KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee legislature is sending a bill to Governor Bill Lee that would add new restrictions to when commercial parking lots can boot or tow cars across the state.
SB 1692 was introduced by Sen. Jack Johnson (R - Franklin) and lets local governments give licenses to parking lot attendants so they can boot or tow vehicles from specific lots. The licenses would be required for parking lots to legally boot or tow cars, and employees authorized to boot cars need to wear uniforms and have photo IDs.
The employees need to be available to remove vehicle boots within 45 minutes of vehicle owners calling them. If a vehicle owner arrives in a parking lot as their car is being towed, the law also requires towing companies to release vehicles for a fee of no more than $100.
The bill also requires licensed parking lots to accept credit cards and debit cards as methods of payment to remove vehicle boots. The cost to remove boots cannot be more than $75, according to the bill, and parking lots must put a notice on cars' windshields that tells people the car was booted.
Parking lots also need to post signs that notify drivers if they use automatic license plate readers.
The bill also includes language requiring police departments to notify owners if they take in abandoned, immobile and unattended vehicles. They would need to send a notice overnight to the owner's last known address that the vehicle was taken into custody, and the notice needs to tell them how they can reclaim vehicles.
If vehicles are unclaimed, then police departments must try to sell them at a public auction. Money from the sale needs to go towards the costs of towing and storing the car and all costs associated with sending notices. The rest of the money would need to be held for the original owner of the car and after 60 days, the department will need to deposit it into a special fund to cover the costs of towing and storing other abandoned cars.
The 30-page bill would go into effect on July 1, if signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee.