At the Pioneer Park farmers market, I expected to pay for crafts and produce, not parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk. There were no signs or red curbs telling me I shouldn’t have. After this first encounter with Provo parking, fear follows me when I visit friends or family. Did I misread the parking signs, miss the visitor time limit, or park where I wasn’t supposed to? My 30-second decision could become hours of complications. Provo officials said knowing the city code was my responsibility. So, I read the city code. Then I realized that private parking enforcement has been illegally overcharging Provo drivers.

Provo city code states that parking companies can’t charge more than 80% of the state maximum fee for towing or removing a tire boot, so fees should not exceed $60 for booting and $300 for towing. Yet private parking enforcement consistently charge the state maximums of $75 for booting and at least $375 for towing. I guarantee that you or someone you know is aware of someone who’s been illegally overcharged, in Provo or surrounding areas — Vineyard has the same fee rate as Provo, and Springville and Orem actually have a limit of $37.50 for booting.

The additional $75 for a tow may be a slim difference to the parking enforcement companies, but for students and other apartment renters, whose homes these companies most often patrol, $75 equals two weeks of groceries and gas — 26% of a part-time, minimum wage paycheck they have to stretch to feed themselves or even a family. Provo’s economy relies on renters as employees, customers and residents, yet they go unprotected when these codes are unenforced.

I remember the sinking feeling in my gut when I overstayed an apartment’s visitor hours and found a bright orange boot attached to my wheel. Moving my car earlier wasn’t an option since cars park bumper to bumper at night around Liberty on Freedom. While the signs provided no information about an extended visitors pass, the page taped to my window did helpfully list where to pay the $75 fee. It also threatened that my car could be towed at any time after booting; in other words, pay the fee now or pay even more.

Unless you’ve read the city code, you’d have no idea that parking enforcement has to wait a minimum two hours after booting before they can tow, giving you time to verify that the enforcement is legal. It is not if they tow early, have improper signage or cannot provide evidence of an infraction. Be wary of the posted fees because there’s no state requirement for the signs to be accurate. My friend found this out when he was charged $75 for a boot removal where the sign said it was only $50, appearing to be under Provo’s maximum but actually charging the state’s.

Another resident experienced the consequences of policy gaps after a ruinous car accident late one night. She took home a rental car, but, despite parking companies being required to staff a telephone 24/7 for arranging temporary permits and releases, she was left to an answering machine and couldn’t register the vehicle. After her grueling evening, she faced a worse morning when she tried to leave and found her tire booted. She had to disrupt her busy schedule to not only pay the fine but also return the unregulated, self-releasing boot within 24 hours or pay even more.

Property owners are responsible for having a documented plan with contracted parking enforcement for fees, “adequate” visitor parking and the 24/7 phone line to “reasonably” access temporary permits. Because these definitions are at the mayor’s discretion and there’s been no clarification, Provo residents are left to wonder if their neighborhoods fit those requirements. Property owners and agents should step up to ensure that their contracts and the enforcement of those contracts align with city code.

If you are overcharged or illegally booted or towed, you have 180 days to bring a civil action suit. Both the parking company and property owner are liable for up to $500. Another option is calling 311, like I did when I was booted. I forwarded the details to my assigned police officer, and he got the private parking company to refund the extra charge. Please also consider sending your experiences to utahparkingstories@gmail.com so we are able to demonstrate the scale and duration of this behavior.

By educating each other, we can hold these businesses and our cities accountable to existing regulations. Although Gov. Cox just signed HB261, which stops cities from establishing their own maximum rates, the new law does not go into effect until January 1, 2026. In the meantime, private parking companies must hold to the city parking enforcement maximums. We should also work to build more comprehensive codes that address gaps like self-releasing boots, posting of accurate fees and grace periods for updating car registration, instead of allowing predatory practices to go unchecked. Then one day, hopefully soon, I don’t have to be scared of parking in Provo anymore.

Aubrey Johnson is the former executive director of Girls Lobby, a nonprofit that educated high schoolers on state lobbying and legislative practice, and in that role spoke on community advocacy at the 2023 Mormon Women for Ethical Government conference. She has been collecting stories about this issue by word of mouth and at community events for the past two years.