Four Towing Laws That May Surprise You

July 5, 2019 11:56 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

No one likes to be taken advantage of, but what you don’t know can leave you susceptible to just that. We’ve all heard stories of people who were tricked by a business, but we always think it won’t happen to us—until it does.

One service that can and has been used to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers is the towing industry. Finding out that your car has been unexpectedly towed is an annoying experience, but finding that you were taken advantage of makes it worse. If you want to avoid being taken advantage of by a towing company in Greeley, CO, here are a few towing laws you should know about.

Credit card as a form of payment

To avoid not being paid by a disgruntled vehicle owner, and in some cases to avoid a paper trail or liability, towing companies may say that they only accept cash for their services. However, by law, towing companies in Colorado are now required to accept credit cards as a form of payment.

Towing permission from private lots

Some underhanded towing companies in Colorado have been known to “fish” for cars to tow from private lots. Tow trucks will actually drive around, typically at night, checking private lots for unauthorized vehicles to tow. While you should not park in an area you are not authorized to be in, tow trucks are prohibited by law from towing vehicles from a private lot without getting permission from the property owner.

Nonconsensual towing charges

Colorado has laws in place to help protect car owners from exorbitant fees for nonconsensual towing. A nonconsensual tow is when your car is towed because you were parked somewhere you shouldn’t have been. By law, a towing company can charge a maximum of $160 for a tow, not including storage, mileage and fuel fees. The maximum for these additional fees is $30 per day for storage, $3.80 per mile for mileage and $2.60 per mile for fuel. So, if you retrieve your vehicle on the same day it is towed, the maximum the towing company can charge you is $240.

Drop fees

You’ve probably seen it in a movie or even in real life—a tow truck is hooking up a car to tow and the owner suddenly comes running over, begging the tow truck driver to reconsider. Unfortunately, some towing companies see this as an opportunity to make a profit and will tow the vehicle anyway. By Colorado law, however, they are not allowed to do this. If you arrive on the scene before your vehicle is towed, the tow company must give you your car back for a “drop fee,” which can be a maximum of $70.

Besides knowing these laws, it’s good to know of a towing company in Greeley, CO that you can trust. At Superior Towing, we have earned the trust of our customers by always being fair and upfront in our practices. If you would like to know more about us, please give us a call today!

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