Maximum Towing Fees in Florida: Caps, Storage, and Drop Fees

Maximum towing fees in Florida are set by county and municipal ordinance on top of a state statute that requires the charges to be reasonable, filed with law enforcement, and posted at the storage yard. For a standard passenger vehicle pulled from private property, the base hook-up charge is capped in most populated counties somewhere between $135 and $151, with separate caps on daily storage, administrative processing, mileage, and after-hours retrieval. If you catch the tow truck before it leaves the lot, the operator can charge no more than half the posted tow rate to drop the car.

Where the Caps Come From

Florida Statute 715.07 governs vehicle removals from private property. It doesn’t set a single statewide dollar figure. Instead, it authorizes every county and municipality to enact its own maximum rate schedule and imposes baseline consumer protections that apply everywhere.¹ Where a local government hasn’t set specific caps, whatever the company charges must still be reasonable under state law. Most populated counties have detailed ordinances.

Every towing company has to file a complete copy of its current rates with local law enforcement and post the identical schedule at the storage site.¹ If a bill comes in above the posted rate or above the local cap, the overcharge violates both the ordinance and the statute. To confirm the ceiling in your area, check your county government’s website or call the local consumer protection office.

Base Hook-Up Rates by County

Passenger cars generally fall under Class A, which covers vehicles up to 10,000 pounds. Heavier vehicles fall into Class B, C, or D brackets with progressively higher caps. Recent Class A private property tow caps in four large counties:

Orange County: $135 flat rate for a trespass tow²
Miami-Dade County: $145 base rate³
Pinellas County: $147⁴
Palm Beach County: $151 for FY 2026 (October 2025 through September 2026)⁵

Police-directed tows carry higher caps than trespass tows from private property. In Palm Beach County, the police-directed Class A rate for FY 2026 is $188 compared with $151 for a private property tow.⁵ If police called the truck rather than a property owner, expect higher numbers across the board.

Mileage Charges and the Distance Limit

Some counties allow a per-mile charge for the distance between pickup and storage. Pinellas County’s Class A mileage rate is $5 per mile. Palm Beach County allows up to $7.50 per mile.⁴⁵ Others, like Orange County, use a flat rate with no separate mileage charge.

State law caps how far the mileage can run. The storage facility must be within 10 miles of the pickup point in counties with 500,000 or more residents, and within 15 miles in smaller counties.¹

Daily Storage Fees

Storage is where the bill gets ugly if you don’t move fast. Under Florida Statute 713.78, no storage fee can be charged if your vehicle has been at the facility for less than six hours.⁶ After that, daily charges accrue in 24-hour increments. Typical Class A caps for outdoor storage:

Miami-Dade: $27.60/day outdoor, $33.90/day indoor³
Pinellas County: $30/day⁴
Palm Beach County: $31/day outdoor, $43/day indoor for FY 2026⁵
Orange County: $32/day after the first 24 hours²

Indoor storage generally costs more. In Miami-Dade, indoor rates apply only when the owner, lienholder, insurance company, or police specifically directed indoor storage.³ A bill for indoor storage without that authorization is worth challenging.

Administrative Fees

Administrative fees cover lien paperwork, owner searches, and required mailings. Most counties cap them between $50 and $60 and allow the charge only after the first 24 hours of storage. Palm Beach County limits the administrative fee to a $50 flat maximum plus actual third-party costs.⁵ Pinellas County allows up to $60, but only if the towing company has complied with the lien requirements of Florida Statute 713.78.⁴ A company that skips the required lien notice steps loses the right to collect this fee.

The Drop Fee if You Catch the Tow

If you arrive while your car is being hooked up and it hasn’t left the property, the operator is legally required to stop and return the vehicle. The charge for that on-the-spot release is capped at half the posted tow rate.¹ In Orange County, that means the drop fee tops out at $67.50.² In Miami-Dade, it’s $72.50.³

One catch: if the operator gives you a reasonable opportunity to pay and you can’t produce the drop fee, the tow can proceed. But the operator cannot refuse to stop, demand full price, or accelerate the process to deny you the chance. Refusing to release a vehicle to someone willing to pay the drop fee is a third-degree felony.⁷

After-Hours Gate Fees and Retrieval

Once your car reaches the storage lot, you have the right to get it back within one hour of asking. Not thirty minutes. Not whenever they get around to it.¹ The facility has to be open for retrieval from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day it conducts towing operations.

Outside those hours, the facility must post a phone number that reaches the operator at all times. Once you call, the operator has one hour to return and open up; failing to do so violates state law.¹ An after-hours gate fee usually applies. In Palm Beach County, that fee is $39 for FY 2026.⁵

When you show up, bring valid identification and proof of ownership. The towing company must accept cash, credit cards, and debit cards; they cannot force cash only. You also have the right to inspect the vehicle before accepting it back, and the company cannot make you sign a waiver of liability for damage as a condition of release.¹ Document any damage before you drive away.

If You’re Overcharged or the Tow Was Improper

Start with the posted rate schedule at the storage yard and the version filed with local law enforcement. If either differs from your bill, or if the total exceeds the county cap, that’s your evidence. Overcharges violate both the local ordinance and state statute.

Florida law also imposes detailed signage requirements on the property where a tow occurs, including reflective lettering, minimum letter heights, placement near driveways, the towing company’s name and phone number, and continuous posting for at least 24 hours before any vehicle can be removed.¹ If the lot didn’t meet those rules, the tow was improper regardless of the fee charged.

When a tow is improper, the person who authorized it is liable for the removal, transportation, and storage costs, any damages caused by the tow, and your attorney’s fees and court costs.¹ The attorney’s fees provision matters. It means a lawyer may take a smaller case because the losing side pays.

Towing companies also face criminal exposure. Failing to file or post rates as required is a first-degree misdemeanor. Refusing to release a vehicle to someone who pays the drop fee, failing to notify law enforcement within 30 minutes of a tow, or not releasing a vehicle within one hour of a request are third-degree felonies.⁷ That leverage is worth mentioning when you call the company to dispute a charge.

1
Florida Senate. Florida Code 715.07 – Vehicles or Vessels Parked on Private Property; Towing
2
Orange County Government Florida. Towing Information
3
Miami-Dade County. Maximum Non-Consent Towing Rates
4
Pinellas County Government. Maximum Non-Consent Towing Rates
5
Palm Beach County. Public Safety – Consumer Affairs Payment / Rates
6
Justia Law. Florida Code 713.78 – Liens for Recovering, Towing, or Storing Vehicles and Vessels
7
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 715.07 – Vehicles or Vessels Parked on Private Property; Towing