Towing Issues: towing of car w/handicap placard, handicapped parking permit, handicap placards

Question
I have a handicap placard because I have MS.  I live in Los Angeles County in CA.  My car was towed for being in a zone where cars are towed after 4pm (I did not see the sign and parked right in front of a shop, went in, and my car was gone when I returned).  When I protested that my handicap placard was properly displayed, I was told that in the sate of Calif (city of LA?) it's ok to tow cars with handicap placards. In WA state this is not the case.  How can I find out what other states have laws about towing cars w/ these placards?

Thanks.

Answer
Well if you do a lot of traveling and driving then you do need to keep up on the laws of the states where you go, but to try and apply the laws of other states (like you mentioned Washington laws) does not work...

You have to follow the laws for the area you are in, and yes even the laws in Los Angeles County are different than in Orange or San Diego county.  There are state laws which can be found online for California and they are located at:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/vc.htm


That takes you to an index of the State vehicle codes in California and you can spend hours there going crazy reading all the laws, but I would look around for information on Handicapped parking issues and also pay close attention to the link below which is the biggest and most common law regarding towing from Private Property.  It will help reference a few other laws which you need to research.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22658.htm

(ps I know your question sounds like it was parked on the street, but that link will help answer more questions that I think you will have)


Now as a general rule, a Handicapped parking permit does only "ALLOW, LAWFUL PARKING IN SPACES SO DESIGNATED" and it does not allow the user to break any parking rules - regulations regarding metered spaces and times, parking in tow away zones, or loading zones and such. It is designed to be used in the designated spaces where others are not legally able to park.



Handicapped towing issues are a big question here and I get a lot of them, and I really wish there was a list or site where I could get specific information on all the laws, but due to all the City, County, State and Federal laws regarding parking, and then the ADA laws and issues then it gets real complicated and hard to follow..


Hope this helped