North Carolina towing laws
North Carolina has no statewide cap on towing or storage fees, and no statewide drop-fee or free-belongings rule.
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State law only gives the tower a lien for reasonable charges, and in 2014 the state Supreme Court struck down Chapel Hill's towing fee schedule because the town lacked power to cap fees. For police-ordered tows you can ask a magistrate for a probable cause hearing, and you can get the car back first by paying or posting a bond.
At a glance
North Carolina state towed-car search
Run or named by a state agency. Check what it covers: most miss some kinds of tows.
NCSHP Towed and Stored Vehicle Search
Vehicles towed or stored at the request of the State Highway Patrol in the last 60 days, searchable by VIN or plate. City police, sheriff and private lot tows are not included, and new tows can take up to 24 hours to show.9
City lookups: Charlotte
Fee limits
Towed from a private lotApartments, stores, businesses
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Private-property tow, light vehicle57State law gives the tower a lien for reasonable charges only. No dollar limit is set. | No state cap |
Any kind of tow
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
Daily storage, light vehicle56DetailsReasonable charges only. A tower that does not sue within 180 days after storage starts waives storage charges after that point. | No state cap |
Local rates. Some cities have towing ordinances, but in King v. Town of Chapel Hill (2014) the North Carolina Supreme Court held that a town could not set a fee schedule for nonconsent tows or ban credit card fees. Sign and notice rules in local ordinances were upheld. No current city fee cap was confirmed. Charlotte still enforces its sign rules, its payment rules, and a 45-minute pickup window for private-lot tows.
What will I owe in North Carolina?
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Your rights: drop fee, belongings, hearing
Release for a drop feeIf you reach the car before it is towed away
North Carolina law has no rule that a tower must release a car for a drop fee before it is towed away. Charlotte once banned fees for an unfinished tow, but police stopped enforcing that after the 2014 King v. Chapel Hill ruling.178
Get your belongings outWithout paying the tow first
No state law gives you a right to get belongings out of a towed car without paying. Charlotte once banned fees for getting property out, but police stopped enforcing that after the 2014 King v. Chapel Hill ruling.158
Right to a hearingTo contest the tow
For police-ordered tows the owner can file a written request with the magistrate in the county where the car was towed, and the magistrate must set a hearing within 72 hours. If there was no probable cause for the tow, the tower's lien ends. For any tow, the owner can sue to contest the lien and get the car back by paying the claimed amount into court.236
Payment they must take
No statewide rule on accepted payment methods was found. For police-ordered tows the owner can get the car back by paying the towing fee or posting a bond for double the fee. In Charlotte, private-lot towers and their storage lots must take cash, at least two major credit cards, and any debit card.38
Owner noticeWhat the tower must tell you or police
When a car is towed at the request of someone other than the owner, the tower must call the local police before moving it and give the car description, where it was towed from and where it is stored. This does not apply to police tows or to tows from posted lots under G.S. 20-219.2. For police-ordered tows the agency must notify the registered owner within 24 hours, or 72 hours for out-of-state cars.24
Storage rules
There is no cap on daily storage. In the counties covered by G.S. 20-219.2 a car towed from a posted private lot may not be taken more than 15 miles away if there is a storage place within 15 miles, and never more than 25 miles.1
What to bringTo get the car released
In counties covered by G.S. 20-219.2, the tower must tell you in writing at pickup that you can pay, take the car and contest the charges. It may not make you sign a waiver, only a receipt for the car.1
Tow-away signsRequired on private lots
In the counties and cities listed in G.S. 20-219.2 (including Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, Forsyth, Durham and Fayetteville), private lots need signs at least 24 by 24 inches at every entrance with the towing company's name and phone number. Towing under that law can start 72 hours after the signs go up.1
Other deadlines
- Request a hearing before the lien sale: If towing and storage charges are unpaid for 10 days, the tower can start a lien sale. The owner gets a notice through DMV and has 10 days from receiving it to ask for a court hearing before the sale.6
By situation
North Carolina cities
Think the tow or the bill was wrong?
Ask the lot for an itemized receipt, compare it to the legal limits in North Carolina, and request a hearing before the deadline. Our step-by-step guide and calculator are free.
Guides: how to fight a tow · what to bring · impound costs by city
Questions
Is there a limit on towing fees in North Carolina?
North Carolina has no statewide cap on the main towing fees. Cities and counties may set their own.
Does a tow truck have to release my car in North Carolina if I get there first?
North Carolina law has no rule that a tower must release a car for a drop fee before it is towed away. Charlotte once banned fees for an unfinished tow, but police stopped enforcing that after the 2014 King v. Chapel Hill ruling.
Can I get my belongings out of a towed car in North Carolina?
No state law gives you a right to get belongings out of a towed car without paying. Charlotte once banned fees for getting property out, but police stopped enforcing that after the 2014 King v. Chapel Hill ruling.
How do I contest a tow in North Carolina?
For police-ordered tows the owner can file a written request with the magistrate in the county where the car was towed, and the magistrate must set a hearing within 72 hours. If there was no probable cause for the tow, the tower's lien ends. For any tow, the owner can sue to contest the lien and get the car back by paying the claimed amount into court.
What payment do tow lots have to accept in North Carolina?
No statewide rule on accepted payment methods was found. For police-ordered tows the owner can get the car back by paying the towing fee or posting a bond for double the fee. In Charlotte, private-lot towers and their storage lots must take cash, at least two major credit cards, and any debit card.
Sources
Last checked Nov 15, 2026. Fees and rules change: confirm with the lot or agency before you go. Spot an error? Tell us.
- G.S. 20-219.2 Removal of unauthorized vehicles from private lots (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-219.2), North Carolina General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
- G.S. 20-219.11 Notice and probable cause hearing (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-219.11), North Carolina General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
- G.S. 20-219.12 Option to pay or post bond (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-219.12), North Carolina General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
- G.S. 20-219.20 Requirement to give notice of vehicle towing (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-219.20), North Carolina General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
- G.S. 44A-2 Persons entitled to lien on personal property (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-2(d)), North Carolina General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
- G.S. 44A-4 Enforcement of lien by sale (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-4), North Carolina General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
- King v. Town of Chapel Hill, 367 N.C. 400 (2014) (367 N.C. 400, 758 S.E.2d 364 (2014)), Supreme Court of North Carolina (via Caselaw Access Project). Checked Nov 14, 2026.
- CMPD Local Ordinances (towing and booting, with enforcement notice after King v. Chapel Hill) (Charlotte City Code secs. 6-563 to 6-565), Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
- Towed and Stored Vehicles, Vehicle Search, North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Checked Nov 14, 2026.