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Tow Fees in Houston: Posted Maximums and Storage Rates

Answers taken from the rules Towed in Houston uses. Each one gives its official source and the date that source was checked. Which rules apply depends on the facts of each tow; the tool asks about them. Rules current as of October 5, 2026.

This website and the documents it makes are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

What are the posted maximum tow and storage charges for Houston?

How much can a tow company charge for a private-property tow in Houston?

Houston's 2026 rate notice says light-, medium- and heavy-duty private-property tows may not exceed "the lesser of" the TDLR maximum (16 Tex. Admin. Code § 86.455: $272 light, $380 medium, $489 per unit up to $978 heavy) or the City's non-consent tow rate for tows other than private-property tows ($232 for a tow that does not need a heavy-duty wrecker, from January 1, 2026). So for a car, SUV, van or pickup towed from a parking lot inside Houston, the most a company may charge for the tow is $232, not $272.

Source: City of Houston, Tow Rates 2026; Houston Code § 8-123(d)(2); Occ. Code § 2308.202 · Checked on October 5, 2026

The TDLR rule sets the maximum that may be charged for a private property tow: $272 for light-duty tows (gross weight rating 10,000 lb or less), $380 for medium-duty (more than 10,000 but less than 25,000 lb), and $489 per unit (maximum $978) for heavy-duty (more than 25,000 lb).

Source: 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 86.455(a)-(b) · Checked on October 5, 2026

The law bars a license or permit holder from charging more for a nonconsent tow than the fee set by TDLR rule (§ 2308.0575) or authorized by a political subdivision, and from charging for any service related to a nonconsent tow that is not on the TDLR or local fee list. TDLR may require a refund of the excess or of the whole charge for an unlisted service.

Source: Occ. Code § 2308.2065 · Checked on September 28, 2026

What can a storage lot charge for storage in Houston?

A nonconsent storage lot in Houston may charge a daily storage fee no higher than the state daily maximum (Occ. Code § 2303.155(b)(3)), plus notification and other fees only up to those the Vehicle Storage Facility Act allows. Each fee must be separately itemized on the lot's records and on the receipt you get, and the receipt must show the TDLR license number of the person who released the vehicle and a police phone number for wrecker and storage information. No fees other than those allowed by §§ 8-123 and 8-183 may be charged for these services without your consent, and sales tax may be added only where state law imposes it.

Source: Houston Code § 8-183(b)-(d) · Checked on October 5, 2026

The TDLR rule, applying the 2023 biennial CPI adjustment, sets the maximum daily storage fee at $22.85 for a vehicle 25 feet or less and $39.99 for a longer vehicle, and the maximum impoundment fee at $22.85. If an impoundment fee is charged, the bill must specify the exact services performed and the dates. The fees apply to government-owned storage lots too and control over conflicting city ordinances. No other storage-related fees are allowed besides those in the rule and authorized nonconsent towing fees.

Source: 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 85.722(a), (b), (d), (e), (g); Occ. Code § 2303.1552 · Checked on October 5, 2026

The law defines a storage day as beginning at midnight and ending at the next midnight, and allows a full daily fee for any part of a day, except that no more than one day's storage may be charged if the vehicle remains at the facility for less than 12 hours.

Source: Occ. Code § 2303.155(d) · Checked on September 28, 2026

The law lets a storage facility charge daily storage for no more than five days before the owner notice is mailed or published (Texas-registered vehicles) or before the request for owner information is sent to the other state (out-of-state vehicles), and then for each day after notice until the vehicle is removed and all accrued charges are paid.

Source: Occ. Code § 2303.155(e) · Checked on September 28, 2026

What happens if I get back to my car before it is towed away in Houston?

If you are present while an auto wrecker in Houston is trying to tow your vehicle and you do not want it towed: no charge may be made and you may take the vehicle if it has not been hooked up; if it has been "lawfully hooked up" but not towed from the scene, it must be released to you for one-half the regular auto wrecker fee (half of $232 = $116 in 2026). This does not apply if you cannot move the vehicle from the scene right away.

