Towing Regulations - Laws and Tips

Miami-Dade County oversees towing vehicle safety standards, insurance requirements and background checks on towing business owners, as well as setting maximum towing rates for non-consent tows (tows that were not authorized by the vehicle owner).

• Maximum towing rates
• Tarifas máximas de los remolques sin consentimiento

Tow-away zone signs must be prominently posted with the storage facility’s name, address and phone number. The vehicle cannot be towed to a storage facility more than 10 miles from the location of the tow. Towing storage facilities must be open from at least 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Towing companies:

• Must accept two forms of payment: check, credit/debit card, cash, money order, traveler’s check
• Must get a property owner or agent’s authorization (signature, date and time) before towing a vehicle
• Must provide the driver of the towed vehicle the necessary documentation for retrieval, company business hours and costs via telephone
• Must allow the driver or authorized representative to inspect the vehicle and remove personal property prior to payment
• Must display towing rates and consumer’s rights at their business

If your vehicle is towed from a tow-away zone, the towing company must report this to the local police department within 30 minutes of the tow. You may call your local police department to find where your vehicle is stored.

If you arrive at a scene while your vehicle is towed, and would like it released on site, the tow operator must release your vehicle for half the towing rate (currently $50.50). You do not need to pay in cash.

Upon receipt of a telephoned request to open a towing storage site to retrieve a vehicle, a tower must return to the storage site within one hour of the request.

If the vehicle is not registered in your name, you may need an original, notarized affidavit signed by the vehicle’s owner explaining you are an authorized representative of the vehicle.