Kentucky towing laws, set out mainly in KRS 281.920 through 281.936 and KRS 376.275, control when your vehicle can be towed, what a towing company can charge, how you get it back, and what you can do if something goes wrong. The rules give towing companies real authority, but that authority is conditional: skip signage, notice, or rate-sheet requirements, and the company’s right to hold your vehicle and collect fees weakens or disappears.
When a Tow Is Legal in Kentucky
Under KRS 281.924, a property owner or an authorized agent can request a tow when a vehicle is parked on private land without permission. The same statute says a towing company is not responsible for damage that existed before the company took possession of the vehicle.1Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 281.924 – Private Property Towing
Law enforcement can also order a tow for illegal parking, blocking traffic, or abandonment. Those tows fall under the broader KRS Chapter 281 framework and any local ordinances that add parking limits or permit zones.
Signage Is Part of Whether the Tow Was Valid
Private property that tows unauthorized vehicles has to post clear signs. Kentucky requires the signage to identify the towing company, list contact information, and state the conditions under which vehicles will be removed. If the lot where you parked had no compliant signs, the legal basis for the tow itself is shaky, and that fact matters later if you dispute the charges.
Notice to Law Enforcement
After a tow, the company has to notify local law enforcement and provide vehicle details including make, model, and storage location. Those notification duties in KRS 281.920 to 281.936 work directly with KRS 376.275, which conditions the towing company’s lien rights on following them.2Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 376.275 – Lien on Motor Vehicles and Contents A company that never called it in risks losing the right to hold your vehicle at all.
What You’ll Pay and How to Check It
Kentucky does not cap towing or daily storage fees in dollars. Instead, every towing company has to maintain a published rate sheet, and every charge has to match it.3Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 281.930 – Payment and Release Requirements for Towed Vehicles That rate sheet is your main tool. Ask to see it before you pay anything, and compare it line by line to what the company wants to collect.
If law enforcement or another agency places a hold on your vehicle for a criminal or civil investigation, the company can still charge the daily storage rate during the hold, but only at the published rate. It cannot add extra fees on top beyond that daily rate and any labor charges for helping with an inspection the investigating agency directed.3Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 281.930 – Payment and Release Requirements for Towed Vehicles
Once you pay all outstanding towing and storage charges, the company must release your vehicle and hand over an itemized receipt showing every charge. Keep that receipt. It is your evidence if you later dispute anything.
Payment Methods a Towing Company Has to Accept
KRS 281.930 requires a Kentucky towing company or storage facility to accept any of the following:
- Cash
- Check from an insurer or its agent
- Credit card
- Debit card
- Money order
- Check drawn by a bank or other financial institution
A company that refuses one of these methods is violating the statute.
Getting Personal Items Out of the Vehicle
KRS 376.275 says a towing or storage company is not responsible for contents in a trunk or other locked compartment it does not have access to.2Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 376.275 – Lien on Motor Vehicles and Contents If you need medication, a child car seat, or identification, call the company right away. Kentucky’s statute is less explicit than some states about free access to belongings, and the company’s lien covers the vehicle and its contents, so paying the charges quickly is the surest way to recover what is inside.
What Happens if the Vehicle Sits Unclaimed
An unclaimed vehicle does not become the towing company’s property. Kentucky gives the company a lien on the vehicle and its contents for reasonable towing and storage charges, but only if the company followed the KRS 281.920 to 281.936 notification requirements.2Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 376.275 – Lien on Motor Vehicles and Contents Miss those notices and the lien fails.
When charges go unpaid, KRS 376.275 sets up a forfeiture and sale process. The company has to try to identify and notify the owner and any lienholders before selling. Storage fees keep running every day the vehicle sits, so waiting is expensive. Charges can eventually exceed the vehicle’s value, and at that point the company can sell to satisfy the lien.
Penalties Against Towing Companies That Break the Rules
Kentucky updated its penalty structure as recently as 2025. Under KRS 281.990, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet can impose administrative penalties on any towing company or storage facility that violates KRS 281.920 through 281.936:
- First through fourth violation within three years: certificate suspended 30 days per violation.
- Each additional violation within the same three-year window: certificate suspended 12 months.
During a suspension the company cannot charge fees at all.4Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 281.990 – Penalties A fifth violation inside three years costs a full year of legal towing and storage revenue, which is why the certificate matters. You can verify a company’s certificate through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet if you suspect it is operating without one.
Disputing a Tow or Challenging the Charges
Start with paperwork. Get the itemized receipt, request the published rate sheet, and photograph the signage (or the missing signage) at the lot you were towed from. Photograph any new damage to your vehicle before you leave the storage yard. The company carries the burden of showing it followed the notification and authorization requirements that let it hold your vehicle in the first place, so gaps in its documentation help you.
Complaint to the Kentucky Attorney General
Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act at KRS 367.170 makes unfair, false, misleading, or deceptive acts in trade or commerce unlawful, and defines “unfair” as unconscionable.5Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 367.170 – Unlawful Acts A company that invents charges, tows without proper authorization, or ignores signage rules fits that description. The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office investigates these complaints, the process is free, and you do not need a lawyer to file.
Small Claims Court
If the complaint route does not resolve things, Kentucky’s small claims court handles disputes involving money or personal property worth $2,500 or less, not counting interest and court costs.6Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 24A.230 – Jurisdiction, Authority Most towing fee disputes fit under that limit. The court is designed for self-representation, and cases move faster than in regular district court. Bring the itemized receipt, the rate sheet, and your signage photos.
One practical warning while you weigh your options: storage fees keep accruing at the published daily rate. If you plan to fight the tow, pay to release the vehicle first and litigate the charges after. Leaving the vehicle in the yard almost always costs more than any refund a dispute will produce.