To get an NYC boot removed, pay your full parking and camera-violation judgment debt plus three added fees, enter the release code the city gives you into the keypad on the device, pull the boot off your wheel, and return it to a designated drop-off site within 24 hours. Miss any step and the costs climb; wait more than two business days and the city tows your car.
What You’ll Owe Before the Boot Comes Off
The boot goes on when you owe $350 or more in parking tickets or camera violations (red-light, speed-camera, or bus-lane) that have gone into judgment.1Department of Finance. Vehicle Booting To get it released, you have to pay that full judgment balance plus:
- A boot fee of $185 for any vehicle booted on or after November 1, 2025.2NYC311. Booted Vehicle
- A Sheriff or Marshal execution fee of $95.2NYC311. Booted Vehicle
- A poundage fee of 5% of the total sum collected, calculated across your fines, penalties, interest, and other fees.1Department of Finance. Vehicle Booting
Someone sitting at exactly the $350 judgment threshold is looking at roughly $660 before the poundage calculation. The larger your underlying ticket debt, the more that 5% adds on top. Penalties and interest that accrued while the tickets sat unpaid also feed into the poundage math.
Partial payments will not release the boot. The city wants the whole balance before it issues a release code.
How to Pay and Get the Release Code
Look for the bright orange Boot Notice on your windshield. It carries a Boot ID number and identifies the enforcement agency. You have three ways to settle up:
- By phone at 646-517-1000, using a debit card, credit card, or bank account for an electronic check. A representative processes payment and reads back the release code.3NYC.gov. Booting Frequently Asked Questions
- Online at nycbootpay.com with a debit or credit card.3NYC.gov. Booting Frequently Asked Questions
- In person at a Department of Finance Business Center, Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Cash, money order, and credit or debit cards are accepted; cards carry a 2% service fee. Personal checks are not accepted for booted vehicles.4NYC311. Department of Finance Business Centers
Phone and online payment is almost always faster if your car is sitting on the street with a boot attached.
Unlocking the Boot and Returning It
The release code goes into the electronic keypad built into the device on your wheel. Enter it firmly. Incorrect entries can temporarily lock the keypad, so take a second to get it right. When the mechanism disengages, pull the metal frame off the tire.
Removing the boot from your wheel does not end the process. You have 24 hours to return the hardware to one of the city’s designated drop-off sites.1Department of Finance. Vehicle Booting Some sites run 24 hours; others don’t. A few examples of the restricted ones:
- 222 West 14th Street in Manhattan: 6 AM to 10 PM.
- 215 West 125th Street in Manhattan: 7 AM to 7 PM, seven days.
- Pay-O-Matic locations across the boroughs: 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Saturday.
The full list of drop-off locations and hours is on the Department of Finance booting page and in the paperwork that comes with your payment.1Department of Finance. Vehicle Booting If you got booted overnight, check which nearby sites are open before assuming you can wait until morning.
Miss the 24-hour window and you incur a $25-per-day late fee, capped at $500.3NYC.gov. Booting Frequently Asked Questions When you turn the device in, get a return receipt from the clerk. That receipt is your only proof the equipment came back intact.
If You Don’t Pay Within Two Business Days
Fail to pay the judgment debt and fees within two business days of the boot being placed (weekends and holidays don’t count), and the city will tow the vehicle to a marshal or sheriff pound.3NYC.gov. Booting Frequently Asked Questions One exception removes that grace period entirely: if your car was also parked illegally in a way that affects public safety, a tow truck can be dispatched immediately, and a tow dispatch fee is added to the total.2NYC311. Booted Vehicle
Towing is expensive. A standard passenger vehicle under 8,500 pounds carries a $220 tow fee plus a $140 tow dispatch fee, adding $360 on top of what you already owed. Heavier vehicles between 8,500 and 17,999 pounds pay a $280 tow fee with a $195 dispatch fee.1Department of Finance. Vehicle Booting Storage fees also accrue for each day the vehicle sits in the pound. The pound will not release the car unless its registration and insurance are current, so a lapsed registration means a DMV detour before you can even get your car back.5Department of Finance. Parking Ticket Payment Plans
Payment Plans After You’ve Been Booted
If paying the entire judgment balance at once isn’t realistic, a payment plan is available, but on tighter terms once a boot is involved. All booting and related fees still have to be paid in full upfront. The payment plan only covers the underlying judgment debt on your tickets.5Department of Finance. Parking Ticket Payment Plans
- For judgment debt between $50 and $500: minimum 50% down, remainder due within 30 days.
- For judgment debt over $500: minimum 50% down, up to six months to pay the rest, minimum $50 per month.5Department of Finance. Parking Ticket Payment Plans
The plan has to cover every open parking and camera judgment not already in another active plan. New judgment debt after enrollment has to be paid or folded in within 30 days, or the plan defaults.5Department of Finance. Parking Ticket Payment Plans The more generous moderate-income plan (15% down, up to 18 months) is only for drivers whose vehicle has not been booted or towed, so it isn’t an option once the boot is on.6NYC311. Parking Ticket or Camera Violation Payment Plan
Can You Fight the Tickets After Paying?
By the time a boot is on your car, the underlying tickets are already in judgment, meaning you missed the original window to dispute them. The city will not delay enforcement while you argue the tickets. You pay first.
A hearing is still possible if less than one year has passed since the ticket entered judgment. To get one, you have to show a judge both a valid defense to the violation and a legitimate reason you didn’t respond before judgment. Requests go in through the city’s hearing portal or by mailing a completed “Request for Hearing After Judgment” form to the Department of Finance.7Department of Finance. Tickets in Judgment
If a judge later dismisses the tickets, you can request a refund by submitting the Department of Finance refund form (PV-0101) with your payment receipt. Refunds come as a paper check and are not automatic. Mail the completed form to the DOF Refunds Unit at 59 Maiden Lane, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10038.8Department of Finance. Parking / Camera Violations Refund Form