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Georgia drop fee: do they have to release your car?

If you return before the car is hooked up or loaded and produce the key, the tower can't tow it and can't charge anything. If it's already hooked up but still on the property, the tower has to let it go for an operator fee of no more than $130, or $195 for vehicles 20,000 lb or more, with no storage or other fees. Once the truck leaves the property, normal tariff charges apply. The most a tow company may charge for a drop fee on a car in Georgia is $130.

Checked Nov 15, 2026 against the Georgia statute and regulator pages.

What to do now

  1. Stay calm and tell the operator you want the car released.
  2. Ask what the drop fee is and pay it if it is within your state limit. Some states require them to take a card.
  3. Get a receipt with the company name, truck number and amount.
  4. If they refuse when your state requires release, call police non-emergency and note the time.

Georgia rules that matter here

Drop fee release

If you return before the car is hooked up or loaded and produce the key, the tower can't tow it and can't charge anything. If it's already hooked up but still on the property, the tower has to let it go for an operator fee of no more than $130, or $195 for vehicles 20,000 lb or more, with no storage or other fees. Once the truck leaves the property, normal tariff charges apply.110

Payment

Private-property towers have to accept cash, common traveler's checks, money orders, certified checks or cashier's checks, whichever you choose. Personal checks are not on the list. Cards are optional, but a company that takes debit or credit cards can't add a fee for them. Boot companies have to accept cash and at least one major credit card and one major debit card.1312

Tow-away signs

The state tow fees can be charged only if the property is posted, and no car can be towed unless compliant signs were up at the time of the tow and for at least 24 hours before it. Put a sign within 50 feet of each entrance to the parking area, or as close as terrain allows. If there is no set entrance, signs have to be clearly visible from every parking space. Signs have to be at least 12 by 18 inches, with lettering at least 3/4 inch tall and the words Private Parking in bold letters at least 1 1/2 inches tall. Mount them at least 4 feet above grade at entrances, or 6 feet above grade where there is no entrance, with nothing blocking the view. Each sign has to include a warning that unauthorized vehicles will be towed, the towing company's name, address and phone number, where towed cars can be picked up, the towing fees and daily storage fees, hours of operation and accepted payment methods. Tow signs have to be separate from all other signs and contain nothing else. A sign listing minimum fees means those are the actual rates for the smallest vehicles, even if the tariff goes up later. If more than one tow company is used, the signs have to list all of them. Take the signs down within 15 days after the towing contract ends, authorization is withdrawn or the tow company's permit lapses. Owners of residential property with four or fewer units don't have to post signs. Booting needs its own signs at each entrance, visible at night. They have to say Immobilization Enforced and show the boot company's full legal name, the property owner's full legal name, a 24-hour number for boot removal, the maximum fee and accepted payment methods. The property owner also needs a signed contract with a DPS-permitted tow company, and has to request and sign off on each tow individually on the day it happens. The tow company can't patrol the lot or tow on its own initiative, and it can't pay the owner for towing rights, which carries a $1,000 fine. Cars left in a paid private parking lot can't be towed or booted between midnight and 9 a.m., though the lot can charge up to $25 above normal parking. In cities of 100,000 or more, a commercial lot that wants to tow after closing has to chain off its entrances at least 18 inches high and post a notice where the city police approve.1345891622

Related

Think the tow or the bill was wrong?

Ask the lot for an itemized receipt, compare it to the legal limits in Georgia, and request a hearing before the deadline. Our step-by-step guide and calculator are free.

Questions

Do tow trucks have to release your car if you show up?

In many states the operator must release the car for a drop fee if you arrive before it leaves the property. In others it is up to the company or city ordinance. Check your state below.

Sources

Last checked Nov 15, 2026. Fees and rules change: confirm with the lot or agency before you go. Spot an error? Tell us.

