Charlotte Weighs Tighter Rules for Tow Truck Drivers

City leaders are reviewing a police-backed permit system aimed at curbing predatory towing practices in Charlotte.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Trucks

Photograph of an unmarked flatbed tow truck at a distance beside a parked sedan on a quiet city street with brick buildings and trees. — Charlotte city leaders are weighing a police-backed permit system and tighter towing rules after reports that operators routinely treat the $100 fine as a cost of doing business. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Charlotte City Council Safety Committee discussed updating the city's towing ordinance, including a municipal permit system for tow truck drivers proposed by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Current city fines for towing violations are capped at $100.

Why it matters

Leaders are pushing to crack down on predatory towing practices in Charlotte, where more than 107 cars are towed per day. Police attorney Jessica Battle noted that towing operators often treat the $100 fine as a cost of doing business.

Charlotte's current towing fines are capped at $100, while more than 107 cars are towed per day in the city. The 2014 King v. Town of Chapel Hill ruling sharply restricted North Carolina municipalities from capping tow fees or service charges.

The players

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department

The local law enforcement agency that proposed a municipal permit system for tow truck drivers and a repeat-violator tracking program.

Jessica Battle

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department attorney who introduced the municipal permit proposal to the council committee.

The details

The proposals include tracking repeat predatory towing violators and requiring private parking signs to carry a direct hotline. The plan would also require towing companies to secure written sign-off from property owners around the clock before removing a vehicle, expanding current rules that apply only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The city attorney's office is also negotiating directly with towing firms over practices such as inflating bills when a driver calls police.

June (prior year): A bipartisan bill to create a statewide Towing and Recovery Commission died in committee.
October (prior month): Council members first reviewed several towing ordinance proposals.
November 2: The Charlotte Safety Committee met to discuss the towing ordinance.

Roadmap

The Charlotte effort operates under the 2014 King v. Town of Chapel Hill ruling, which sharply restricted North Carolina municipalities from capping tow fees or service charges. The city's approach instead focuses on permits, owner authorization rules, and direct enforcement against repeat violators.

Drivers whose vehicles are towed in Charlotte could see stronger protections if the proposed rules pass, including owner sign-off requirements around the clock. Owners could also gain a direct hotline for reporting predatory towing practices on private parking signs.

The takeaway

If your vehicle is ever towed, check the posted parking signs and ask for written authorization from the property owner, since current city rules require it only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Keep records of any fees charged, especially if a tow company inflates a bill after you call police.

What happens next

The Safety Committee plans further discussion before deciding whether to send the proposed changes to the full Charlotte City Council for a vote. Sponsors have pledged to reintroduce the statewide towing commission bill.