Atlanta drivers who have ever squinted at a confusing parking sign or gotten hit with a surprise invoice could soon have new legal protections. The Atlanta City Council is considering a proposed ‘parking bill of rights’ that would force private parking lot operators across the city to disclose their rates, payment methods, and dispute procedures in far greater detail than currently required.
The measure, known as Ordinance 26-O-1370, cleared the council's Transportation Committee unanimously on Wednesday and now heads to the full City Council for a vote, according to Atlanta News First. The ordinance was sponsored by Councilmember Jason Dozier, who said the legislation would create standardized expectations for drivers navigating the city's patchwork of private lots.
“Parking in Atlanta is always a nightmare,” Old Fourth Ward driver Erin Dunn told the outlet, describing how the uncertainty can lead drivers to risk getting a ticket just trying to find a spot. Another driver identified only as Alex said finding a place to pay or even locating a working kiosk can be difficult, a frustration the ordinance is designed to address directly.
What Lots Would Have To Post
Under the proposal, private lots would need to clearly post parking costs, hours of operation, the number of permitted spaces, the operator's name, and a customer service phone number or website. Lots would also have to disclose whether they are staffed, gated, all-digital, cashless, or smartphone-only, and whether they offer a grace period allowing drivers to enter and leave without paying if they decide not to park.
Lots that rely on text-to-pay or QR-code systems would be required to offer an alternative payment method if that digital option is the only way to pay, and to inform drivers upfront that digital payment is their sole choice. The rules are aimed at closing the kind of confusion that has plagued Atlanta drivers for years — including a 2022 wave of fraudulent parking tickets with fake QR codes that directed victims to scam payment sites in corridors like Buckhead and Downtown, according to WSB-TV.
New Rules For Invoices And Disputes
Parking penalty invoices issued under the ordinance would have to spell out the amount owed, the rate in effect at the time of the alleged violation, the vehicle's license plate number, the alleged violation date, time and location, the rule allegedly broken, supporting evidence, and instructions for disputing the charge. Operators would also have to provide written notice of any penalty invoice rather than leaving drivers to discover it later.
Drivers would get at least 30 days to dispute a charge, and operators would have to acknowledge a dispute within five business days and issue a written decision within 21 business days. Crucially, penalties could not be enforced while a dispute is pending, and operators would be barred from referring a charge to collections or credit reporting agencies before the dispute period ends — a provision aimed squarely at the practice of treating unpaid private parking invoices, which are civil contract claims rather than municipal fines, as an excuse for premature debt collection, per consumer protection reporting.
License Plate Readers Get New Guardrails
The proposed legislation also adds regulations for license plate reader use without banning the technology outright. Lots using plate readers would have to post signs disclosing their use and allow drivers to exit if they don't want their plates scanned. Operators would have to disclose the name of any third-party vendor collecting plate data, and that data could only be stored for a reasonable period to allow for payment and a potential dispute — not sold or used for advertising or marketing purposes.
Parking facilities would also need to disclose whether customer data might be shared with vendors, collection agencies, towing companies, law enforcement, or property owners, and provide a website or phone number where drivers can review the full privacy policy. The scrutiny arrives as license plate reader technology spreads across the region: MARTA raised station parking fees and shortened free parking grace periods in August partly to fund its own camera and smart-gate upgrades, WSB-TV reported.
Compliance Window And Penalties
Lots that are already compliant would have 180 days to make any required changes once the ordinance takes effect. Noncompliant operators could face violations of up to $1,000, giving the city a financial lever to enforce the new disclosure and dispute rules.
The proposal builds on a history of city and state efforts to police private parking enforcement. In 2019, Atlanta already required standardized entrance signage at private lots and decks, and in 2012 the council adopted an earlier ‘Parking Bill of Rights’ covering public meters and ticketing following a public campaign, according to 11Alive. Statewide, Georgia's House Bill 551 took effect January 1 capping vehicle booting fees at $75 a day and banning kickbacks between lot owners and booting companies, while state Senator Josh McLaurin introduced a bill in March seeking a full statewide booting ban, as Hoodline previously reported.
Dozier's push for clearer parking rules follows his 2024 legislation eliminating minimum off-street parking requirements in the BeltLine Overlay district, part of a broader record on urban mobility reform, according to the Atlanta City Council. If the full council approves Ordinance 26-O-1370 at its scheduled September 8 vote, Atlanta drivers could see the new disclosure and dispute protections phased in at private lots across the city over the following six months.
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