Florida Statute 715.07: Signage, Fees, and Vehicle Recovery

Florida’s private property towing laws are set out in Florida Statute 715.07, which controls when a vehicle can be towed from private property without the owner’s consent, how it must be signed for, what the towing company has to do afterward, and what you can recover if any of it was done wrong.¹ If the property owner or the tow company skips a step, whoever authorized the tow is on the hook for your removal costs, damages, and attorney’s fees.

Warning Signs the Property Must Have

In most cases, a tow-away zone sign has to be posted before your car can be legally towed. The statute is specific about what that sign looks like and where it sits.

Each sign must be permanently installed between 3 and 6 feet above the ground, within 10 feet of the road at every driveway or curb cut where cars enter the property. It has to be up continuously for at least 24 hours before any tow happens, and the lettering must be light-reflective on a contrasting background.¹

The words “tow-away zone” must appear in letters at least 4 inches tall. Below that, in letters at least 2 inches tall, the sign must warn that unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense. The sign also has to list the name and current phone number of the towing company authorized to remove vehicles from the lot.

The Small-Lot Exception

Businesses with 20 or fewer parking spaces can use a simpler sign that reads, in 4-inch light-reflective letters on a contrasting background, “Reserved Parking for Customers Only Unauthorized Vehicles or Vessels Will be Towed Away At the Owner’s Expense.” That version does not need to name the towing company.¹

When Signs Are Not Required

Three situations allow a tow without any posted sign. They matter because they can defeat what looks like a strong “no sign” argument.

The first is a single-family home. Property clearly part of a single-family residence is exempt, so someone parking in your driveway without permission can be towed with no posted warning.¹

The second is personal notice. If the property owner or their agent tells you directly that the area is reserved and your vehicle will be towed at your expense, that verbal warning replaces the sign requirement.

The third is business obstruction. When a vehicle blocks normal business operations, or sits on a public right-of-way blocking access to a private driveway, the business owner or lessee can sign a written removal order and have it towed immediately without any posted signage.

What the Tow Company Must Do After Taking the Vehicle

Once your vehicle is hooked and moved, the clock starts. The towing company has 30 minutes from completion of the tow to notify local law enforcement, meaning the municipal police in a city or the sheriff’s office in an unincorporated area.¹ That report has to include:

The make, model, color, and license plate of the vehicle, or description and registration number of a vessel
The time of the tow and the location it was taken from
The address of the storage facility

The operator also has to write down the name of the law enforcement employee who took the report. Missing the 30-minute deadline is a first-degree misdemeanor, not a paperwork slip.

Separately, the towing company must send written notice by mail to the registered owner and any lienholders, listing the storage location and the towing and storage charges. That mailed notice is your formal record that your vehicle was moved and where it is.

Where Your Vehicle Can Be Stored

The storage facility cannot be arbitrarily far away. In counties with 500,000 or more residents, it has to be within 10 miles of where the vehicle was towed. In smaller counties, the limit is 15 miles. If no qualifying towing company operates within that radius, the allowed distance expands to 20 miles in larger counties and 30 miles in smaller ones.¹

Fees, Free Time, and Getting Your Vehicle Back

Towing companies that charge for removal and storage before releasing a vehicle must file their current rate schedule with local law enforcement and post an identical schedule at the storage facility. Their written contracts with property owners also have to be on file. Failure to file rates is a first-degree misdemeanor.¹

No storage fee can be charged for the first six hours after the tow. That window gives you time to reach the lot before daily storage charges start adding up on top of the tow itself.

The facility has to be open for pickup from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on any day the towing company is open for business. Outside those hours, a phone number must be prominently posted, and the operator has to return to the facility within one hour of your call. Not showing up in that hour is itself a violation of the statute.

When you pick up your vehicle, the lot must accept cash, credit cards, and debit cards. Whether you ask or not, the facility has to hand you a detailed, signed receipt showing the legal name of the towing company at the time of payment. Hold onto it. If you later dispute the charges or challenge the tow, that receipt is your primary evidence.

The statute also prohibits anyone from paying or accepting money for the privilege of towing from a particular location. Property owners cannot take a cut, and towing companies cannot buy exclusive access to a lot.

If You Catch the Tow in Progress

If you show up while your vehicle is still being hooked or is on the truck but not yet off the property, the operator has to stop and release it. You will owe a service fee, but by law it cannot exceed half the posted rate for a completed tow. The operator has to give you a detailed, signed receipt for that drop fee too. Refusing to release the vehicle or demanding the full tow rate can support an improper-towing claim.¹

What You Can Recover If the Tow Was Improper

When a tow is improperly caused, whoever authorized it (property owner, lessee, or their agent) is liable to you for:

The cost of removal, transportation, and storage
Any damages from the removal itself
Attorney’s fees
Court costs

The statute measures compliance on a “substantial compliance” standard, which is more forgiving than strict compliance. A minor technical defect in the signage or paperwork will not automatically invalidate a tow. But a major failure, like no sign posted at all or no notice to law enforcement, is not a minor defect. Most towing disputes are litigated right on that line.¹

Two specific failures also carry criminal penalties. Missing the 30-minute police notification and failing to file rate schedules are each first-degree misdemeanors in Florida, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.²

If your vehicle comes back scratched, dented, or mechanically damaged, the towing company is responsible when it failed to use reasonable care during removal, transport, or storage. Take photographs at the lot before you drive away, and keep the receipt. That documentation is what turns a complaint into a viable claim.

Extra Protection for Active-Duty Servicemembers

The federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act adds a layer on top of Florida law. A towing or storage company holding a lien on an active-duty servicemember’s vehicle cannot foreclose on or enforce that lien during military service or for 90 days afterward without a court order. The statute defines “lien” to include storage liens, so a tow yard cannot auction or otherwise dispose of a servicemember’s vehicle for unpaid storage fees without going to court first.³

Knowingly violating that protection is a federal misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison. If you are on active duty and a storage lot is threatening to sell your vehicle, citing 50 USC 3958 by name usually resolves it quickly.

1
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 715.07 – Vehicles or Vessels Parked on Private Property Towing
2
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 775.083 – Fines
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3958 – Enforcement of Storage Liens