CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A temporary restraining order has stopped cars from getting booted from a local DMV license plate office.

Sandra Elliot, who owns North Carolina License Plates, filed the restraining order against her landlord, Miranda Partners, and Digital Towing and Recovery.

NewsChannel 36 cameras caught them last week, charging people $50 to have the boot removed.

"The landlord decided that our customers were taking up too much of the parking," Elliot said.

Elliot says Miranda Partners is violating the terms of her lease, which calls for first-come, first-served, unallocated parking spots, not the "no DMV parking" signs that are there now.

We watched as car after car after car parked in those spots.

"I just didn't even look up there," said driver Yolanda Johnson.

Elliot says the signs hurt her business and caused fights.

"We just think it was totally unfair," Elliot said. "You can't imagine what drama there was. It was awful."

Micah Chappell watched the antics from across the street.

"Next thing you know we see he's backing his van out of the spot here with the boot still attached to the vehicle," Chappell said. "We could hear it all the way in the back of the shop."

Now, Elliot says the only booting left is the one telling her to get out after 21 years in business here.

"They already canceled my lease," Elliot said.

Her license plate office is the busiest business in that strip mall on South Boulevard.

The property manager and Digital Towing and Recovery had no comment.