If you manage parking at an Atlanta apartment community, HOA, or commercial lot, the hardest part is rarely collecting the money — it is enforcing the rules without stepping on Georgia's towing law. Get the signage or the records wrong and a single contested tow can cost you more than a year of parking revenue.

What Georgia law says about towing from private property

Private-property towing in Georgia is governed by O.C.G.A. § 44-1-13. Before an unauthorized vehicle can be removed from a property with more than four residential units, the property must have conspicuously posted signage that meets specific rules:

  • Signs must be posted within 50 feet of each entrance to the property.
  • Signage must be in place for at least 24 hours before a vehicle is towed.
  • The notice must state where the vehicle can be recovered, the cost of recovery, and the accepted forms of payment.

Residential properties with four or fewer units are exempt from the posting requirement, but any larger apartment community is not. Georgia also restricts automated, camera-triggered towing — enforcement is meant to be based on a real record, not a hidden surveillance trigger.

How Atlanta operators stay compliant and get paid

The thread running through Georgia's law is documentation: who was authorized, what the rules were, and when. That is exactly what OpenParking captures automatically.

  • Plate-level permits. Residents and guests register their license plate when they buy a permit, so your enforcement officer can tell an authorized car from one that is genuinely subject to tow — by plate, in seconds.
  • A timestamped record for every permit. If a tow is ever challenged, you have a clean, exportable history showing the vehicle was not authorized at that time.
  • QR-code signage that does double duty. The same posted sign that satisfies your notice obligation also lets guests self-register and pay on the spot.

Why Atlanta properties choose OpenParking

Guests scan a QR code at your lot, register their plate, and pay directly to you — your property keeps 100% of the parking revenue, with payouts straight to your bank through Stripe. Setup takes about five minutes and there is no contract. It is $50/month flat, with a free 14-day trial.

This page is general information about Georgia parking enforcement, not legal advice. Confirm current signage and notice requirements with a Georgia attorney or your local ordinance before towing.