Boot

A boot is a wheel immobilization device clamped onto a vehicle's tire by NYC marshals or the Sheriff's Office to prevent it from being driven until outstanding violation judgments are paid. Booting is the city's primary physical enforcement tool for collecting unpaid parking and camera violation debt, and it can happen anywhere — on the street, in a commercial lot, or even on private property.

A vehicle becomes boot-eligible once its total unpaid judgment debt reaches $350. After the boot is applied, the owner must pay the full judgment balance plus a $136 boot removal fee to have it removed. If the boot is not addressed within a set period (typically 72 hours), the vehicle may be towed to a city pound, adding towing charges and daily storage fees to the total cost.

For fleet operators, a boot on a commercial vehicle is an operational emergency. Every hour the vehicle is immobilized is lost revenue, disrupted routes, and potential service-level violations. The financial cost of the boot itself ($136 removal + judgment balance) is often dwarfed by the operational downtime. Clear Plates identifies boot-eligible vehicles in your fleet and prioritizes them for immediate payment to prevent immobilization.