QuestionI recently had my car towed from a private parking lot in Corvallis, OR, the state it is registered in. I was never notified and after five days I finally tracked down the vehicle. The towing company wants to charge me an astronomical amount for every day it was in the impound. Do towing companies have a legal duty to report towing cases? Can they charge for the days I was franticly trying to track down the car? What limitations restrict how much the towing company can charge?
Answer"The towing company wants to charge me an astronomical amount for every day it was in the impound."
Ok, first of all, in most cases the tow company is required to call the police department and report the tow to them..
And while tow charges are high to some people, I have to question the "Astronomical" charges you mentioned..
Each day the vehicle is at the tow company it takes up space and as such is subject to "daily storage fees" or Ground rental fees. Now that could be anywhere from $ 10.00 to maybe $50.00 a day it sits there... Plus there is the charges for it to get towed to the yard.
Now I question your "frantically" trying to find the car, did you call the police department at all?
Even if it was not called into the police department (which is generally a local law) they should of had some ideas..
Is the parking lot posted with signs as to what tow company is doing the towing there... State law in Oregon requires signs to be posted at the entrances to the lot...(sign law info will be posted at end of this answer.)
Now some locations and laws do restrict how much a tow company can charge, but I could not find specific info about Corvallis...
Also I want to mention that the tow company also does send out letters to the owner of the vehicle but they have to wait a few days till DMV gives them the registered and legal owners information before mailing out letters...
In a perfect world the tow company would notice people right a way but due to privacy laws and such even tow companies are restricted in getting that information..
PS, the Beavers were robbed when Dixon went down. Yes I am a Beaver Fan and a "Native Oregonian" even though I live in Alabama now.
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Oregon
98.810 Unauthorized parking of vehicle at proscribed property prohibited. No person, without the permission of:
(1) The owner of a parking facility, shall leave or park any vehicle on the parking facility if there is a sign displayed in plain view at the parking facility prohibiting public parking thereon or restricting parking thereon.
(2) The owner of proscribed property, shall leave or park any vehicle on the proscribed property whether or not there is a sign prohibiting or restricting parking on the proscribed property. [1953 c.575 s.1; 1979 c.100 s.3; 1981 c.861 s.24; 1983 c.436 s.3]
