Unpaid parking tickets? CARTA plans to start booting this fall

A car boot return box outside the CARTA South Garage next to the Chattanooga Choo Choo. (Photo/William Newlin)

By William Newlin

CARTA has a two-fold plan to ramp up its parking enforcement and, according to the agency, protect future parkers downtown.

The Chattanooga Parking Authority — run by CARTA — aims to recover millions of dollars in unpaid parking tickets, which fund the free electric shuttles running downtown.

To nudge Chattanoogans into paying over 60,000 outstanding fines, CARTA expects to start booting cars beginning Oct. 1.

The second part of the agency’s plan — which CARTA says is for consumer protection — would require parking companies to get a license to boot cars in private lots. In exchange, they would have to follow CARTA-mandated standards for parking rates and fees.

The policy is already in place, though CARTA’s board still needs to approve details, including the licensing requirements for private booting.

Here’s what you need to know to avoid getting stuck:

👥 Who gets booted?

A few things have to be true for CARTA to boot a car:

The driver has at least three parking tickets due to the Parking Authority
The tickets must be overdue by more than 60 days
None of the tickets are under appeal by the driver
CARTA mailed a notice to the car owner at least 10 days before

This goes for any parking citation, from overstaying at a metered spot to parking in a loading zone. See a list of parking offenses here.

According to the approved plan, if the owner’s citation situation meets the criteria above, CARTA can boot or tow any car stopped or idling on any public road, lot, or parking garage.

This does not apply to private parking lots, owned by companies like BrightBase, Republic Parking, or Omega. More on how the ordinance impacts them below.

🔎 How do I know if I have unpaid tickets?

Go to chattanoogaparking.org, and click “Pay your parking tickets. Enter your information to see any outstanding fines.

You can pay tickets online, which carries a $2.50 fee
You can pay in-person at the Chattanooga Parking Authority office at 1362 Market St., or send a check
You can call the authority at 423-648-4031

See all options here.

⏰ Do I really have to pay all my tickets?

Yes, but increased enforcement isn’t set to begin until Oct. 1. CARTA CEO Charles Frazier told City Council on March 24 that the board of directors will consider financial hardship plans. Per his presentation, there could be:

A monthly payment plan option
A 25-50% reduction in what’s owed due to considerations like a lost job
A partnership with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank where the value of donated food lowers fines by a certain amount

🚨 Is this new?

Actually, no. CARTA already had the authority to boot or impound cars whose owners met the three, 60-day-overdue ticket threshold. Now, the agency wants to increase enforcement. What’s really new in this policy is the piece about private parking companies (see below).

Another thing to know: Drivers must be able to remove the boots themselves, and boots come with a $75 fee tacked on to any existing parking debt. That’s the same as the current city boot removal fee.

🥾 Private boots?

This is really what’s new.

A 2024 state law actually banned private booting if a local government passed a policy like this
But it allowed cities to offer businesses a license to boot through their parking authorities
Parking authorities can add licensing requirements, including caps on rates and fees

CARTA’s board will vote on requirements to get a booting license at their May 21 meeting. Frazier included these options in a presentation to Council in March.