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Towed from your apartment complex in Pennsylvania

A car may be towed from a private lot only if the lot is posted. PennDOT rules call for a sign at each entrance facing incoming traffic, with the restriction in letters at least 3 inches high and reflective or lit at night. Philadelphia also requires a sign at least 36 by 36 inches listing the tow company, charges, redemption address and hours, and payment by cash, credit or debit card.

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

What to do now

  1. Call the property office or check the tow-away sign at the lot entrance. It must name the tow company and its phone number in most states.
  2. Call the tow company to confirm they have the car, the address of the storage lot and the total due.
  3. Photograph the signs, your permit or sticker and where you were parked before anything changes.
  4. Get your car out quickly. Storage is charged by the day.
  5. Ask for an itemized receipt and compare it to your state limits.
  6. If the tow broke your lease or the state rules, write to the property manager and request a hearing if your state offers one.

Pennsylvania rules that matter here

Tow-away signs

A car may be towed from a private lot only if the lot is posted. PennDOT rules call for a sign at each entrance facing incoming traffic, with the restriction in letters at least 3 inches high and reflective or lit at night. Philadelphia also requires a sign at least 36 by 36 inches listing the tow company, charges, redemption address and hours, and payment by cash, credit or debit card.11113

Notice

No state law makes a private-lot tower notify you or the police after a tow. After a crash tow, the tower must give the owner at the scene a contact for where the car will be stored. For cars processed as abandoned, the salvor reports to PennDOT within 48 hours and PennDOT mails the owner and lienholders a certified notice. In Philadelphia, police must ticket the car before a private-lot tow, and the tower must photograph the plate, the violation and the sign.23410121317

Drop fee release

No Pennsylvania law requires a tower to release your car for a drop fee if you return before it is towed away. Philadelphia's towing code summary has no drop-fee rule either, and it bans any charges beyond its tow and storage caps.11317

Personal belongings

No state law lets you take belongings out of a towed car without paying. For a car processed as abandoned, the notice says you may reclaim the car and its contents within 30 days after paying the charges, and unclaimed contents can be disposed of with the car.4817

Hearing to contest the tow

There is no statewide hearing for private-lot tows. If your car is processed as abandoned, you have 30 days from the mailing of the notice to ask for a hearing before a civilian municipal officer, and if the car is found not abandoned you can take it within 48 hours without paying the fees. In Philadelphia, Parking Authority tows and their fees are disputed at the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication.2414

Payment

There is no statewide payment rule for private-lot tows. After a crash tow, the tower must accept cash, a common credit card, or an insurance company check. In Philadelphia, private-lot towers must take cash, credit and debit cards with no card surcharge.101315

Related

Pennsylvania cities: Philadelphia

Think the tow or the bill was wrong?

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

Questions

Can my apartment tow my car without warning?

In many states yes, if proper tow-away signs are posted at each entrance. Some states and leases require a warning sticker first for things like expired tags. Check your state rules and your lease.

Who do I call if my car was towed from my apartment?

Start with the tow company named on the posted sign or the property office. In Houston and Harris County you can also search FindMyTowedCar. Police usually get a report of private tows within a few hours.

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. Pennsylvania Vehicle Code 75 Pa.C.S. 3353 Prohibitions in specified places (75 Pa.C.S. § 3353(b), (c)), Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  2. Pennsylvania Vehicle Code 75 Pa.C.S. 3352 Removal of vehicle by or at direction of police (75 Pa.C.S. § 3352(d)), Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  3. 75 Pa.C.S. 7304 Reports to department of possession of abandoned vehicles (75 Pa.C.S. § 7304), Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  4. 75 Pa.C.S. 7305 Notice to owner and lienholders of abandoned vehicles (75 Pa.C.S. § 7305), Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  5. 75 Pa.C.S. 7306 Payment of costs upon reclaiming vehicle (75 Pa.C.S. § 7306), Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  6. 75 Pa.C.S. 7307 Authorization for disposal of unclaimed vehicles (75 Pa.C.S. § 7307), Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  7. 75 Pa.C.S. 7308 Public sale of unclaimed vehicles with value (75 Pa.C.S. § 7308), Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  8. 75 Pa.C.S. 7309 Processing of nonrepairable or salvage vehicles (75 Pa.C.S. § 7309(d)), Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  9. 75 Pa.C.S. 7311.1 Reports by private property owners of abandoned vehicles (75 Pa.C.S. § 7311.1), Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  10. Towing and Towing Storage Facility Standards Act (Act 110 of 2012, crash-scene tows) (73 P.S. § 1971.3), Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  11. 67 Pa. Code § 212.115 Posting of private parking lots (67 Pa. Code § 212.115), PennDOT (Pennsylvania Code). Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  12. 67 Pa. Code Chapter 253 Salvors (67 Pa. Code §§ 253.1-253.7), PennDOT (Pennsylvania Code). Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  13. City of Philadelphia, Summary of Philadelphia Code provisions governing towing activity (rev. Sept. 20, 2018) (Phila. Code § 9-605(4), (11), (17)), City of Philadelphia. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  14. Philadelphia Parking Authority, Booted and Towed Vehicles, Philadelphia Parking Authority. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  15. AG Sunday's Bureau of Consumer Protection: Philadelphia Towing Group Breaking Court Order by Unlawfully Towing Vehicles, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  16. City of Pittsburgh, Towing License (limited towing license for parking lots) (Pittsburgh Code ch. 763), City of Pittsburgh. Checked Nov 15, 2026.
  17. PennPIRG Education Fund, Pennsylvania Towing Protections (May 2021), PennPIRG Education Fund. Checked Nov 15, 2026. Secondary source.