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History of towing in El Paso
How towing rules in El Paso took shape: ordinances, contracts, court rulings and state laws, in date order. Every entry links to its source.
How to read this timeline. Entries are in date order. Most rest on a court opinion, a law or a government record. Entries marked "Not yet verified" rest on one secondary or self-reported source, and entries marked "From a news report" rest on news coverage. We leave out private people's names and accusations against companies that have no published outcome.
The first city towing chapter (2002 to 2013)
Texas recodifies its abandoned-vehicle law as Transportation Code chapter 683, the law police agencies still use to notify owners and auction unclaimed cars.
Statewide: Texas
El Paso adopts chapter 12.54, Towing Regulations and Fees (Ord. 15076), setting maximum fees for nonconsent tows and requiring tow companies to clean up crash debris.
The City adds a process for towing companies to ask for a tow-fee study (Ord. 15528).
The Vehicle Storage Facility Act (Occupations Code chapter 2303), passed in 2001, takes effect. It sets the notice, fee and sale rules for licensed storage lots.
Statewide: Texas
House Bill 2094 creates the Texas Towing and Booting Act (Occupations Code chapter 2308), moving earlier towing provisions out of the Transportation Code and putting tow companies, operators and booting under the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Statewide: Texas
The City adds a $20 fee, collected when a car from a police-ordered tow is released, to cover the police department's towing costs (Ord. 16957).
The City Council awards a contract to operate the police department's Municipal Vehicle Storage Facility (Solicitation 2011-310R), later extended in 2014 and 2016.
Source: 2019 contract award agenda item
The City adds a $20 impoundment fee for cars towed to the City-owned storage facility (Ord. 17700).
Fee studies and a new storage-facility contract (2014 to 2019)
After a towing company closed in January 2014 and the City gathered quotes from tow companies, the Council raises the light-tow limit from $70 to $81 (Ord. 18137, March 4, 2014).
The 2017 presentation dates the change to February 2014; the Code history gives March 4, 2014.
Source: 2017 Tow Fee Study; City Code § 12.54.020 (history note)
At towing companies' request, EPPD presents a tow-fee study and recommends a 5.5% inflation increase; the Council asks for a fuller study.
Source: 2017 Tow Fee Study; 2018 Tow Fee Study
The light-tow limit becomes $85.46 (Ord. 18669, adopted May 2, 2017).
Source: 2018 Tow Fee Study; City Code § 12.54.020 (history note)
After surveying 77 towing companies, EPPD recommends and the Council adopts a $100 limit for a light-duty nonconsent tow, with $350 medium and $450 heavy (Ord. 18774).
Source: 2018 Tow Fee Study; City Code § 12.54.020
The Council awards a new three-year contract to run the City storage facility; only one proposal was received, and the new operator starts in late May 2019.
Source: 2019 contract award agenda item; Internal Audit A2020-02
Audit, federal case and crash-scene rules (2020 to 2026)
The City's Internal Audit Office reports early auction sales and no check of servicemembers' status before sales at the storage facility.
Source: Internal Audit A2020-02
An Army soldier's complaint about a car sold from the impound lot leads the Justice Department to open an investigation, with the City's cooperation.
The release gives the year only.
The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation raises the statewide maximum for a private-property tow of a car from $255 to $272 (effective November 1, 2021), with higher drop, storage and impound maximums.
Statewide: Texas
Source: TDLR news, Oct. 21, 2021
The Justice Department sues the City and the two companies that ran the storage facility, alleging at least 176 servicemembers' cars were auctioned without court orders.
One settlement agreement gives the filing date as February 20, 2023.
Source: Justice Department case page
New statewide storage-lot maximums take effect: $22.85 a day (25 feet or shorter), $39.99 a day (longer) and a $22.85 impoundment fee.
Statewide: Texas TDLR's news item says January 1; the rule's source note says January 15.
Source: TDLR towing and storage news; 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 85.722
After passing the Texas House, House Bill 5499 is referred to the Senate Transportation Committee, its last recorded action. The bill would have required cities and counties that regulate nonconsent tow fees to study them at least every two years and then reset them.
Statewide: Texas
Source: HB 5499 bill history (Texas Legislature Online); HB 5499 committee bill analysis
The case is resolved by settlements: one contractor on June 30, the City on August 26, and the other contractor on October 30, 2025.
The case page also links a press release dated August 1, 2024 about the settlements; the agreement dates come from the case page.
Source: Justice Department case page; Settlement agreement (PDF)
Two 2025 state laws take effect: police may now remove a car being driven without a license or without insurance, even without an arrest (S.B. 857), and storage lots may publish required notices on an approved website instead of a newspaper (H.B. 3928).
Statewide: Texas
The Council bans uncalled tow trucks and soliciting at crash scenes and extends the up-to-$500 fine to these offenses, effective June 1, 2026.
For the rates over the years, see tow and storage rates. Know a record that belongs here? Email corrections@towedhelp.org.
Last checked .