Towed Car HelpHome / Property managers / Arizona
Towing rules for property managers in Arizona
Before you have a car towed from your property in Arizona, check these rules. They are a summary of state law; your city or county may add more.
Printable checklist
- Placement: Easy to read from anywhere in the parking area and at every entrance
- A sign at each entrance
- Where towed cars are stored
- The tow and storage charges
- Tow company reports the tow to police within 1 hour
What the sign law says
Applies to: Lots where towing is done inside a city or town
Unless a lot is posted with signs that are easy to read from anywhere in the parking area and at every entrance, the owner is treated as allowing free public parking there. The sign must state the parking restrictions, what happens to cars that break them, the maximum cost to the driver including storage and other charges, and a phone number and address where you can find your car.
A.R.S. 9-499.05(B) (opens in a new tab)
No size or letter height stated. The sign must list a phone number and address for finding the car; it does not say the phone is the towing company's, so towing-company-phone is not marked.
Tow-away signs
- Unless a lot is posted with signs that are easy to read from anywhere in the parking area and at every entrance, the owner is treated as allowing free public parking there. This is the rule for towing inside a city or town. A.R.S. 9-499.05(B) (opens in a new tab)
- The sign must state the parking restrictions, what happens to cars that break them, the maximum cost to the driver including storage and other charges, and a phone number and address where you can find your car. A.R.S. 9-499.05(B) (opens in a new tab)
Telling police and finding your car
- Anyone who tows or moves a car onto a storage lot without the owner's consent must phone the local police or sheriff before the tow, and the phone notice must happen within one hour of the move. Police must log it in the state crime database within three business days, so a call to the police non-emergency line is the fastest way to find your car. A.R.S. 28-4836(A)-(B) (opens in a new tab)
- A tow company that skips the police notice loses all claims for towing and storage fees, and it is a class 1 misdemeanor. If you were charged anyway, say so when disputing the bill. A.R.S. 28-4836(C) (opens in a new tab)