above, some cities allow boot removal on plan enrollment with a down payment. Even if you cannot pay the full balance, a partial payment plus plan enrollment may get the boot removed and stop the clock.

How to Avoid Being Booted Again

Once the boot is removed and you are driving again, the path to avoiding a recurrence is clear:

Clear all outstanding tickets. A payment plan addresses the balance, but make sure every individual ticket is included. If one ticket was missed and goes unpaid, you remain in the system.

Stay current on your registration. A registration hold — the same mechanism that leads to booting — can be triggered by new unpaid tickets added after a plan is set up. Don’t park illegally while on a plan.

Contest tickets you believe were wrong. The best way to reduce an accumulated balance is to contest any tickets that have legitimate error-based grounds. See our guide to fighting a parking ticket for the steps.

Booting Thresholds by City

These thresholds are approximate and subject to change. Cities may lower thresholds during enforcement intensification periods or for specific violation types.

Private Lot Booting: A Different Situation

Not all booting is done by the city. Private parking lot operators in many states are authorized to boot vehicles that violate lot rules — typically for parking without payment, overstaying time limits, or parking in permit-only areas.

Private booting is governed by state law, which varies significantly. Some states prohibit private booting entirely; others allow it with specific requirements (posted notice, maximum fees, time limits on how long the boot can remain before towing is required).

The removal process for a private boot is similar — call the number on the notice, pay the fee, wait for removal — but the fee structure and response time are set by the private operator, not the city.

If you believe a private boot was placed unlawfully — without required notice, in excess of state-allowed fees, or by an unauthorized party — contact your state’s consumer protection office or attorney general’s consumer fraud division.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the boot removal immediately clear my registration hold? Not necessarily. The registration hold is tied to the outstanding fines, not the boot specifically. Once fines are fully paid (or a qualifying payment plan is in place), the city notifies the DMV and the hold clears — but this takes 3–10 business days. The boot removal and the registration hold are separate processes.

What if I believe one of the underlying tickets was issued in error? You can contest tickets even after a boot is placed. The difficulty is that you typically need to pay to get the boot removed before the appeal is resolved — because the boot has a tow deadline. The practical approach is to pay what you must to get the boot removed, then file an appeal for the tickets you believe were wrong. If an appeal succeeds and a ticket is dismissed, you are typically entitled to a refund.

Can I be booted on private property? Private booting is legal in many states, but the rules are different from public street booting. State laws governing private booting include notice requirements, fee caps, and restrictions on towing timelines. Research your specific state’s rules if you are booted on private property.

If my car was booted and then towed, what do I owe at the impound? At impound, you owe: all outstanding parking fines, the boot removal fee (often still assessed even if the vehicle was towed before the boot was removed), the towing fee (typically $150–$300), and daily storage fees from the impound lot. These costs accumulate quickly — retrieving an impounded vehicle that has been stored for a week can cost $600–$1,000 or more on top of the original fines.

Is booting legal everywhere in the United States? Municipal booting is legal in all states. Private booting is governed by state law and varies — some states limit or regulate private booting significantly. A handful of cities or counties have placed restrictions on private booting practices through local ordinance.

Further Reading from Authoritative Sources

• Parking Enforcement Tools and Best Practices — The International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) covers booting programs, their legal basis, and best practices for municipal parking enforcement.
• Consumer Rights in Debt Collection — If booting leads to collections referral for unpaid fines, the CFPB outlines your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.