Earlier this month Birmingham City Council unanimously approved updated towing and commercial lot ordinances following more than a decade’s worth of public complaints about downtown towing practices.

Below are five things that drivers need to know about the new ordinances:

Updated uniform signage will be required in private lots before 2024

A common complaint among Birmingham drivers has been a lack of clear signage downtown dictating where they can park, during what times, and when they need to pay for parking.

Per the new commercial lot ordinance lot owners will have 60 days (from Sept. 12, when the ordinance was passed) to place the new, uniform signs that follow a format mandated by the city. Lot owners can work with the Birmingham Department of Transportation (BDOT) if they encounter any issues that prevent them from doing so, said Julie Bernard of the city attorney’s office at a previous public hearing.