Many Hall Monitor readers saw the excellent reporting by the Channel 6 news team on “car barnacles,” and raised the question: When can a tow company legally tow a car? Who enforces the law, and what can you do if your car is illegally towed? There are several different types of tows. This week, we review being towed from the street by a licensed tow company.
Phila.gov, the city’s website, does not list the laws and regulations on anything other than tows after an accident. Nor is there any posting on the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s (PPA) web page about what constitutes a legal tow.
The city’s website lists how to become a licensed tower. There is no test to pass. It is easier to become a licensed tow company than it is to become a licensed barber, which requires passing a test and having 1250 hours of experience.
The tow company is not required to have a contact person the city can speak with if a car was towed illegally.
To become a tow company, all it takes is money. $632 for the first year, $126 to license the tow truck, and to fill out a two-page form — the same one used to get an automobile license.
The city’s web page does provide a link to file a complaint if you believe you have been a victim of a predatory tow. It states: “You can file a complaint through AutoReturn. Using their feedback channel, you can submit comments and concerns about:
* Your experience with the rotational towing program
* Instances of wreck-chasing or price-gouging
* Towing companies in Philadelphia
The link provided implies that Philadelphia has hired a private, profit-making firm to enforce the city’s law.
The link points to Autura’s website. The home page is a sales pitch for “towing management systems.” None of the drop-down menu selections provide an option to “file a complaint.” The closest is a help center, which leads to this posting:
“Does Autura address wreck chasing and predatory towing?”
“Absolutely! One of the primary benefits of the Autura program is eliminating these practices.”
Autura’s “Get Help by Location” links to Philadelphia, and provides more information — “Autura’s role is to facilitate the automated dispatching of tow requests, ensure the professional release of vehicles to their owners, and assist with tow company compliance.”
The only link that works for the Philadelphia location is the one labeled “Find Vehicle.” The “Submit Claims’ link doesn’t include a claim form. The link for “Philadelphia Rotational Tow Consumer Bill of Rights” takes the user to a non-existent web page. The “Contact Us” link returns to the company’s home page, without a phone number or instructions for filing a complaint.
The person who answered the phone at Autura, ‘Eric,’ who declined to give a last name, said the City of Philadelphia’s website is wrong: Autura doesn’t accept complaints and doesn’t help file them. Eric stated that the company only helps people find their cars.
“It’s not our job to help you file a complaint,” he told a reporter.
Eric said help could be received by calling the city at 215-686-3400. The number is out of service.
There is no phone number on Autura’s website to call to confirm whether Eric provided accurate information. An email sent through the company’s homepage has gone unanswered.
As for what constitutes a legal tow, that is difficult to decipher. The PPA does explain how much it costs to get a car back, but does not list the legal requirements tow operators must follow.
The city actually makes things worse. It lists a law that requires a car to be ticketed before it is towed in its press release archive. Clicking on the bill leads nowhere. Unless you know, you don’t know the law is no longer in effect.
In July of 2024, Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law a bill that allowed towing companies to tow without a car being ticketed. The law requires a sign notifying where cars will be towed, and which company is responsible for the towing. It requires the tow company to take a photo of the violation and retain it for 60 days, or until the car is recovered.
The law requires the PPA to “promulgate rules and regulations” and to impose penalties on tow companies that violate the law.
The PPA may have “promulgated those rules,” but if so, they have not been posted on its web page. Emails to the PPA’s public relations team have not been returned. The Police Department’s public affairs department has not been able to respond to questions about who enforces the towing laws.
The Philadelphia Police Department’s web page, which is different from the city’s website, doesn’t address the issue of who enforces the towing laws.
It is all very confusing, but perhaps the most confusing part is why the city allows this to happen.
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