Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 541: Property; the placement of wheel restraints on trespassing motor vehicles; prohibit

Last action February 24, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate bill would ban the use of wheel restraints, like tire boots or locks, on vehicles found trespassing on private property, while still allowing towing and other immobilization methods.

Read the full bill text

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The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.

In plain language

Georgia law currently lets property owners immobilize or tow vehicles parked on their land without permission, using devices attached to the vehicle to stop it from being driven away. This bill rewrites part of that law (O.C.G.A. § 44-1-13) to carve out a new category called a 'wheel restraint,' defined as a boot, lock, or similar device attached to a wheel or tire, and removes wheel restraints from the broader definition of an 'immobilization device.' The bill then adds a new rule making it illegal, punishable by a $1,000 fine, for any person or county or municipal government to attach a wheel restraint to a vehicle that is not authorized to be where it is parked. It also adds a sentence waiving sovereign immunity so lawsuits can be brought under this section, and updates fee language to mention vehicle relocation alongside removal and storage.

What the bill does

Creates a new legal definition of 'wheel restraint' covering boots, locks, or similar devices attached to a wheel or tire.
Removes wheel restraints from the existing definition of 'immobilization device,' separating the two categories in the law.
Makes it illegal, with a $1,000 fine, for any person or county or city government to attach a wheel restraint to a vehicle trespassing on private property.
Adds a sentence specifically waiving sovereign immunity so people can sue under this Code section.
Adds 'relocation' to the list of services the Department of Public Safety can set rate limits for, alongside removal and storage.

Who it affects

Private property owners and businesses who currently boot trespassing vehicles, towing and storage companies licensed to immobilize or remove vehicles, county and municipal governments, and drivers whose vehicles are found parked without authorization on private lots.

Why it matters

If enacted, property owners and towing companies could no longer boot a trespassing vehicle's wheel, only tow it or use other non-wheel-restraint devices, under threat of a $1,000 fine. This changes how disputes over unauthorized parking on private land get resolved in Georgia.

Key provisions

Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 44-1-13(a) to add a definition of 'wheel restraint' and exclude it from the existing 'immobilization device' definition.
Section 1 adds new subsection (g), making it unlawful and punishable by a $1,000 fine for any person or county or municipal governing authority to install a wheel restraint on an unauthorized vehicle.
Section 1 adds a sentence to subsection (e) waiving sovereign immunity for purposes of the Code section, allowing lawsuits over violations.
Section 1 amends subsection (b) to add 'relocation' to the services the Department of Public Safety can regulate rates for.
Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

From the bill

“It shall be unlawful and punishable by a fine of $1,000.00 for any person or governing authority of any county or municipality to install or attach a wheel restraint to any vehicle which is not authorized to be at the location where such vehicle is found.”
The bill's core rule banning the use of wheel restraints on trespassing vehicles.

“'Wheel restraint' means any mechanical device, including, but not limited to, a boot or lock, designed or used to be attached to a wheel or tire of a motor vehicle so as to prohibit the motor vehicle's usual manner of movement or operation.”
The bill's new legal definition of a wheel restraint, such as a tire boot or lock.

Discussed in meetings (1)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

Senate floor session, February 24, 2026 (legislative day 23)
From 0:16:44 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Read and Referred)
Summary by Georgia Commons: After its first reading and assignment to Interstate Cooperation, the sponsor sought to move SB 541, which would prohibit vehicle wheel restraints, to Public Safety. The sponsor said 40 senators had co-sponsored it and argued that assignment to a committee without a chair was blocking a widely supported proposal. Another senator supported banning wheel restraints but urged respect for committee assignments and offered to work on other legislation. The Interstate Cooperation vice chair said the committee could hear the bill and also suggested Urban Affairs as an alternative. The presiding officer disputed that the committee had an acting chair and offered to discuss the leadership question with the secretary. The Senate rejected the transfer, 23-28, leaving the bill in Interstate Cooperation.

Status timeline

2026-02-24Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2026-02-20Senate Hopper (Senate)

Votes

FailedSenate voteFebruary 24, 2026
23 yea, 28 nay (2 not voting, 2 excused)
MOTION TO WITHDRAW AND COMMIT: Senate Vote #570

Topics

private property law
vehicle towing and booting
trespassing vehicles
property owner rights

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Machine-readable https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb541.md · https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md · MCP https://mcp.georgiacommons.org/mcp