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Towing rules for property managers in Illinois

Before you have a car towed from your property in Illinois, check these rules. They are a summary of state law; your city or county may add more.

Printable checklist

Placement: Hung 4 to 8 feet off the ground, visible from each entrance and exit, or within 100 feet of any space if no marked entrances
Sign size: at least 24 inches by 36 inches
Letters at least 3 inches tall
A sign at each entrance
Where towed cars are stored
The tow and storage charges
A warning that unauthorized vehicles will be towed
The towing company's name
The towing company's phone number
Tow company reports the tow to police within 1 hour
Release the car if the owner returns before it leaves the property
Store the car within 15 miles

Check your sign

What the sign law says

Applies to: Lots that tow (not residential property clearly reserved for residents and their vehicles)

Before a lot can have cars towed, it must post a sign at least 24 by 36 inches, hung 4 to 8 feet off the ground, and lit or made of reflective paint. It must be visible from each entrance and exit, or within 100 feet of any space if there are no marked entrances. The sign must warn that unauthorized cars will be towed, with that warning in letters at least 3 inches tall. It must show the towing company's full name, address and phone, where the car will be taken, the most it will charge, and the hours you can pick up.

625 ILCS 5/18a-302; 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1710.51(c) (opens in a new tab)

"Lit or made of reflective paint" is an alternative, so reflective is not marked. The 3-inch letter height applies to the towing warning. The sign shows "the most it will charge", which is mapped to tow-and-storage-rates. 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: 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1710.51(a)-(b); 625 ILCS 5/18a-302 <https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/illinois/Ill-Admin-Code-tit-92-SS-1710.51>.

Tow-away signs

Before a lot can have cars towed, it must post a sign at least 24 by 36 inches, hung 4 to 8 feet off the ground, and lit or made of reflective paint. It must be visible from each entrance and exit, or within 100 feet of any space if there are no marked entrances. 625 ILCS 5/18a-302; 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1710.51(c) (opens in a new tab)
The sign must warn that unauthorized cars will be towed, with that warning in letters at least 3 inches tall. It must show the towing company's full name, address and phone, where the car will be taken, the most it will charge, and the hours you can pick up. 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1710.51(a)-(b); 625 ILCS 5/18a-302 (opens in a new tab)
Signs must be up at least 24 hours before a car is towed from the lot, and a company that tows without proper signs cannot charge you. Signs are not required on residential property clearly reserved for residents and their vehicles. 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1710.50, 1710.122(f); 625 ILCS 5/18a-302 (opens in a new tab)

If you get back before the tow leaves

If you show up before the tow is finished and can drive the car away right then, the driver may not take it. The law sets no drop fee for regular cars; only vehicles needing a commercial license may be charged up to half the posted rate. 625 ILCS 5/18a-300(9) (opens in a new tab)

Where your car can be taken

The car may not be towed more than 10 air miles if it was towed from an incorporated area, or more than 15 air miles if from an unincorporated part of a county. Air miles are measured in a straight line, not by road. 625 ILCS 5/18a-300(14); 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1710.10 (opens in a new tab)
The tow company must tell local police within 1 hour after towing, including a description of your car and where it was taken. Call the police non-emergency line first if you cannot find your car. 625 ILCS 5/18a-300(11) (opens in a new tab)