Is It Illegal to Cut Off a Wheel Clamp? [Answered]

Jacob Wilson | Dec 28, 2023

Imagine you parked your car mistakenly in a restricted place where parking isn’t allowed. You took away from your car for a while, and once you came back, you noticed the wheel appeared with a clamp!

Don’t dare to touch it without the permission of the police department or legal authority. Why? Is it illegal to cut off a wheel clamp? Unfortunately, “yes.” Let me disclose the reasons why it is not legal, including how you can get rid of it when you are in a hurry. 

What is A Wheel Clamp?

Also familiar as paring boot/wheel boot, wheel clamps are liable to immobilize parked cars or vehicles that are illegal. Speaking of its constructions, almost every wheel clamp uses plastic and metal as primary materials.

Basically, it has been used to restrict the movement of illegal parking. For being consisted of clamps, it binds the wheel of a car so that it can’t make any move, even if the engine has started. 

Why It Is Illegal to Cut Off a Wheel Clamp?

Indeed, the reason behind adding a wheel clamp on a car is the illegal or unauthorized car parking. Moreover, you can also get charges from the police department when you don’t pay the required fines.

So, as incorporating the wheel clamp is a matter of law often done by the crime department, you don’t have the authority to cut it off based on your own choice! In fact, it is a serious crime, especially in the states of America, to touch a wheel clamp without the permission of the authority in terms of getting rid of it.

However, if you still try to cut it off, you will get charged under section 68.1.

Is There Any Way to Cut Off a Wheel Clamp?

In the UK, it is sometimes permissible to cut off a wheel clamp only if you can get it done without any damage. Because here, you’re doing nothing but getting your car released from the restriction. But that must be accomplished after getting approval from the authority.

In other cases, you might have installed a wheel clamp for security purposes like keeping it safe from thieves. In that case, I guess there is nothing wrong with removing the wheel clamp.

What Are the Different Ways to Cut Off A Wheel Clamp?

Even though cutting off a wheel clamp isn’t child’s play, there are some quick and handy ways to remove or cut off a wheel clamp. These are as follows:

Bailiffs Wheel Clamping

Hands down, it is the handiest way to get rid of the wheel clamp, which needs to be accomplished under some specific conditions. For instance, you’re failing to clamp cars on private property or super-shop car parks. When your personal vehicle gets clamped by any bailiff, you must pay the fine as soon as possible.

As a rule of thumb, you will get a maximum of 2 hours in order to pay the charges claimed by the authority. If you make any delay, the fine may get slightly increased known to be a delay fine.

Feel free to watch the video in order to get a practical view:

Using Tools

According to experts’ opinion, using a top-class bolt cutter is helpful for you to deal with the cut off wheel. As wheel clamps are often made of carbon steel, you can take assistance from a heavy-duty blade to cut the wheel clamp off, when possible. 

Take Assistance from Laws

Haven’t you got a wheel clamp for untaxed or illegal parking? If so, then you might be incorporated clamps for your personal reason. In this case, you can still take necessary help from local authorities or police to get it removed. They will charge an extra amount from you.

How Much Should You Spend on Removing a Wheel Clamp?

If your car is re-taxed, the release charge will cost you around 100 euros, depending on the state. The cost tends to get increased if you fail to pay before a day, the cost may double up, including an extra storage fee of 21 euros.

Keep in mind that the release fee is prone to fluctuate depending on the region. So you must get familiar with the actual release charge of where you are living.

Conclusion 

So, if anybody asks, “Is it illegal to cut off a wheel clamp, the answer is “Yes!” The authority often takes it offensive and a serious crime to cut it off by general persons because this is what that should be done by laws.

So except for clamping the wheel for your personal reason, don’t dare to try to cut it by yourself.