Virginia Private Property Towing Laws: Fees, Signs, and Recourse

Virginia’s private property towing laws let a lot owner have an unauthorized vehicle removed, but only if warning signs are posted at every entrance, the fees stay within the statewide caps, and law enforcement is notified after the tow. For a standard passenger car, the towing charge cannot exceed $210, and the first 24 hours of storage must be free.¹ If any of those rules were broken, you can challenge the tow and try to recover what you paid.

When a Private Property Tow Is Lawful

Under Virginia Code 46.2-1231, the owner, operator, or lessee of a parking lot, parking area, or building can have a trespassing vehicle towed to a licensed storage facility. The threshold requirement is signage: warning signs must be posted at all entrances before any towing takes place. Without those signs, the property owner generally has no authority to order a tow.²

Each tow has to be authorized by the property owner or their agent, unless the owner has a standing monitoring agreement with a towing company. In apartment complexes and commercial properties, that agent is usually the property manager. Police involvement is not required to start the tow, but the tow operator has to notify law enforcement after the fact.

Localities can add their own rules on top of the state statute under Virginia Code 46.2-1232, including requiring photographic evidence of the violation before removal.³ If your car was towed in a city or county with its own towing ordinance, those local rules apply alongside state law.

What the Signs Must Say

Proper signage is the single most important prerequisite for a lawful private-property tow. Virginia Code 46.2-1231 requires signs at all entrances that clearly and conspicuously warn drivers that unauthorized vehicles will be towed. Each sign must display either the non-emergency phone number for local law enforcement or the phone number of the towing company responsible for that lot.² That number is what allows a driver to locate the vehicle after it has been removed.

The state statute does not set a minimum letter height, mounting height, or reflectivity standard. Those details are often written into local ordinances, which can be stricter. Fairfax County, for example, requires that every towing sign carry the phrase “If towed, call 691-2131” and be readable both day and night, and it exempts single-family and two-family residential properties from the sign requirement altogether.⁴

Every entrance counts. If a lot has multiple driveways and even one lacks a compliant sign, any tow from that lot is vulnerable to challenge.

Law Enforcement Must Be Notified

After a private-property tow, the tow truck operator has to notify the Virginia State Police or the local law enforcement agency where the tow originated. The statute uses the word “forthwith,” which means without unreasonable delay.² In Fairfax County, all trespass-towed vehicles must be reported to county police, and drivers looking for a missing car are directed to call the non-emergency line at 703-691-2131.⁵

The rule exists so that when you call police to report your car stolen, they can tell you it was towed. A towing company that fails to report the tow has violated state law, and that failure strengthens any complaint or lawsuit you bring.

What a Tow Can Legally Cost

Virginia caps the fees a towing company can charge for a nonconsensual tow of a passenger car, and localities can set their own limits below the state cap.

Statewide Caps

Under Virginia Code 46.2-1233.1, the limits for towing a passenger car without the owner’s consent are:

Hookup and initial towing: no more than $210.
After-hours surcharge: up to $30 extra per instance for tows between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., or on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. No more than two of these surcharges can be stacked on one tow.
First 24 hours of storage: free. No storage fee, and no other fees or charges of any kind, can be imposed during that first 24-hour period beyond the towing fee and any applicable after-hours surcharge.

Those limits apply unless a locality has adopted different caps by ordinance.¹ The free first day is one of the strongest protections in the statute. A storage charge during the first 24 hours is unlawful on its face.

Local Variation

Virginia Code 46.2-1233 lets localities set their own reasonable fee limits, and some are required to. In Planning District 8 (which includes Fairfax County, Arlington, and Alexandria) and Planning District 16, localities must set hookup fees between $135 and the $210 state maximum, and after-hours fees between $25 and $30.⁶ Fairfax County’s current maximum hookup and towing fee for vehicles 7,500 pounds or lighter is $210.⁷ Virginia Beach charges $200 for a standard tow, with daily storage running $60 to $100 depending on vehicle weight.⁸ Check your locality’s ordinance before assuming the state figures apply.

