Tucson is set to impose regulations on towing companies to limit the predatory practices of taking away someone’s vehicle and charging excessive fees to get it back.
People are also reading… In response to the Star’s probe, City Council Member Kevin Dahl asked the City Council in December to consider putting local towing regulations in place. It’s common for car owners to amass a storage fee when their car is towed on a Saturday night but the impound lot is closed on the weekends, said Jennifer Bonham, the principal assistant city attorney who took the lead on drafting the towing ordinance.
The main concern expressed was the requirement for towing carriers to be available to release a vehicle within a three-hour window after a tow. This part of the ordinance was a compromise after Tucson police suggested a 24/7 access requirement for owners to pick up their vehicles, Bonham said. But the three-hour rule “puts an undue burden on the tow company,” he said. B & C Towing has contracts with private property owners that designate times the company patrols their premises or responds to an illegally parked vehicle. Only towing when an employee is available to release a car would violate those contracts, he said, as he doesn’t have enough employees to staff operations 24/7.
The proposed ordinance also outlines requirements for the signage towing companies place in restricted areas. The signs must denote the maximum fees for violators and list the towing carrier’s phone number and address where the vehicle can be retrieved. They also must meet physical minimum dimension standards and “be red and white.”