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

If your car was just towed in Vermont - off a private lot, from the roadside as an abandoned vehicle, or after a crash - this page explains what state law says about the fees you can be charged, how to get your vehicle back, and where to take a complaint. Every fact below comes directly from Vermont statutes and state agency pages, each cited so you can check it yourself.

Who regulates towing in Vermont

Vermont doesn't run a towing-specific state licensing program. Instead, towing complaints are handled by the Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program, which you can reach by phone at 1-800-649-2424 or by email at AGO.CAP@vermont.gov. If a company overcharged you or handled your vehicle improperly, that's the office to contact.

What a tow can cost

Vermont law sets a specific cap for one narrow category: towing an abandoned motor vehicle from public property, which a towing service can charge up to $125.00 for. Beyond that, Vermont statutes don't set other statewide non-consent rate caps, and for private-property removals the law only requires that the fee be "reasonable" rather than pegging it to a dollar figure.

Because there's no broad statewide price list to check your bill against, ask for an itemized invoice and, if the amount seems out of line, raise it with the Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program. Our towing cost calculator can also help you sanity-check what you were charged.

Getting your car back from impound

Vermont builds in a real grace period before storage fees can even start. No storage fee may be charged for any period before the abandoned motor vehicle certification form is sent to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Once that process is underway, the owner or lienholder has 21 days after a second mailed notice to reclaim the vehicle before the Commissioner can issue an abandoned motor vehicle certificate allowing the vehicle to be disposed of. If you've received a notice about a stored vehicle, that 21-day window is the deadline that matters most.

If you're towed from private property

Under Vermont law, a landowner - or law enforcement acting at the landowner's request - can remove an abandoned motor vehicle from private property without facing civil liability to the vehicle's owner. When that happens, the landowner is required to immediately notify the police agency in that jurisdiction, providing the vehicle's plate number, VIN, make, model, and color. If you can't locate your car after a private-property tow, the local police department that would have received that notification is a good place to start.

After an accident

Vermont requires the operator involved in a crash to file a written report with the Commissioner within 72 hours whenever the crash results in injury to anyone or property damage of $3,000.00 or more. Separately, insured owners and operators must give their insurance information to injured parties within five days of the crash. If your accident meets either threshold, expect that paperwork to follow the crash itself.

The Move Over law

Vermont requires drivers approaching a stationary emergency or tow vehicle to proceed with caution. On multi-lane highways, that means making a lane change into a lane farther from the stationary vehicle when it's possible to do so safely; if a lane change isn't possible, drivers must slow to a reasonable and prudent speed instead. The statute doesn't spell out a specific fine amount for violations.

Chains & winter traction

Vermont's transportation agency, VTrans, can activate a mandatory chain-up requirement for large commercial vehicles during inclement weather. Right now, the only mandatory chain-up corridor in the state is the stretch of Route 9 between the Wilmington and Bennington chain-up sites - so unless you're driving a large commercial vehicle through that specific corridor in bad weather, chains aren't mandated elsewhere in Vermont.

FAQ

Is there a statewide maximum for what a Vermont tow can cost? Only for one situation: towing an abandoned vehicle from public property is capped at $125.00. Private-property tows just need to charge a "reasonable" fee, and there's no other statewide dollar cap.

How long do I have before my towed vehicle can be sold? After a second mailed notice, you have 21 days to reclaim the vehicle before the Commissioner can issue an abandoned motor vehicle certificate allowing disposal. No storage fee can be charged before the certification form is even sent to the DMV.

Who do I complain to about a Vermont towing company? The Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program handles towing complaints - reach them at 1-800-649-2424 or AGO.CAP@vermont.gov.

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