Brooklyn Begins Booting Cars This Monday

NY City’s pilot vehicle booting program begins in Brooklyn this Monday, June 25. The program will expand into Queens and Staten Island this summer before being rolled out citywide. The city has issued the following advisory.

WHAT IS BOOTING?
Booting is an enforcement tool used instead of towing. With booting, a device is attached to a wheel of your vehicle to prevent you from moving it. You can be booted for owing the city more than $350 in parking, red light camera or bus lane violation tickets that are in judgment. If you do not pay the parking, red light camera and bus lane violation judgment debt and related fees within two business days of being booted, then your vehicle may be towed.

WHY IS THE CITY STARTING TO BOOT?
Booting is a new, improved tool for us to enforce against parking debt instead of towing. Towing is time-consuming, inconvenient and can be frightening when you don’t see your vehicle. Towing doesn't allow you access to personal belongings, such as infant car seats, prescription drugs, or important paperwork left in a vehicle. Booting allows you to put your vehicle back on the road quickly.
 
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE TICKETS IN JUDGMENT?
A ticket becomes “in judgment” when approximately 100 days have passed since you were issued your parking, red light camera or bus lane violation ticket unless you have either paid the ticket or it was dismissed after a hearing. In that time, we have sent you at least 3 notices and you have not paid or contested your ticket. Once that happens, a judgment is docketed with the Civil Court of the City of New York for your debt and the City can take enforcement action against you such as towing or booting your vehicle. If your ticket is in judgment, the total amount you owe includes the fine, penalties and interest that have been added for non-payment.
 
HOW WILL BOOTING WORK?
If you owe more than $350 in parking, red light camera or bus lane violation tickets in judgment and you are parked on a public street, you may have a boot attached to your vehicle. To get the boot off, call the toll-free phone number on the boot and give the customer service representative your debit/credit card number. You will then receive a release code. Once you enter the code, the boot will unlock and you can remove it. You need to return the boot to a return location near you within 24 hours.
 
HOW WILL THE CITY FIND BOOT ELIGIBLE VEHICLES?
Vans with "license plate recognition" (LPR) technology travel throughout the city