If you have three or more outstanding parking citations from the same calendar year, the City of Dallas can place a windshield immobilizer, known as a barnacle, on your car instead of the old wheel boot. You’ll owe a $100 immobilization fee plus your outstanding citations, and the city holds a refundable $300 charge on your card. You have 24 hours to resolve it before the city tows and impounds the vehicle. Call (469) 902-4411 if that 24-hour window already passed and you need a tow once it’s released.
What the barnacle actually is
The barnacle is a large yellow device that attaches to your windshield with suction, replacing the traditional wheel boot Dallas used to use. It’s harder to remove without the right tool and impossible to drive with safely, since it blocks your view. The city adopted this device as of its August 2026 parking enforcement policy update.
The trigger is three or more unpaid parking citations accumulated in the same calendar year. Once you hit that threshold, the next time your car is spotted by enforcement, it can get barnacled on the spot.
What it costs and how the clock works
Getting the barnacle off requires paying:
- The $100 immobilization fee
- All of your outstanding citations
- A $300 refundable hold placed on your card, separate from the fees above
That $300 is a hold, not a charge you keep paying, but it does need to be available on your card at the time of release. Once you’ve paid the fee and citations and the hold is in place, the city sends someone to remove the device.
The clock that matters most is the 24-hour window. If the barnacle isn’t resolved within 24 hours of being placed, the city moves to tow and impound the vehicle, on top of everything you already owed.
How to pay and where to go
Citations can be paid at cityofdallas.rmcpay.com, by phone at 1-833-773-1942, or in person at the Oak Cliff Municipal Center, 320 E Jefferson, Room 212. If you have questions about the boot itself or enforcement, Dallas Parking Enforcement is reachable at (214) 948-5346. If your car has already been towed past the 24-hour mark, it likely went to the Dallas Auto Pound at 1955 Vilbig Road, and that lot’s number is (214) 670-5116.
One detail worth knowing: even after you pay everything off, Texas registration systems can carry a flag on the vehicle until the fines fully clear, which can affect your ability to renew registration later.
If it already got towed
Once the 24-hour window passes without resolution, the barnacle situation becomes a full impound. At that point you’re looking at the immobilization fee, the outstanding citations, plus a wrecker fee and storage on top. The Dallas Auto Pound doesn’t publish a fixed fee schedule, so call ahead before you go. If it ended up at a licensed private storage lot instead, Texas caps that lot’s charges at $272 for the tow and $22.85 per day for storage under 25 feet.
Either way, once your car is released and drivable again, or if it needs to go somewhere for repair or inspection first, we can connect you with a licensed local operator to move it.
Frequently asked questions
How many unpaid citations trigger a barnacle boot in Dallas? Three or more outstanding parking citations accumulated within the same calendar year.
How much does it cost to get a barnacle removed? A $100 immobilization fee plus your outstanding citations, along with a separate $300 refundable hold placed on your card.
How long do I have before the city tows the car? 24 hours from when the barnacle is placed. After that, the city can tow and impound the vehicle.
Where do I pay off the citations? At cityofdallas.rmcpay.com, by phone at 1-833-773-1942, or in person at the Oak Cliff Municipal Center, 320 E Jefferson, Room 212.
If your car was towed after a barnacle went unresolved and you need it moved once it’s released, call (469) 902-4411. We’ll connect you with a licensed Dallas-area operator.