Atlanta man selling $50 ‘boot keys’ to protect drivers from paying costly removal fees

Drivers who are fed up with getting booted in the Atlanta area are turning to a new product to avoid the pricy removal fees.

The website ATL Boot Keys was recently started by Atlanta resident Christian Verrette after he became frustrated with frequent vehicle booting while parking in the city.

The website sells boot keys for different parts of the city based on which companies are doing most of the booting in that area. There are four different keys available for $50 each, or you can purchase a bundle of all four keys for $150.

ATL Boot Keys has sold about 600 boot keys so far.

“Atlanta is tired of the boot. The people hate the boot,” Verrette told Fox 5 Atlanta.

The popularity of ATL Boot Keys even prompted the Atlanta Police Department (APD) to release a statement on the legality of the devices.

APD says that it is not illegal to own a boot key, but using the boot key to remove a boot may result in charges including criminal trespass, theft of services, theft by taking, or damage to property. However, APD also noted that “the Atlanta Police Department does not intervene between motorists and private business owners when vehicles are booted in violation unless a criminal matter arises.”

See APD’s full statement below.