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Tow and storage rates in Dallas–Fort Worth
What could be charged for tows and storage in Dallas–Fort Worth, by year and by who set the amount. Each row names the record it comes from and links the source.
How to read these tables. Amounts are in dollars, as the source states them. Use the row that covers the date of the tow, and read the note for vehicle sizes and other details. Rows marked "Not found yet" are gaps we are still researching.
Dallas City Code limit, private-property tow (ch. 48A)
| Year or period | Light-duty tow | Medium-duty tow | Heavy-duty tow | Drop charge, light-duty | Record, source and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In force by March 2015, until September 19, 2025 | $121.00 | $191.00 | $445.00 | Not listed | Dallas Quality of Life Committee briefing (March 23, 2015); confirmed as the struck-out amounts in Ord. 33232 2015 Council committee briefing (PDF); Ordinance 33232 (PDF) Official source The weight classes then were up to 10,000 lb, 10,001 to 26,000 lb, and over 26,000 lb. We have not found when these amounts started. |
| September 20, 2025 to now | $165.00 | $300.00 | 489 per unit (up to 978) | $0.00 | Dallas City Code § 48A-43(a), as amended by Ord. 33232 Ordinance 33232 (PDF); Dallas City Code § 48A-43 Official source No hook-up, dolly or go-jack fee may be added, and release is free if asked for before the car leaves the property (§ 48A-38). |
Dallas City Code limit, police-requested tow (ch. 15D)
| Year or period | Light-duty tow | Medium-duty tow | Heavy-duty tow | Record, source and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before September 20, 2025 | $150.00 | $300.00 | $550.00 | Struck-out amounts in Ord. 33232 Ordinance 33232 (PDF) Official source Hourly charges after two hours applied on top; the ordinance does not show when these amounts started. |
| September 20, 2025 to now | $165.00 | $300.00 | 489 per unit (up to 978) | Dallas City Code § 15D-57(a), as amended by Ord. 33232 Ordinance 33232 (PDF); Dallas City Code § 15D-57 Official source Plus $73 (light), $109 (medium) or $182 (heavy) for each hour over two hours, counted from dispatch to delivery; $73 for making a car operable; $4 a loaded mile only outside the city. |
Dallas boot (parking lot)
| Year or period | Other charges | Record, source and status |
|---|---|---|
| Current | $100 at most | Dallas City Code § 48C-44(a) (Ord. 27629) Dallas City Code § 48C-44 Official source Plus any unpaid parking fee for the lot, not fines or penalties, and no card-processing fee. |
Fort Worth police-ordered tow (City-approved fee)
| Year or period | Light-duty tow | Medium-duty tow | Heavy-duty tow | Storage, per day | Storage per day, over 25 ft. | Impoundment fee | Notification fee | Other charges | Record, source and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 16, 2001 | $65.00 | $65.00 | 125 first hour | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Fort Worth Internal Audit, Police-Initiated Towing Fee Study (2014), citing Council minutes 2014 fee study (PDF) Official source Heavy duty was $125 for the first hour, then $31.25 per 15 minutes. Tilt-bed/rollback: $85. |
| April 8, 2003 | $100.00 | $100.00 | $180.00 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 2014 fee study, citing Council minutes 2014 fee study (PDF) Official source Tilt-bed/rollback: $125. |
| January 1, 2004 (still in force in 2014 and 2016) | $135.00 | $135.00 | 216 an hour | $20.00 | $35.00 | $20.00 | $50.00 | Not listed | 2014 fee study; 2016 Auto Pound Operations Audit 2014 fee study (PDF); 2016 Auto Pound audit (PDF) Official source The 2016 audit lists heavy duty at $216 an hour, a $20 preservation/impound fee, $20 a day storage ($35 over 25 feet), a $50 notification fee and $100 an hour extra labor. A 2007 internal study found an increase was not supported. |
| 2018 to September 30, 2023 | $150.00 | $150.00 | $250.00 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Fort Worth Report, Sept. 18, 2023 (amounts worked back from the reported increases) Fort Worth Report article Not verified (unofficial copy) The article says the fee schedule last changed in 2018 and that the 2023 increase was $30 for light and medium (to $180), $50 for heavy (to $300) and $20 for 'extremely light' tows (to $120). We have not seen the 2018 Council action. |
| October 1, 2023 to now | $180.00 | $180.00 | 300 an hour, 2-hour minimum | $22.85 | $39.99 | $22.85 | $50.00 | $32 administrative fee | Fort Worth Police Auto Pound page ('City approved wrecker fees as of 10/01/2023') Fort Worth Police Auto Pound page Official source Also: tilt bed $180, administrative fee $32, extra labor $120 an hour, second wrecker $180 or $300. Fort Worth sets no limit for private-property tows; the state limits apply there. |
Denton nonconsent tow and boot
| Year or period | Light-duty tow | Other charges | Record, source and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 19, 2024 to now | $272.00 | $15 local regulation fee; boot $85 + $15 | Denton City Code §§ 23-102, 23-105 (Ord. 24-2174) Denton City Code ch. 23, art. IV (Municode) Official source The tow fee limit is whatever the state rule allows (now $272 for a car). Each nonconsent tow released for payment adds a $15 'local regulation fee'. Boot removal: at most $85 plus $15. |
Arlington
| Year or period | Amounts | Record, source and status |
|---|---|---|
| Not found | Not found yet | Arlington's Wrecker Operations chapter is published only as a large PDF that we could not download Arlington City Charter and Code of Ordinances page Not found yet Until checked, our tool applies state law only in Arlington. |
Texas maximum, private-property tow (TDLR)
| Year or period | Light-duty tow | Medium-duty tow | Heavy-duty tow | Drop charge, light-duty | Storage, per day | Storage per day, over 25 ft. | Impoundment fee | Record, source and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before Nov. 1, 2021 | $255.00 | $357.00 | 459 per unit (up to 918) | $127.00 | $20.64 | $36.11 | $20.64 | TDLR news release of Oct. 21, 2021 (the 'old fee' column) TDLR: Changes to Private Property Towing Fees (Oct. 21, 2021) Official source The release gives the amounts in force just before November 1, 2021, not the date they started. |
| Nov. 1, 2021 to now (storage changed Jan. 2024) | $272.00 | $380.00 | 489 per unit (up to 978) | $135.00 | $21.03 | $36.80 | $21.03 | 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 86.455, adopted Oct. 5, 2021; storage and impound amounts from the same TDLR release TDLR: Changes to Private Property Towing Fees (Oct. 21, 2021); 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 86.455 Official source Tow and drop maximums are still in force. The storage and impound amounts in this row applied until the January 2024 change in the next row. |
Texas maximum, storage lot (TDLR)
| Year or period | Storage, per day | Storage per day, over 25 ft. | Impoundment fee | Notification fee | Record, source and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 to now | $22.85 | $39.99 | $22.85 | $50.00 | 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 85.722 (2023 cost-of-living adjustment) 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 85.722; TDLR towing and storage news (New VSF Storage Fees Start Jan. 1, 2024) Official source TDLR's news item says the new amounts started January 1, 2024; the rule's source note says January 15, 2024. Our tool uses January 15 for flagging. |
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