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

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

Who regulates towing in Virginia

Virginia doesn't have a statewide tow-operator licensing board. Instead, localities are allowed to set their own towing fee limits by ordinance, and towing consumer complaints go to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section - reachable through its hotline at 804-786-2042 or its online "File a Complaint" form. If your city or county has its own tow ordinance, it's worth checking that alongside the statewide rules below.

What a tow can cost

Virginia sets a specific statewide ceiling for private-property tows performed without the owner's consent. For a passenger car, the hookup and initial towing fee can't exceed $210, plus up to two additional $30 fees for tows that happen between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. or on weekends and holidays. No charge can be made at all for storage and safekeeping during the first 24 hours or less. Keep in mind that local ordinances are allowed to set different limits, so the number that applies to you could vary by locality.

Ask for an itemized invoice and check it against the $210 hookup cap, the $30 after-hours surcharges, and the free first-24-hours storage rule. Our towing cost calculator can help you compare a bill against these statewide limits.

Getting your car back from impound

A keeper of vehicles in Virginia has a lien for towing, recovery, and storage charges, but that lien is capped when there's a titled lienholder on the vehicle - the storage lien in that case may not exceed $500. Personal effects inside the vehicle can't be held under a lien at all, and you're entitled to retrieve your belongings up until two business days before an auction; after that point, unclaimed personal property may be disposed of. Separately, a towing business must release your vehicle once you've paid all lawful charges through an accepted payment method - and if the business then refuses to release it, storage charges are supposed to stop accruing. If Virginia State Police towed or impounded your vehicle, contact the nearest VSP division office directly; VSP notes that a retrieval fee normally applies.

If you're towed from private property

For a private lot to tow your car without your consent, Virginia law requires conspicuous signs at every entrance listing a recovery contact number. Whoever removes the vehicle must also immediately notify State Police or the local law-enforcement agency. If the lot you were towed from was missing proper signage, that's worth raising with the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section.

After an accident

An investigating officer in Virginia must forward a written crash report within 24 hours after completing an investigation of a crash involving injury, death, or apparent total property damage of $3,000 or more. If you need a copy of that report afterward, the Virginia DMV provides police crash reports to eligible people by mail, fax, or in person for $8 per report.

The Move Over law

On highways with at least four lanes, Virginia requires drivers approaching a stationary vehicle displaying flashing blue, red, or amber lights - which includes tow trucks - to change into a non-adjacent lane. If that's not safe, drivers must instead proceed with due caution and maintain a safe speed. The penalties differ by vehicle type: violations involving emergency-light vehicles are treated as reckless driving, while violations involving amber-light or hazard-flasher vehicles are punished as a traffic infraction.

FAQ

How much can a Virginia tow company charge to hook up and remove my car? For a nonconsensual passenger-car tow, the hookup and initial towing fee is capped at $210, with up to two $30 surcharges allowed for after-hours, weekend, or holiday tows - unless a local ordinance sets a different limit.

Do I owe anything for the first day my car is in storage? No. Virginia law prohibits any storage or safekeeping charge for the first 24 hours or less.

How do I get a copy of my Virginia crash report? The Virginia DMV provides police crash reports to involved people and their authorized representatives for $8, and you can request one by mail, fax, or in person.

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