Towing rules for property managers in Connecticut

Printable checklist

• ☐ Placement: At every entrance, installed at least 48 hours before a tow
• ☐ Sign size: at least 12 inches by 18 inches
• ☐ Letters at least 1 inch tall
• ☐ A sign at each entrance
• ☐ The tow and storage charges
• ☐ A warning that unauthorized vehicles will be towed
• ☐ The towing company's name
• ☐ Tow company reports the tow to police within 2 hours
• ☐ Release the car if the owner returns before it leaves the property
• ☐ Never require the owner to sign a damage waiver

What the sign law says

Applies to: Parking lots and apartment lots (residential means a building of 5 or more units, a condominium or a common interest community)

Parking lots and apartment lots must have tow signs at every entrance, installed at least 48 hours before a tow. The sign must show the international towing symbol, be at least 12 by 18 inches with letters at least 1 inch tall, and say cars may be removed at the owner's expense. It must also list the costs and the tow company's name, address and phone number (or a number to find your car), plus the parking rules that can get you towed.

Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-145; P.A. 25-55 sec. 3(b)-(c) (opens in a new tab)

Company phone is listed as "phone (or a number to find your car)", so towing-company-phone is not marked. Includes the international towing symbol. Dimensions are given as 'X by Y inches' without naming which is width and which is height; they are listed in the stated order. Additional quoted text comes from: P.A. 25-55 sec. 3(c) <https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/ACT/PA/PDF/2025PA-00055-R00HB-07162-PA.PDF>.

Tow-away signs and notices

• Parking lots and apartment lots must have tow signs at every entrance, installed at least 48 hours before a tow. A residential lot means a building of 5 or more units, a condominium or a common interest community. Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-145; P.A. 25-55 sec. 3(b)-(c) (opens in a new tab)
• The sign must show the international towing symbol, be at least 12 by 18 inches with letters at least 1 inch tall, and say cars may be removed at the owner's expense. It must also list the costs and the tow company's name, address and phone number (or a number to find your car), plus the parking rules that can get you towed. P.A. 25-55 sec. 3(c) (opens in a new tab)
• No sign is needed for some tows: a disabled-parking space without a placard, a fire lane or hydrant (within 10 feet), blocking a building entrance, exit or traffic aisle, a leaking vehicle, or parking outside any marked space. A non-residential lot may instead put a notice on your windshield at least 48 hours before towing. P.A. 25-55 sec. 3(d)-(e) (opens in a new tab)
• A lot or apartment complex cannot tow you only for expired registration unless it first puts a written notice on your car at least 14 days earlier. For an expired resident parking permit at a residential lot, the notice period is 72 hours. Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-145(c)(2)-(3), as amended by P.A. 25-55 sec. 1 (opens in a new tab)

If you get back before the tow leaves

• If you return before the car is hooked up, the driver must stop. If you move the car or fix the problem, no fee may be charged. Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-145(e)(1), as amended by P.A. 25-55 sec. 1 (opens in a new tab)
• If the car is already hooked up but not yet off the property, the company must release it as soon as you pay the drop fee. The state maximum for a regular car is $50, payable by cash or credit or debit card, and you get a receipt. Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-145(e)(2), as amended by P.A. 25-55 sec. 1; DMV schedule effective 2026-01-01 (opens in a new tab)

Sources

• https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/ACT/PA/PDF/2025PA-00055-R00HB-07162-PA.PDF (opens in a new tab)
• https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/-/media/dmv/final-version_nonconsensual-private-property-trespass-towing-decision.pdf (opens in a new tab)