Towing Regulations - Laws and Tips

Miami-Dade County oversees towing vehicle safety standards, insurance requirements and background checks on towing business owners, as well as setting maximum towing rates for non-consent tows (tows that were not authorized by the vehicle owner).

On Oct. 6th the Board of County Commissioners adopted as amended Item No. 222104 relating to various provisions of the County’s towing ordinance, including Sec. 30-473(k) concerning forms of payment towers must accept, Sec. 30-473(n) listing what documents a tower may require as proof of ownership, and Sec. 30-476 establishing maximum non-consent tow rates. These amendments became effective Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022.

• Maximum towing rates
• Tarifas máximas de los remolques sin consentimiento

Tow-away zone signs must be prominently posted with the storage facility’s name, address and phone number. The vehicle cannot be towed to a storage facility more than 10 miles from the location of the tow. Towing storage facilities must be open from at least 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, but must also maintain a telephone communication system to answer telephone calls from the public twenty-four (24) hours a day. The tower must return to the storage site within one (1) hour upon receipt of an after-hours request to open the storage site to retrieve a vehicle.

Towing companies:

• Must accept the following for payment:
  • Cash, money order, or traveler’s check
  • Personal check (showing on its face the name and address of the vehicle owner or authorized representative)
  • Bank, debit or major credit card (such as Visa or MasterCard)
  • Beginning July 16, 2023, digital payments, such as Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay or Cash App
• Must get express authorization from law enforcement, a property owner or a property owner’s agent (name, contact information, date and time) before towing a vehicle
• Must provide the driver of the towed vehicle the necessary documentation for retrieval, company business hours and costs via telephone
• Must allow the driver or authorized representative to inspect the vehicle and remove personal property prior to payment
• Must display towing rates and consumer’s rights at their business

If your vehicle is towed from a tow-away zone, the towing company must report this to the local police department within 30 minutes of the tow. You may call your local police department to find where your vehicle is stored.

If you arrive at a scene while your vehicle is towed, and would like it released on site, the tow operator must release your vehicle for half the towing rate (currently $72.50). You do not need to pay in cash.

If the vehicle is not registered in your name, you may need a notarized affidavit signed by the vehicle’s owner explaining you are an authorized representative of the vehicle.