This website and the documents it makes are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.
Private-lot and apartment towing in Austin
Most tows in Austin parking lots are private-property tows. State law sets the basic rules; Austin adds some of its own.
General information, not legal advice. The papers you got from the police, the tow company, the storage lot or a state agency control your dates. Agencies change phone numbers and steps, so check the agency's own page too.
When a lot may tow
A parking lot generally needs compliant tow-away signs at each entrance, and the tow company needs the lot owner's written authorization. State law also treats fire lanes, aisles, entrances and exits, disabled spaces and spots that block others as no-parking areas in any lot. At apartment complexes, a tow for expired registration needs a lease clause and 10 days' written notice.
Sources: Texas Occupations Code ch. 2308 (Texas Towing and Booting Act)
If you get there before it leaves
Under City Code, the tow may not go ahead if you object, pay the allowed fee and move the car within 30 minutes. If the car was hooked up but not yet removed, the City's fee is at most $50; state rules separately cap a drop charge.
Sources: Austin City Code ch. 13-6 (Municode); City of Austin FY2026-27 Fees, Fines and Other Charges, Exhibit A (Council backup, Aug. 17, 2026)
What it can cost
Since December 22, 2025, the City's maximum for a private-property tow of a vehicle under 10,000 pounds is $272, the same as the state's. It is $350 for 10,000 to 25,000 pounds.
Sources: Ordinance No. 20251211-068 (Dec. 11, 2025); City of Austin FY2026-27 Fees, Fines and Other Charges, Exhibit A (Council backup, Aug. 17, 2026)
Reports and the hearing
City Code requires the tow company to report a private-property tow to APD within one hour; state law requires the storage lot to report it to police within two hours. You can ask for a tow hearing in any of the five Travis County justice courts; the filing fee is $54, and a fee waiver can be requested.
Sources: Austin City Code ch. 13-6 (Municode); Texas Occupations Code ch. 2308 (Texas Towing and Booting Act); Travis County JP 2026 civil fee schedule (PDF)
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