Maine Towing Laws: Costs, Notice, and Dispute Rights

Maine towing laws sit in Title 29-A of the Maine Revised Statutes. They cap storage charges at $1,500 for any 30-day period, force towing companies to notify the Secretary of State within a few days or lose most of their fees, and guarantee your right to retrieve medications, mail, clothing, and child car seats even before you pay a cent. There is no dedicated state agency policing the towing industry, so the statutes themselves are your main protection.

When Your Vehicle Can Legally Be Towed

The subchapter covers vehicles towed at the owner or driver’s request, vehicles towed for illegal parking or being left standing, vehicles left on private property without permission, vehicles left at a repair shop after work is finished, vehicles left on residential property for more than six months, and vehicles left at a storage facility with unpaid fees.¹ Tows for snow removal are exempt from most of the subchapter’s protections for the first 48 hours.

Law enforcement officers, Maine Department of Transportation employees, and Maine Turnpike Authority agents can order a vehicle removed when it’s parked illegally, blocking snow removal or traffic, or connected to an arrest or crime.² If the tow followed unpaid tolls and a suspended registration, the vehicle stays put until the tolls, fees, and penalties are paid and the registration is reinstated.

How You Find Out and Why the Clock Matters

Notice does not come from the towing company. It comes from the Secretary of State. A towing company or storage facility that intends to charge more than three days of storage must file a form with the Secretary of State no sooner than three days and no later than five days after taking possession of the vehicle. Miss that five-day window and the company can only collect a maximum of three days of storage fees.³

Once the filing arrives, the Secretary of State mails notice to the registered owner and any lienholder that the vehicle is being held under the abandoned vehicle law.⁴ For vehicles left at repair shops or storage facilities, the facility must notify the Secretary of State within 14 days after the owner becomes responsible for unpaid charges.

The deeper penalty kicks in if the company files with the Secretary of State more than 14 days late, or never files at all. In that case it can collect no more than 14 days of storage fees regardless of how long the vehicle actually sits.⁵ Ask for proof of when the company filed. It is often the strongest card you can play.

What It Can Cost

Maine does not publish a fixed rate schedule. Daily storage charges must be “reasonable,” and total storage cannot exceed $1,500 for any 30-day period.⁵ That works out to a maximum of $50 per day, and many facilities charge less. There is no statewide maximum for the initial towing fee itself, so ask about that charge before authorizing a tow when you have the chance.

The company can hold your vehicle along with its accessories, contents, and equipment until you pay reasonable towing and storage charges.⁶ That is a possessory lien: their leverage is physical control, and the charges keep growing while the car sits.

Maine law does not require towing companies to accept credit cards. Some operating under municipal contracts may be required to, but many prefer cash or certified funds. Call before you drive over.

Commercial Vehicle Tows Get an Itemized Invoice

For a nonconsensual tow of a commercial motor vehicle (as defined under federal regulations), the facility must provide a fully itemized invoice covering all recovery, towing, cleanup, and storage costs before demanding payment. If a charge is not on that invoice, you are not liable for it.⁷ This protection does not extend to personal cars and trucks.

Getting Your Belongings Back Before You Pay

The lien does not reach your personal effects. Maine law defines those to include medications, medical equipment, clothing, mail, child restraint systems, and similar items, and requires the towing company to release them even while it holds the vehicle for unpaid charges.⁶

The line stops at items physically attached to the vehicle and at business equipment, machinery, and tools. A jacket, mail, prescription bottles, and a car seat come out. Bolted-on accessories and a contractor’s tool kit can stay with the car until charges are paid.

The 14-Day Abandonment Risk

Ignore the Secretary of State’s notice and you can lose the vehicle. Under Maine law, a vehicle is considered abandoned if the owner or lienholder fails to retrieve it and pay all reasonable towing, storage, and repair charges within 14 days after the Secretary of State sends the required notices, or 14 days after publication in a newspaper if the owner cannot be located.⁸ The statute presumes the last registered owner is the person who abandoned it, though that presumption can be challenged.

You can still reclaim the vehicle right up until the Secretary of State issues a new title to whoever applied for it. Pay the outstanding towing, storage, and repair charges before that point and the facility must immediately release the vehicle and notify the Secretary of State. A facility that refuses to release once charges are paid commits a Class E crime, and you should contact local law enforcement.⁹

If You Are an Active-Duty Service Member

The federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act blocks a towing company or storage facility from foreclosing or enforcing its lien during any period of military service and for 90 days afterward without first getting a court order. The statute covers storage, repair, and cleaning liens, which is the exact category of lien a towing company holds.¹⁰

If a proceeding does happen, the service member can request a stay, and the court must grant one when the member’s ability to pay is materially affected by military service. The court can also adjust the obligation to balance both sides. A knowing violation is a federal misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison, a fine, or both.¹⁰

How to Dispute a Tow or Challenge the Bill

Maine has no towing regulator. A 2026 state working group report acknowledged that Maine “lacks a comprehensive regulatory framework for the towing industry” and that consumers have “no formal mechanism to dispute towing or storage charges short of filing a lawsuit.”¹¹ What you have instead are three practical routes.

File a consumer complaint with the Maine Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, which accepts towing complaints and has received more than 100 since 2019. The office can investigate patterns and pursue enforcement, but it does not adjudicate individual fee disputes.
Sue in small claims court. As of January 1, 2026, Maine small claims handles disputes up to $10,000, covering virtually any towing or storage bill. The process is informal and does not require a lawyer. Bring your paperwork, evidence of any charges that exceeded the $1,500 monthly storage cap, and proof of notification failures.¹²
Challenge the notification timeline. If the company filed with the Secretary of State more than five days after the tow, it can only collect three days of storage. If it filed more than 14 days late or never filed, it maxes out at 14 days. Request the filing records from the Secretary of State to verify the dates.⁵

1
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 29-A – Application
2
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 29-A – Authority to Remove an Improperly Parked Vehicle
3
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 29-A – Holding Vehicle and Its Accessories
4
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 29-A – Notification of Vehicle Owner
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Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 29-A – Limits
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Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 29-A – Holding Vehicle and Its Accessories
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Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 29-A – Commercial Motor Vehicle Nonconsensual Tow
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Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 29-A – Abandonment Defined
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Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 29-A – Change of Ownership
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3958 – Enforcement of Storage Liens
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Maine Secretary of State. Potential Regulation of the Towing Industry in Maine 2026
12
Maine Legislature. Maine Code 14 – Definition of a Small Claim