  1. Georgia DPS Statewide Maximum Rate Tariff No. 5, Nonconsensual Towing (issued 04/11/2024) (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7, O.C.G.A. § 44-1-13), Georgia Department of Public Safety. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  2. Effective June 17, 2024: Maximum Rate Tariff No. 5 for Non-Consensual Towing, Georgia Department of Public Safety. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  3. Georgia DPS Vehicle Immobilization Maximum Rate Tariff No. 1 (effective January 1, 2026), Georgia Department of Public Safety. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  4. O.C.G.A. § 44-1-13, removal of trespassing vehicles (FindLaw copy current as of March 28, 2024. Later changes are HB 551 of 2025 and a wording fix to subsection (f) in HB 1268 of 2026. The official LexisNexis code and the Justia backup could not be loaded.) (O.C.G.A. § 44-1-13), Georgia General Assembly (unofficial text via FindLaw). Checked Nov 15, 2026. Secondary source.
  5. House Bill 551 (2025), as passed, amending O.C.G.A. § 44-1-13 for booting, effective January 1, 2026 (Ga. HB 551 (2025), Section 9), Office of the Governor of Georgia. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  6. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.02, Definitions (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.02), Georgia Department of Public Safety (official rules published by the Georgia Secretary of State). Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  7. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.13, Maximum Rates Established by the Department (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.13), Georgia Department of Public Safety (official rules published by the Georgia Secretary of State). Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  8. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.14, Signs Specifications (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.14), Georgia Department of Public Safety (official rules published by the Georgia Secretary of State). Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  9. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.15, Requests for Nonconsensual Towing (the official text skips from paragraph 2 to paragraph 8) (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.15), Georgia Department of Public Safety (official rules published by the Georgia Secretary of State). Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  10. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.16, Vehicle Not Towed Upon Operator Returning (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.16), Georgia Department of Public Safety (official rules published by the Georgia Secretary of State). Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  11. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.17, Requirement for Attendant to Release Towed Vehicles (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.17), Georgia Department of Public Safety (official rules published by the Georgia Secretary of State). Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  12. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.18, Release of Towed Vehicle and Payment (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.18), Georgia Department of Public Safety (official rules published by the Georgia Secretary of State). Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  13. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.19, Receipt Requirement (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.19), Georgia Department of Public Safety (official rules published by the Georgia Secretary of State). Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  14. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.21, Secure Impoundment Facility (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-38-7-.21), Georgia Department of Public Safety (official rules published by the Georgia Secretary of State). Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  15. O.C.G.A. § 40-11-16, duty of towing firm after removal at property owner's request (FindLaw copy current as of March 28, 2024. SB 448 of 2024 later changed the words copy of the request to notice of removal in paragraph (a)(2), which does not change the deadlines. No 2025 or 2026 act amends it. The official LexisNexis code and the Justia backup could not be loaded.) (O.C.G.A. § 40-11-16), Georgia General Assembly (unofficial text via FindLaw). Checked Nov 15, 2026. Secondary source.
  16. O.C.G.A. § 40-11-17, no towing from paid private lots between midnight and 9 a.m. (FindLaw copy current as of March 28, 2024. No 2024, 2025 or 2026 act signed by the governor amends this section. The official LexisNexis code and the Justia backup could not be loaded.) (O.C.G.A. § 40-11-17), Georgia General Assembly (unofficial text via FindLaw). Checked Nov 15, 2026. Secondary source.
  17. O.C.G.A. § 40-11-18, retrieval of personal property (FindLaw copy current as of March 28, 2024. No 2024, 2025 or 2026 act signed by the governor amends this section. The official LexisNexis code and the Justia backup could not be loaded.) (O.C.G.A. § 40-11-18), Georgia General Assembly (unofficial text via FindLaw). Checked Nov 15, 2026. Secondary source.
  18. O.C.G.A. § 40-11-19, owner notice and lien (FindLaw copy current as of March 28, 2024. No 2024, 2025 or 2026 act signed by the governor amends this section. The official LexisNexis code and the Justia backup could not be loaded.) (O.C.G.A. § 40-11-19), Georgia General Assembly (unofficial text via FindLaw). Checked Nov 15, 2026. Secondary source.
  19. O.C.G.A. § 40-11-19.1, petition to foreclose lien in magistrate court (FindLaw copy current as of March 28, 2024. No 2024, 2025 or 2026 act signed by the governor amends this section. The official LexisNexis code and the Justia backup could not be loaded.) (O.C.G.A. § 40-11-19.1), Georgia General Assembly (unofficial text via FindLaw). Checked Nov 15, 2026. Secondary source.
  20. O.C.G.A. § 40-11-19.2, public sale after foreclosure (FindLaw copy current as of March 28, 2024. No 2024, 2025 or 2026 act signed by the governor amends this section. The official LexisNexis code and the Justia backup could not be loaded.) (O.C.G.A. § 40-11-19.2), Georgia General Assembly (unofficial text via FindLaw). Checked Nov 15, 2026. Secondary source.
  21. Towing and Booting (consumer guidance), Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. Checked Nov 14, 2026. Secondary source.
  22. House Bill 1268 (2026), Code Revision Commission act, Section 44 (wording fix to O.C.G.A. § 44-1-13(f) only) (Ga. HB 1268 (2026), Section 44), Office of the Governor of Georgia. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  23. Senate Bill 448 (2024), Code Revision Commission act (wording fix to O.C.G.A. § 40-11-16(a)(2)) (Ga. SB 448 (2024)), Office of the Governor of Georgia. Checked Nov 15, 2026.