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Your rights after a tow in Colorado

Colorado law sets rules for towing from private property, such as apartment complexes and store lots. One set of maximum rates applies across the state. Here is what the law says, in plain English.

Maximum charges in Colorado

$250.91

Most they can charge to tow a standard car from private property

$48.19

Most they can charge per day of storage

Other Colorado (statewide, PUC) maximums
Charge	Maximum
Administrative fee	$75.00
After-hours or gate fee	$106.06
Statutory owner notification (private property tow)	$75.00
PUC-listed drop charge (statute bars it except single commercial spaces)	$97.70
Commercial personal-property release (per hour; free for residential)	$102.28

Storage is per 24 hours or part of one, and mileage ($3.80 per mile in earlier schedules, changing monthly with fuel surcharge) is listed separately by the PUC. Rates adjust each March 15. See the official Colorado (statewide, PUC) rates (opens in a new tab).

Statewide, the administrative fee to release a car from the tow company's lien cannot exceed $75.00.

Pick your city

Tow-away signs and notice

If a tow company has an agreement with the property owner, it must post signs reading "Authorized Parking Only" at the entrance, facing the street, and inside the parking area facing the spaces. Signs must be 3 to 8 feet off the ground and cannot be blocked. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(4)(f)(III) (opens in a new tab)
Each sign must be at least one square foot with letters at least 1 inch tall, and must show the tow company's name and phone number in English. Lots with more than ten lampposts, other than residential lots, need signs at each lamppost. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(4)(f)(III) (opens in a new tab)
For a parking space or common parking area, the tow company or property owner must first put a written notice on your windshield at least 24 hours before towing. Exceptions include blocking a driveway or roadway, a fire zone, a disability space without a valid placard, a resident's assigned space, a residents-only lot, or a third offense. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(3)(b) (opens in a new tab)
A tow from private property needs permission from the property owner, an HOA, or their agent within the 24 hours before the tow. The tow company cannot act as the owner's agent to give itself permission. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(3)(a) (opens in a new tab)
A company may not tow you from private property just because your registration or plate tag looks expired, unless a police officer ordered the tow. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(7) (opens in a new tab)

If you get back before the tow leaves

If you arrive after hookup but before the car leaves the property, the company must stop the tow on request and may not charge a drop fee. The PUC rate page still lists a drop charge for commercial lots, but the statute text has no such exception outside single commercial spaces. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(6), (9)(b) (opens in a new tab)
If you approach the driver before the car is removed, the company must tell you it is required to release the vehicle on request. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(6)(c)-(d) (opens in a new tab)

Finding your car

A company holding a car towed from private property must report the storage location to the county sheriff or city police within 30 minutes. It is also treated as compliant if it gave the location when getting the tow authorized. Call the non-emergency police line to find your car. C.R.S. 42-4-2103(2)(a) (opens in a new tab)
Colorado law sets no maximum distance to the storage lot. The PUC limits billable mileage to 12 miles for tows within 10 miles of I-25 and 16.5 miles for tows farther out. 4 CCR 723-6, rule 6511(b) (opens in a new tab)

Getting your car back

The company must accept cash and major credit cards, plus any other payment forms the PUC requires, and must tell you its accepted forms on request. It may add a card surcharge. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(1)(b), (4)(d) (opens in a new tab)
After-hours release can add a fee, up to $106.06. Normal business hours are typically 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays except holidays. 4 CCR 723-6, rule 6511(e) (opens in a new tab)
The company has no lien on what is inside your car. If you ask within 30 days after the owner notice is mailed, it must let you retrieve your belongings. For residential tows this is free; for commercial tows the PUC lists up to $102.28 per hour. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(5)(a)-(b) (opens in a new tab)
For a residential tow, you can get the car out by paying 15 percent of the fees, up to $60, and signing the PUC "Retrieval with Payment Owed" form. You still owe the rest, but you can still file a complaint. This option is not open to lienholders or insurers. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(5)(c)-(d) (opens in a new tab)
The storage lot must have lighting good enough to inspect your car for damage before release during business hours or at release. Ask for the tow company's insurance proof, which it must give on request. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(2)(d), (4)(a) (opens in a new tab)
The company must take four photos of the car's condition plus a photo showing the reason for the tow, and give you copies on request. If it cannot produce them and your car is damaged, damage by the company is presumed. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(2) (opens in a new tab)
Colorado's towing law lets an "authorized or interested person" retrieve the car. It does not spell out the ID the company can demand, so bring photo ID, registration or title, and proof of payment method. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(5) (opens in a new tab)

What they can charge

The company must display the current PUC maximum rates at its office and on its website, with the PUC hotline number, and give an itemized bill on request. It cannot charge or keep fees the PUC rules do not list. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(1), (4)(c) (opens in a new tab)
Rates for these tows are set statewide by the PUC, not by cities. Cities in this survey were not found setting their own private-property tow rates. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(1); 4 CCR 723-6 rule 6511 (opens in a new tab)
Storage cannot be charged for a day the car was not stored, and partial days are prorated. For private-property tows, only the first 24 hours of storage may be charged until the company mails the owner notice. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(1)(c); 42-4-2103(3)(c)(II) (opens in a new tab)

Notice, sale, and disputes

Within 10 days of the tow, the company must find the owner and lienholder and notify them by certified mail. It may charge no more than $75 for the notice, and the notice must give where the car is stored. C.R.S. 42-4-2103(3)(c) (opens in a new tab)
If you do not claim the car within 30 calendar days after the notice is mailed (by postmark), it is subject to sale. C.R.S. 42-4-2103(4)(d) (opens in a new tab)
The invoice, receipt, and bill must tell you in prominent type that you can complain to the PUC. The PUC can seek refunds from improper tows. C.R.S. 40-10.1-405(4)(e) (opens in a new tab)
If you paid by credit card and believe the charge was improper, you can dispute it with your card issuer under federal billing-error rules. Act quickly and keep your receipt and photos. FTC consumer guidance on credit card disputes (opens in a new tab)

Where to complain

Colorado PUC Consumer Affairs (towing complaints). The PUC regulates towing carriers and takes complaints about nonconsensual tows. Call 303-894-2070 (option 2) or 800-456-0858 outside Denver, or email dora_puc_complaints@state.co.us. File a complaint (opens in a new tab)

Colorado small claims court handles claims up to $7,500, not counting interest or costs. You may file for more but can collect only $7,500, and cannot split one claim into several.

Check your tow

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-17. These are the laws and official pages this page is based on.