Towing Issues: Towing from Apartment Parking Lot, towson md, tow companies

Question
I was helping my son move a table up to his apartment in Towson, MD.  It was a Sunday afternoon around 3:00 and there weren't any Visitor spots open.  The lot was also only about 40% occupied so I just parked in another space.  There were no signs in the immediate area indicating that a permit was required or that it was a restricted lot.  I helped move the table into the apartment and was inside for no more than 20 minutes.  When I came out my car was on the back of a tow truck headed out of the lot.  There were at least five other trucks picking up cars around the complex.  It looked like a raid.  Is this legal?  What authority do they have to come grab cars with no notice and no warning?  What are the requirements for posting of signs to notify people that they will be towed?  I looked around the area where I had parked and there were no signs.  I found one in front of another building in the complex and nothing prominent at the entrance to the complex.

Thank you.

Answer
Well Maryland leaves the regulations of tow companies impounding from private parking lots up the the counties and states and as such I have a terrible time finding regulations there as most of it is not online.

Now as to if its legal to tow vehicles with out notice as you say, do you think that its legal to just park anywhere in a parking lot. After all it could of been someone else's space.

Now the "approach and use" of a bunch of tow trucks is common in lots where there is a parking problem as its hard to tow 15 cars with just one truck. And as such at times it does look like a raid.

Several times when I worked in Oregon doing nothing but impounds we were called to apartment complexes where we had 10 or more cars to remove. So it took most of the fleet and we did what we were contracted to do by the property owner.

Now as a general rule, the property management does call the tow company to come when there is a problem, but again there are places where the property management has contracted out to have the tow company cruise the lot and look for violations. Since I am not there I do not know what kind of deal they have.

Now as to signs, yes they are required in most places and the entrances are generally where they are along with other markings for fire lanes and handicapped parking. Guest - Visitor parking at times either or has signs posted in the area or is marked on the ground.

And of course painted markings do tend to wear and fade, and signs on poles and such can get damaged or destroyed. Hard to keep then in some places do to weather and Vandalism.

Sorry that I do not have solid answers for you, but I am researching Maryland laws and regulations and trying to find solid answers for the many questions I get from there.