Towing “Bill of Rights” Proposed in Boston

Two city councilors from Boston, Liz Breadon and Lydia Edwards, have spearheaded an ordinance aimed to improve towing standards and address predatory towing issues.  

The ordinance, called the Ordinance Regulating Predatory Towing Practices and Establishing a Towing Bill of Rights, was introduced on 8/18 and mandates that tow companies publish and display their rates, accept payment via credit card as opposed to solely cash, require a photograph of the vehicle’s parked position before towing, provide itemized bills detailing charges and reimbursement for damages related to towing or storage. The legislation also prohibits tow operators from cruising or surveilling private property without cause, as an involuntary tow must first be initiated by a request from a private property owner. 

Under the ordinance, the Boston Transportation Department would be tasked with proposing guidelines for “No Parking” signs for private property owners to provide sufficient notice of enforced towing. The department would publish and distribute a Boston Towing Bill of Rights to inform consumers of their rights when their vehicle is towed, how to recognize predatory towing practices and an unlawful tow, provide details on how to retrieve their vehicle and how to file a complaint of an unlawful practice. An annual report would be submitted to the City Clerk summarizing the financial statements of tow companies as reported to and regulated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities Transportation Oversight Division. 

The ordinance follows the recommendations outlined in a May 2021 report by the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG), “Getting Off the Hook of a Predatory Tow in Massachusetts.” The MASSPIRG report identified existing protections in Massachusetts, including a maximum tow rate of $108, maximum storage rates of $35 per 24-hour period, notification of the tow company to law enforcement of an involuntary tow, release of a vehicle for an incomplete tow at a “drop fee” no greater than half the towing cost, and reimbursement for an unauthorized tow.  https://www.baystatebanner.com/