Towing Laws in Pennsylvania: Your Rights, Costs & Impound Rules

If your car was just towed in Pennsylvania - from a private lot, a crash scene, or a municipal impound yard - this page explains what state law says about the fees you can be charged, how to get your vehicle back, and where to file a complaint. Every fact below comes directly from Pennsylvania statutes and regulator pages, each cited so you can verify it yourself.

Who regulates towing in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has no statewide tow operator license. Towing complaints instead go to the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection, which investigates deceptive practices and mediates complaints. You can file online at the Attorney General's website or call 717-787-3391.

What a tow can cost

Under 75 Pa.C.S. 3353, any city, borough, incorporated town, or township may set its own rates by ordinance for vehicle removal and can regulate authorized towing services locally. Where a municipality hasn't set its own storage charge, state law caps storage at a maximum of $25 per day.

Because most of the actual rate-setting happens at the municipal level, ask the towing company or your local government whether an ordinance applies to your bill, and check that the daily storage charge doesn't exceed $25 if no local rate is in place. Our towing cost calculator can help you sanity-check an itemized invoice before you pay it.

Getting your car back from impound

Pennsylvania's abandoned-vehicle rules, under 75 Pa.C.S. Chapter 73, apply once a vehicle ends up with a PennDOT-authorized salvor. You have 30 days after the notice is mailed to reclaim your vehicle by paying the towing and storage costs plus a $50 fee. If you don't reclaim the contents of the vehicle within that same 30-day window, the law treats that as your consent to have those contents destroyed, sold, or otherwise disposed of - so it's worth acting quickly once you're notified.

If you're towed from private property

Pennsylvania doesn't have a statewide private-property towing statute in our records, so specifics like signage requirements or notice periods can vary by municipality. If you were towed from a private lot, ask the property owner or towing company for the authorization and any local ordinance that governed the tow, and check with your city or township for its own private-property towing rules.

After an accident

Pennsylvania requires immediate notice to police after a crash involving injury or death, or damage that leaves a vehicle unable to be driven safely and requires towing - the law doesn't set a separate dollar threshold for this reporting duty. If you need an official copy afterward, Pennsylvania State Police crash reports become available online or by mail 15 days after a PSP-investigated crash, and the fee is $22.

The Move Over law

Pennsylvania requires drivers approaching an emergency response area - which includes stopped tow trucks - to move into a lane farther away if possible, or, if they can't safely merge, to pass at a speed no more than 20 mph below the posted limit. A first offense carries a $500 fine, a second offense $1,000, and a third or subsequent offense $2,000 plus a 90-day license suspension.

FAQ

How long do I have to get my car back before Pennsylvania sells it? You have 30 days after the notice is mailed to reclaim the vehicle by paying towing and storage costs plus a $50 fee. Waiting past that window on the contents of the vehicle counts as consent to their destruction or sale.

Is there a cap on daily storage fees in Pennsylvania? Where a municipality hasn't set its own rate by ordinance, state law caps storage at $25 per day.

Who do I complain to about a Pennsylvania tow company? File with the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection, either online or by calling 717-787-3391.

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