Colorado’s new Towing Laws:- You go outside your house to find your automobile, but it isn't there. You parked it at a vacant spot on the street. It was towed. Of course you're angry. And to get it back, you now owe hundreds of dollars. Many Coloradans find themselves in that scenario even after legally parking close to their homes.
There is a new towing law in Colorado that provides people more rights.
It is referred to as the “Towing Bill of Rights.” The law mandates that tow truck firms now provide a 24-hour notice before pulling a car out of an apartment, condo or mobile home park’s parking area. Additionally, the rule forbids businesses from towing vehicles with expired tags.
What precisely is this new law?
The Towing Bill of Rights is the name of the statute. The way our state oversees the towing industry has undergone the biggest reform in a long time. We are specifically discussing the guidelines for when and when not to allow towing businesses in private home zones.
It was approved during the previous year’s legislative session, and it became law in August 2022.
Title 40, Article 10.1 of the Colorado Revised Statutes covers the Commission’s function in towing carrier regulation. Requirements for permits, rates, insurance, and bonding apply to towing carriers.
4 CCR 723-6500 contains the towing regulations. Rule 6511 expressly governs towing rates.
What new regulations apply to residential areas? (Colorado’s new Towing Laws)
The largest adjustments concern when a business can take your car without your permission.
The measure also provides the state more authority to sanction bad actors in the business and approve permits for Colorado operations.
If a towing company isn’t obeying a court or police order, they aren’t allowed to take your automobile only because your licence plate is expired.
With rare exceptions, towing companies are required to provide a 24-hour written notice before removing automobiles from residential property. These include: court or police orders; vehicle owner consent; when a vehicle has received two prior notices; creditor repossessions; when a vehicle is obstructing a driveway; when a vehicle is parked illegally in a handicapped space; when a vehicle is parked in a fire zone; or parking without a permit (if required by property).
If a vehicle is still on private property, towing companies are required to release it at no cost upon request from the owner.
Owners of towed automobiles must pay 15% of the total costs, but no more than $60, before the towing company can release the vehicle.
Upon request from owners, towing agencies are required to release the contents of towed automobiles.
But according to Drew Hamrick, general counsel for the Colorado Apartment Association, not much is changing in terms of many apartment buildings. This is due to the fact that tow truck firms may still tow a vehicle without giving 24 hours’ notice if:
• an automobile is obstructing a driveway or road
A automobile is parked on a private property
• Vehicle is parked in a place designated for the disabled
• an automobile is obstructing a fire lane
• Vehicle is parked in a designated space for a certain person.
• vehicle is parked in a lot that requires a resident pass but has none
• a court or law enforcement official issues a towing order.
Can you get your money back if your car is inadvertently towed?
Depending on your circumstances.
The measure offers state regulators that regulate the towing sector more authority, and it includes an additional $100,000 for the PUC. That sum will be used to pay for the services of a second full-time investigator who will look into customer concerns.
In order to better inform consumers about the new rule, the commission updated its website with advice on how to file a complaint. There is also a list of exemptions to the new 24-hour notification requirement.
The PUC advises filing a complaint through their website with “very specific” data about your circumstance and your reasons for believing your automobile was improperly towed if you still believe it was done so.