$75 max, no midnight boots: Your parking rights for Atlanta’s big sports weekend
With United, Dream, Hawks and Falcons all playing, plus a State Farm concert, here’s what you need to know about downtown parking.
Answers you’ll find in this story:
- How much can a private lot legally charge to boot your car in Georgia, and when must they let you drive away free?
- Can you be booted or towed overnight from a paid lot, and what are your rights on payment, wait times, and signage?
- What does Atlanta’s new ordinance require lots to disclose, and what’s the safest way to park for this weekend’s downtown games?
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Tens of thousands of people are expected downtown this weekend for Saturday’s Atlanta United match, the Atlanta Dream playoff game followed by the Atlanta Hawks’ home opener, and Sunday’s Atlanta Falcons game and then a concert at State Farm Arena.
If you’re driving and paying to park in a private lot, state law and a new Atlanta ordinance both give you specific protections. Here’s what you need to know, straight from the official sources.
Under rules set by the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS), a boot fee on a regular car cannot exceed $75 a day for passenger vehicles and $125 for commercial vehicles. That’s an all-inclusive flat rate; the company can’t tack on extra charges for processing, retrieval or “convenience.”
Companies must accept cash, not just cards, and they cannot charge extra for using a credit or debit card.
If you make it back to your car before the boot is fully attached, the company has to let you go with no charge, according to the DPS rules.
Once you call the number on the sign, the company has 60 minutes to show up, per DPS rules. Required signs must be posted at the lot’s entrance, visible at night, with the company’s name, a 24-hour phone number and the fees.
Georgia law also says it is illegal to boot or tow your car out of a paid private parking lot between midnight and 9 a.m. The lot can still charge you a penalty for staying overnight without permission, but by law, that penalty cannot be more than $25 above the normal parking fee.
What Atlanta’s new parking ordinance requires
The Atlanta City Council passed a new ordinance this fall requiring paid parking lots and garages in the city to be upfront with customers. Lots must now post or disclose:
- Whether you get a grace period to change your mind and leave without being charged — and how long it lasts.
- Whether the lot uses cameras or license-plate-reading technology.
- A way to pay without a smartphone, even at app-only lots — unless the lot clearly says it’s “smartphone payments only.”
If you get a surprise charge, the lot cannot send you to collections or report it to a credit agency for at least 30 days. They also can’t enforce the charge while your dispute is still pending, according to the ordinance.
We checked the official parking pages for Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Georgia World Congress Center and State Farm Arena. None of them state in writing that their lots are free from booting or towing.
All three recommend booking ahead through their own official system:
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium lists official lots that accept a mobile pass purchased in advance, and separately warns that some nearby lots are “NOT owned or operated by Mercedes-Benz Stadium” and that you “park at your own risk” in those.
- The Georgia World Congress Center recommends a prepaid digital or printable pass, scanned at the gate, to guarantee your space.
- State Farm Arena directs drivers to reserve parking in advance through ParkMobile to “guarantee your spot and the lowest prices.”
The safest move: reserve parking in advance through the venue’s own official website, park only in the exact lot named on your pass, follow the posted rules, and keep your digital receipt.
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