Your car was towed. Check what the law required.
California and San Francisco give tow companies a long list of rules: signs, written authorization, receipts, hours, rates, and lien-sale deadlines. When a rule is broken, the law can limit or cancel what they are allowed to charge. San Francisco also lowers some City tow fees for people with low incomes or experiencing homelessness. Answer a few questions to see which rules may apply and what evidence to collect. Whether to send a letter is your decision; if you do, the tool helps you write it in your own name.
What happened
These questions decide which rules apply to your tow and whether any short deadlines are running. "Not sure" is always a fine answer.
Your documents
Gather what you have. Each one is optional. An itemized invoice and the written tow authorization answer many questions, because the law says exactly what they must contain.
Automatic reading is coming next. Soon the tool will read your invoice and authorization and list which required items it can and can't find. For now, keep your files here as your evidence set and use them to answer the questions.
iPhone photos are fine; we convert them automatically.
Your files stay in this page only. They are not uploaded or saved, and they are cleared if you reload. Before you share documents with anyone, cover other people's names and home addresses.
Questions
One section at a time, only for the rules that fit your tow. Answer what you can. "Not sure" keeps the rule on your review list and adds items to your evidence checklist.
Finish your letters
A few more questions fill the blanks in your letters. Skip anything you don't know; the letter keeps a yellow blank for it.
The follow-up questions couldn't load. You can fill in Your details in the last step instead.
Evidence to collect
Built from the rules your answers left open, including every "Not sure." Evidence disappears fast: signs get replaced and paperwork gets lost. Photograph with the date visible. Write notes instead of recording conversations.
Do the best you can. You don't need everything on this list — even a few photos help. Start with the items marked Most important: papers and signs the law requires. Then, if you can, the ones marked Also important.
Review and choose
These are the requirements your answers left open. Each one is general information about what the law requires, not a conclusion about your tow. Nothing is selected for you. Check only the ones you believe were not met, and say what happened in your own words.
Your letters
Drafts built only from the items you selected, with your own words exactly as you typed them. Yellow marks something to fill in. Edit them, then send them yourself.
Your details
Set from your answer to “How are you connected to this vehicle?” in Step 1. Change it here if it's wrong.
Your own figure. The tool does not calculate penalties or add up amounts.
For the complaint
Change it if it's wrong.
From the tow authorization
From the notice of storage
From the lien-sale notice
Did it work? When your tow is resolved (or if it's still going), tell us how it turned out. It helps the next person. Share your story