A local towing company has filed a lawsuit arguing that getting towed in Arlington should cost more.
Advanced Towing has been pursuing litigation against Arlington County in circuit court for the last several months, seeking to increase the base towing rate from $160 to $210.
The County Board already bumped up the base cost of a tow from $135 back in December. However, Advanced Towing argues that this didn’t go far enough — noting that the Board’s unanimous vote ran counter to the recommendation of the county’s Trespass Towing Advisory Board and is less than the $210 fee charged in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties.
Arlington County staff also originally advised increasing the fee to $210, the maximum allowed in Virginia, for vehicles weighing less than 7,500 pounds. However, they changed their recommendation after the County Board ordered further study last year.
“By maintaining towing rate limitations significantly below those supported by market data, advisory board recommendations and comparable jurisdictions, Arlington County Board has failed to comply with its statutory obligation to reflect fair market value,” Advanced Towing wrote in a complaint filed in March.
Both the County Board and the county manager’s office declined to comment on this story, citing policies against commenting on pending litigation.
In December, Takis Karantonis, who was then serving as chair of the Board, argued that Arlington’s small square mileage justifies a lower cost than in surrounding areas.
“Tow operators do not have as far to travel as in many other jurisdictions with higher fees,” Karantonis said prior to the vote.
In the lawsuit, Advanced Towing called the County Board decision “unsupported, arbitrary, and capricious,” arguing that Arlington has “comparable or higher operating costs than neighboring localities” and should charge comparable towing fees.
The Ballston-based company accused local policymakers of “a consistent pattern of disregarding the [Trespass Towing Advisory Board’s] formally adopted recommendations,” noting that the advisory panel previously recommended increasing the county’s base hookup and initial towing fee to $150 back in December 2020.
The Virginia legislature increased the maximum initial towing fee statewide from $150 to $210 effective July 1, 2025. The change also eliminated a $20 fuel surcharge.
Advanced Towing has a history of legal wrangling in Arlington. Former Attorney General Mark Herring (D) took the company to court in 2021 over alleged “predatory, aggressive, overreaching and illegal” practices, but only secured a paltry $750 civil penalty after a multi-day trial.
Ongoing complaints about a heavy-handed approach to parking enforcement — including one instance in 2023 where a woman’s car was towed with two young children inside — have driven calls for a “second signature” requirement that would have an employee or owner of a business sign off before a vehicle can be towed from a property.
Two lawmakers representing Arlington, Dels. Adele McClure (D) and Alfonzo Lopez (D), cleared the path for this regulation with bills in the Virginia legislature back in 2024, but the County Board ultimately declined to approve a “second signature” change following the advice of county staff and the Trespass Towing Advisory Board.
As for the current lawsuit, the county has argued that Advanced Towing’s complaint is “insufficient as a matter of law.” While the Virginia State Code requires local policymakers to consider the fair market value of a towing service, “there is no mandate that the fee be set at fair market value,” the county’s counsel wrote in a demurrer.
A hearing on the demurrer took place in Arlington County Circuit Court last week and is currently under advisement, according to online case information.