Drop Fees

A drop fee is what a towing company can charge if you catch them before your car is fully off the lot. State law does not set a specific statewide drop fee cap, but some local ordinances do. In Blacksburg, the drop fee is capped at $25 and applies once the operator has begun the hookup process, even if no equipment is physically attached to your car yet.⁹ If you return to your car while a tow truck is preparing to take it, ask what the local drop fee is before the truck pulls away.

Getting Your Car and Your Belongings

To retrieve your vehicle, bring a government-issued photo ID and proof of ownership. That typically means your registration, title, or proof of insurance.¹⁰ Someone else can pick the car up for you, but they’ll generally need a notarized authorization letter and their own photo ID.

You cannot be charged for storage during the first 24 hours.¹ After that, storage fees start accruing daily and add up quickly. Retrieving the vehicle as fast as possible is the most effective way to keep costs down.

Virginia law also says the towing company’s lien on your vehicle does not extend to personal belongings inside it. The company must let you access the car to remove personal property and cargo that isn’t attached to the vehicle or necessary for its operation. Refusing that access is a separate violation worth raising in any complaint.

Challenging an Unlawful Tow

If the signs were missing, the fees were too high, or the towing company never notified law enforcement, you have several places to push back.

Virginia Attorney General’s Office

Consumer complaints about towing companies, including overcharging, procedural violations, and refusal to release a vehicle, go to the Consumer Protection Section of the Office of the Attorney General. You can download a towing complaint form from their website or call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-552-9963 within Virginia, or 804-786-2042. Complaints that allege a violation of a local towing ordinance should go to the appropriate local government office instead.¹¹

Department of Criminal Justice Services

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services registers tow truck drivers. Operating a tow truck without a valid DCJS registration is a Class 3 misdemeanor. If you have reason to believe the driver who towed your car was unlicensed, DCJS is the agency to contact.¹²

Small Claims Court

If the tow was unlawful or the fees exceeded legal limits, you can sue the towing company in Virginia small claims court for up to $5,000.¹³ The process is less formal than other civil cases and does not require a lawyer.

The strongest cases rest on clear evidence: photographs of missing or noncompliant signs, a receipt showing fees above the legal cap, or proof that law enforcement was never notified. Photograph the lot entrances before you leave the area, save every receipt the towing company gives you, and if a sign is there but missing the required phone number, photograph the sign itself. That documentation is what separates a winning case from a swearing match.

If Your Vehicle Was Damaged

Towing companies that damage your car during hookup, transport, or storage can be held liable. Proving the damage happened on their watch is the hard part. Photograph any damage from multiple angles as soon as you arrive at the storage lot and before you drive the car away. Ask the towing company for a written account of the vehicle’s condition when they picked it up and when they delivered it.

In a civil claim you only need to show it’s more likely than not that the towing company caused the damage. Get repair estimates from two or three shops and keep the written quotes. Photos and estimates are your case in small claims court, and waiting even a few days to document damage makes it much harder to connect to the tow.

1
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-1233.1 – Limitation on Charges for Towing and Storage of Certain Vehicles
2
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-1231 – Ticketing, Removal, or Immobilization of Trespassing Vehicles by Owner or Operator of Parking or Other Lot or Building; Charges
3
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-1232 – Localities May Regulate Removal or Immobilization of Trespassing Vehicles
4
County of Fairfax, Virginia. Chapter 82 Motor Vehicles and Traffic
5
Fairfax County. Trespass Towing – Cable and Consumer Services
6
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-1233 – Localities May Regulate Towing Fees
7
County of Fairfax, Virginia. Trespass Towing Advisory Board FY2025 Annual Report
8
City of Virginia Beach. Towing
9
Blacksburg, VA. Towing – FAQs About Private Property Towing
10
City of Norfolk, Virginia. Towing and Recovery – Claiming Your Vehicle
11
Attorney General of Virginia. Towing – File a Complaint
12
Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. Tow Truck Drivers
13
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 16.1 Chapter 6 Article 5 – Small Claims Court