1. Find your car
Call the phone number on the tow-away sign in the lot. Texas private parking lots that tow must post signs, and the sign tells you who towed the vehicle and where it was taken. If your car was booted instead, call the number on the sticker on your window, and do not drive with the boot on.
2. If the tow truck is still there
- Not fully hooked up yet: you can ask for the car to be released, with no fee and no need to prove ownership.
- Fully hooked up but still on the lot: you can keep the car by paying a drop fee. The state maximum is $135 for vehicles up to 10,000 lbs ($190 up to 25,000 lbs, $244 above).
- The driver must accept cash, credit and debit cards for the drop fee.
3. What a private-property tow can cost
TDLR publishes maximum fees for non-consent towing from private property. A city or county can set lower limits, but not higher ones.
Source: TDLR consumer information and TDLR storage facility fees (storage and impound amounts are TDLR's 2023 biennial adjustment). Checked October 2026.
A storage facility cannot charge you to get personal belongings out of the car, and it cannot add "environmental" or notary fees. The tow ticket must itemize every charge and show the towing company's name, phone number, TDLR registration number and the operator's license number.
4. Get your car back from the storage lot
- Bring a photo ID and proof you own the car or have the owner's permission.
- Pay the towing and storage fees. The facility must accept cash, debit and credit cards.
- If your ID is inside the car, the facility must let you in to get it. You can also remove personal items free of charge (TDLR access rules).
- Ask for the itemized tow ticket and keep every receipt. You need them for a hearing.
Move fast: storage is charged per day, and a vehicle left on a storage lot can eventually be treated as abandoned and sold after the required notices.
5. Think the tow was wrong? Request a hearing within 14 days
You can ask for a tow hearing if you believe the tow, storage or boot was not legal, or that you were charged more than allowed. You must request the hearing within 14 days of the tow, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays, from the Justice of the Peace court in the county where the car was towed. The filing fee is $20, and the court must hold the hearing within 21 calendar days of receiving your request.
Your request should include your contact information, where and when the car was towed, who authorized it, the towing company and storage facility, copies of receipts and notices, and photos of the parking sign (or a statement that there was none). Take those photos as soon as you can.
You can also file a complaint with TDLR against a towing company, operator or storage facility. A complaint does not replace the hearing, so you can do both.
Consent tows are different
Everything above is about non-consent tows: your car was moved without you asking. When you call a tow company yourself after a breakdown or accident, that is a consent tow, and the price is whatever you agree to. That is why RoadReady Tow publishes its rate ($150 hook-up plus $10 a mile) and confirms the total before dispatch. See towing in Dallas or our Dallas tow cost guide.