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Towed from your apartment complex in Virginia

A lot owner may have a car towed or booted only if signs are posted at all entrances that clearly and conspicuously say cars parked without permission will be removed, towed, or immobilized. At a minimum the signs must give the local police non-emergency number or the tow company's number for finding towed cars. In a locality with its own towing ordinance, the local sign rules apply instead, and many Northern Virginia counties have them. At apartment lots, the tower must post a dated 48-hour warning on a resident's car before towing for expired registration or inspection and send a copy to the landlord. If the car is towed, the most a company may charge for a private-property tow of a car in Virginia is $210, plus storage.

Checked Nov 14, 2026 against the Virginia 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.

Virginia rules that matter here

Tow-away signs

A lot owner may have a car towed or booted only if signs are posted at all entrances that clearly and conspicuously say cars parked without permission will be removed, towed, or immobilized. At a minimum the signs must give the local police non-emergency number or the tow company's number for finding towed cars. In a locality with its own towing ordinance, the local sign rules apply instead, and many Northern Virginia counties have them. At apartment lots, the tower must post a dated 48-hour warning on a resident's car before towing for expired registration or inspection and send a copy to the landlord.3413

Notice

The tow operator must report a trespass tow right away to the State Police or local police where the car was towed from. If it does not, it can charge no more than one day of storage. There is no statewide deadline for mailing the owner a letter, but before a lot can sell the car the DMV sends the owner and lienholder notice. At apartment complexes, a resident's car cannot be towed for expired registration or inspection until 48 hours after a dated warning is posted on it.341112

Drop fee release

If you are there and move your car before it is actually towed, it may not be towed. You can be charged a reasonable fee of no more than $25, unless your locality sets a different limit.3

Personal belongings

A tower's lien does not cover personal property that is not part of the car. The tower must let you get your belongings out, but you must claim them at least two business days before any auction date. State law does not say the access must be free, and it does not set hours.11

Hearing to contest the tow

Virginia has no statewide tow hearing process. For tows from Northern Virginia (Planning District 8), a tower that breaks the state towing rules or a local towing ordinance faces a civil penalty of 10 times what it charged, collected by the Attorney General and paid to the person towed. Many Northern Virginia localities also take towing complaints.6

Payment

For police-requested tows, the tower must release the car when you pay in full by cash, insurance company check, certified check, money order, or at least one of two major credit cards. If it refuses, further storage charges stop. State law sets no payment rule for private-property tows, but some localities do.713

Related

Think the tow or the bill was wrong?

Ask the lot for an itemized receipt, compare it to the legal limits in Virginia, 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 14, 2026. Fees and rules change: confirm with the lot or agency before you go. Spot an error? Tell us.

  1. Limitation on charges for towing and storage of certain vehicles (Va. Code § 46.2-1233.1), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  2. Localities may regulate towing fees (Va. Code § 46.2-1233), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  3. Ticketing, removal, or immobilization of trespassing vehicles (Va. Code § 46.2-1231), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  4. Localities may regulate removal or immobilization of trespassing vehicles (Va. Code § 46.2-1232), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  5. Towing advisory board (Va. Code § 46.2-1233.2), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  6. Improper towing, penalty (Va. Code § 46.2-1233.3), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  7. Local governing body may regulate certain towing (Va. Code § 46.2-1217), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  8. Unattended or immobile vehicles, generally (Va. Code § 46.2-1209), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  9. Removal and disposition of unattended or immobile vehicles, local ordinances (Va. Code § 46.2-1213), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  10. Search for owner and secured party, notice (abandoned vehicles) (Va. Code § 46.2-1202), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  11. Lien of keeper of vehicles (Va. Code § 46.2-644.01), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  12. Enforcement of liens acquired under §§ 46.2-644.01 and 46.2-644.02 (Va. Code § 46.2-644.03), Virginia General Assembly. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  13. Trespass Towing (fees under Fairfax County Code § 82-5-32) (Fairfax County Code § 82-5-32), Fairfax County Department of Cable and Consumer Services. Checked Nov 14, 2026.
  14. Towing Advisory Board: City's Towing Fee Analysis (March 19, 2026), City of Alexandria. Checked Nov 14, 2026.