A host of new regulations related to towing off of private property are likely to be considered by Arlington County Board members later in the year.
But first, Board members have to approve advertising a future public hearing for the proposals put forward by County Manager Mark Schwartz and staff. That procedural step is expected to come this Saturday, Oct. 19, with the hearing to follow in November or December.
(Update: On Saturday, Oct. 19, following publication of this article, the Arlington County Board voted 5-0 to approve setting the public hearing for Nov. 16 with the language proposed by staff, despite concerns raised by the chair of the Trespass Towing Advisory Board and representatives of several business organizations about the scope of the advertisement.)
Many of the changes being proposed relate to revisions in state law, which went into effect in July, surrounding what is called trespass towing. County officials plan to amend the local towing ordinance to enact the changes.
Following several meetings of the Trespass Towing Advisory Board this year, staff are presenting the following recommendations.
- Requiring specific written authorization from the property owner or their designee, in addition to an existing contract, before towing.
- Implementing a permitting system for towing operators, with an appeals process.
- Requiring towing operators to provide police with information about who authorized a tow.
- Requiring 48 hours’ notice before towing a vehicle from a multifamily lot based on an expired registration or inspection sticker.
- Increasing the base towing fee from $135 to $150.
- Adding an additional $20 fuel surcharge to each tow with an expiration date of July 1, 2025.
- Increasing the “drop fee” charged vehicle owners to release vehicles before the tow is completed from $10 to $20.
- Implementing regulations for truck signage, smart-payment transactions and timing of load securement.
- Clarifying requirements around vehicle release, receipt production and photographs and other documentary evidence substantiating the reason a vehicle is being towed.
Arlington previously approved several changes to its towing ordinance back in 2016 but the state legislature later struck those down.
Advocates have argued that more stringent towing regulations would help drive down “predatory” towing practices that have frustrated some residents over the years. Proposed changes have received pushback from the towing industry, however.