Source: Houston Code § 8-123(a), (f); § 8-101 ('lawfully hooked up') · Checked on October 5, 2026

The TDLR rule caps the "drop charge" (the most that may be charged to release a hooked-up vehicle before it leaves the property) at $135 for light-duty, $190 for medium-duty and $244 for heavy-duty vehicles. If the owner, authorized operator or agent is present before removal, the towing operator must advise that he or she may offer payment of the drop charge, and the tow company must accept cash, credit cards and debit cards for the drop charge.

Source: 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 86.455(a)(4), (c)-(e) · Checked on October 5, 2026

What rules apply when a car is booted in Houston?

In Houston a company must hold a city vehicle immobilization service permit to boot (§ 26-644(a)). It may charge at most $25.00 plus sales tax to remove a boot put on for overstaying the receipt time, a rate change after you parked, or not displaying a receipt (when you then show the receipt), and at most $100.00 plus sales tax for failing to pay any parking fee; several boots on one vehicle cost no more than one. Beyond the boot fee you owe only the unpaid parking fee for the preceding 24 hours and past-due contract parking. The boot must come off within one hour after you call and pay, or the boot fee is waived.

Source: Houston Code §§ 26-642, 26-644(a), 26-662(3)-(6) · Checked on October 5, 2026

The law requires the booting company to remove a boot no later than one hour after the owner or operator contacts the company to request removal, and requires it to waive the boot removal fee (not associated parking fees) if it fails to do so.

Source: Occ. Code § 2308.258(a)-(b) · Checked on September 28, 2026

The law requires a boot operator to affix a conspicuous notice to the front windshield or driver's side window stating: that the vehicle was booted and damage may occur if moved; the date and time installed; the booting company's name, address and phone; a 24-hour phone number to arrange removal; the boot removal fee and any associated parking fees; notice of the right to a hearing under Subchapter J; and, as the local authority prescribes, how to file a complaint with it. The notice must include a notice of hearing rights.

Source: Occ. Code §§ 2308.257(b), 2308.454(d) · Checked on September 28, 2026

What must the bill and the posted rate sheet show?

The law requires all storage fees to be posted at the licensed facility in view of the person claiming the vehicle, and requires a facility accepting nonconsent-towed vehicles to post a sign that states "Nonconsent tow fees schedules available on request" and to provide a copy of the nonconsent towing fee schedule on request.

Source: Occ. Code § 2303.1551 · Checked on September 28, 2026

The TDLR rule requires a towing company to give its nonconsent towing fee schedule to every storage facility it uses; the schedule at the storage facility must match the one on file with TDLR and be available to any requestor during normal business hours. A towing company may not collect nonconsent towing fees unless the storage facility posts a sign in one-inch letters stating "Nonconsent tow fees schedules available on request."

Source: 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 86.706 · Checked on October 5, 2026

The TDLR rules bar a towing company or operator from charging a nonconsent tow fee greater than, or not listed in, the fee schedule most recently submitted to TDLR, and from charging more than, or any fee not authorized by, the statewide or local nonconsent fees under Occ. Code § 2308.2065. A license or permit holder that does so may be ordered to reimburse the vehicle owner or operator.

Source: 16 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 86.705(h)-(k), 86.902 · Checked on October 5, 2026

The TDLR rules require a tow ticket for each nonconsent tow; a copy goes to the owner if present at the tow and to the storage facility. The tow ticket may authorize only charges directly related to the tow, must itemize each charge using the identical fee structure as the company's nonconsent fee schedule on file with the storage facility, and must show the towing company's licensed name, publicly listed phone number, TDLR license or registration number, and the towing operator's TDLR license number. Operators must carry and openly display their original TDLR license while towing.

Source: 16 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 86.709, 86.715(j)-(n), (p) · Checked on October 5, 2026

Put a charge next to a posted maximum

Pick a posted maximum and type the amount on your bill. The box shows the two numbers side by side; which amount applies to a tow depends on its facts.

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