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History of towing in Houston
How towing rules in Houston 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.
Ordinances and SafeClear (2001 to 2011)
Council adopts Ord. No. 01-1079, the oldest ordinance in the history of today's towing definitions and penalty sections (Code secs. 8-101, 8-102).
Ord. No. 2004-497 rewrites the auto wrecker rules (secs. 8-111 to 8-129), including towing charges, the police tow agreement and the freeway program that becomes SafeClear.
Source: Houston Code ch. 8, art. III (Municode); Houston Professional Towing Ass'n v. City of Houston, No. 15-20117 (5th Cir. Feb. 3, 2016)
SafeClear begins: Houston freeways are divided into segments with assigned tow companies that patrol and clear stalled and wrecked vehicles, at first at City expense for shoulder tows.
Source: SafeClear Performance Report 2008 (Rice University and Texas Transportation Institute; City committee packet); Houston Professional Towing Ass'n v. City of Houston, No. 15-20117 (5th Cir. Feb. 3, 2016)
Ord. No. 05-116 creates City licenses for wrecker drivers and trainees (secs. 8-131 to 8-137).
Harris County's justice courts adopt Local Rule 2.3.3, sending tow hearing requests to designated precincts.
Nearby city or county
Source: Harris County Justice Courts: Information about Tow Hearings
A federal court rules that parts of the SafeClear ordinance covering consent tows and barring other operators from major freeways are preempted by federal motor-carrier law. The City amends the ordinance (Ord. No. 05-1271, September 22, 2005).
The ruling itself (S.D. Tex. No. H-05-0323) was not opened; facts are from the 2016 Fifth Circuit opinion and the Code's history notes.
Source: Houston Professional Towing Ass'n v. City of Houston, No. 15-20117 (5th Cir. Feb. 3, 2016); Houston Code ch. 8, art. III (Municode)
In the towing association's second suit, a federal court holds the amended SafeClear ordinance is not preempted, citing the federal exceptions for safety rules and nonconsent tows.
Described in the 2016 Fifth Circuit opinion; the 2008 ruling was not opened.
Source: Houston Professional Towing Ass'n v. City of Houston, No. 15-20117 (5th Cir. Feb. 3, 2016)
Council adopts the booting article (Ord. No. 08-847, Code ch. 26, art. X), with City permits for booting companies; it is revised in December 2009 (Ord. No. 09-1235).
Ord. No. 2011-324 makes owners pay for SafeClear tows of stalled vehicles from the shoulder, which the City had paid for; the operator agreements set $50. Owners who cannot pay are taken to a storage lot with no storage charge for 48 hours.
The 2014 SafeClear report dates the $50 fee to 2010.
Source: Houston Professional Towing Ass'n v. City of Houston, No. 15-20117 (5th Cir. Feb. 3, 2016); Houston Code ch. 8, art. III (Municode); SafeClear Performance Report 2014 (Texas A&M Transportation Institute and Rice University; City committee packet)
Council adopts the junked-vehicle article (Ord. No. 2011-389, Code ch. 10, art. XIII), with hearings before a hearing officer the mayor designates.
Source: Houston Code ch. 10, art. XIII, junked vehicles (Municode)
Harris County Commissioners Court sets the county's maximum nonconsent tow rates for unincorporated areas, including $145.50 for a police-ordered tow. They stay unchanged until 2026.
Nearby city or county
Source: Harris County OMB memo: Nonconsent Tow Rate Options (June 23, 2026), item 26-4520
Ord. No. 2011-1012 amends the towing charges and nonconsent tow rules (secs. 8-117, 8-123), effective January 1, 2012.
Yearly rates and new agreements (2012 to 2020)
HPD presents a new Heavy-Duty police tow agreement, with zone rotation and a heavy-duty rate of $243.50 an hour (two-hour minimum).
The City's earliest posted rate notice sets $162.50 for a nonconsent tow and $246.50 an hour for heavy-duty from January 1, 2015.
The Fifth Circuit rejects the towing association's third challenge to SafeClear as already decided.
Source: Houston Professional Towing Ass'n v. City of Houston, No. 15-20117 (5th Cir. Feb. 3, 2016)
The Houston-Galveston Area Council launches Tow and Go, which takes over SafeClear's freeway program and makes breakdown tows free again.
Not yet verified The City page confirms the change but gives no date; the July 9, 2018 date is from the regional council's release as cited by others. We could not open the release itself.
Source: City of Houston: Tow and Go page; Memorial District: New Tow and Go Program (Nov. 6, 2018)
Ord. No. 2018-674 updates the booting rules and adds a written complaint process to the City's 'police official' (sec. 26-666).
Tow and Go expands to unincorporated Harris County and several smaller cities.
Nearby city or county From a news report
Source: Community Impact (Aug. 2020)
At tow operators' request, the City starts a cost-of-service rate study and keeps the 2020 rates ($174; $264.50 an hour) for 2021.
Rate study, rewritten rules and county reset (2021 to 2026)
HPD moves its legal notices of abandoned vehicles from the Houston Chronicle to the Daily Court Review.
HPD's notice gives the year only.
Council adopts Ord. No. 2021-753, the first major towing update in over 10 years: a definition of 'lawfully hooked up' for the half-price drop fee, background checks for tow company owners, and new grounds to refuse a police tow agreement.
Source: Houston Code ch. 8, art. III (Municode); HPD presentation: Chapter 8 changes to towing ordinances (Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, June 17, 2021)
Harris County justice courts amend Local Rule 2.3.3: tow and boot hearing requests go to Precincts 2, 3, 6 or 8.
Nearby city or county
Source: Harris County Justice Courts: Information about Tow Hearings
After a public hearing on the rate study, the City sets $190 for a nonconsent tow and $289 an hour for heavy-duty from January 1, 2022.
Source: ARA presentation: Proposed Non-Consent Tow Rates (Regulatory and Neighborhood Affairs Committee, Dec. 14, 2021); City rate notice for 2022 (ARA, Dec. 22, 2021)
Ord. No. 2022-151 rewrites the storage-lot sections (8-141 to 8-188): see the wrecker slip before paying, no waivers, itemized receipts, weekly police reports, and police auctions only for nonconsent tows.
Houston's amended Fire Code (Ord. No. 2023-907) and HFD standard LSB 03 set fire-lane markings, which decide whether a fire-lane tow sign rule is met.
The City nonconsent tow rate becomes $232 ($354 an hour heavy-duty), and HPD's Motorist Bill of Rights is updated.
Source: City rate notice for 2026 (ARA, Nov. 25, 2025); HPD Motorist Bill of Rights (rev. Dec. 12, 2025)
Harris County Commissioners Court votes to update its 2011 tow maximums and set a method for regular reviews. New amounts not yet published.
Nearby city or county
Source: Harris County Commissioners Court, July 9, 2026, item 26-4520 (Legistar); Harris County OMB memo: Nonconsent Tow Rate Options (June 23, 2026), item 26-4520
HPD posts its 2026 Police Private Storage Lot Agreement.
Source: HPD 2026 Police Private Storage Lot Agreement with exhibits (form dated Sept. 29, 2026)
For the rates over the years, see tow and storage rates. Know a record that belongs here? Email corrections@towedhelp.org.
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