Towed Car HelpHome / Property managers / Michigan
Towing rules for property managers in Michigan
Before you have a car towed from your property in Michigan, check these rules. They are a summary of state law; your city or county may add more.
Printable checklist
- Placement: At every vehicle entrance; at least one per 100 feet of road frontage if no curbs or barriers; mounted at least 4 feet off the ground
- Letters at least 2 inches tall
- A sign at each entrance
- A warning that unauthorized vehicles will be towed
- The towing company's name
- The towing company's phone number
What the sign law says
Applies to: Property owners authorizing a tow without the driver's consent (not single- or dual-family homes)
The property owner must post a notice at every vehicle entrance before authorizing a tow without the driver's consent. If the lot has no curbs or barriers, there must be at least one notice per 100 feet of road frontage. The notice needs letters at least 2 inches high on a contrasting background saying unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense, plus the name and phone number of the tow service. It must be mounted at least 4 feet off the ground and stay up at least 24 hours before any tow.
MCL 257.252k(a) (opens in a new tab)
The 4-foot figure is mounting height, not sign size. Additional quoted text comes from: MCL 257.252k(b)-(d) <https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-252k>.
Tow-away signs
- The property owner must post a notice at every vehicle entrance before authorizing a tow without the driver's consent. If the lot has no curbs or barriers, there must be at least one notice per 100 feet of road frontage. MCL 257.252k(a) (opens in a new tab)
- The notice needs letters at least 2 inches high on a contrasting background saying unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense, plus the name and phone number of the tow service. It must be mounted at least 4 feet off the ground and stay up at least 24 hours before any tow. MCL 257.252k(b)-(d) (opens in a new tab)
- Signs are not required at a single- or dual-family home, or if you were personally told the spot was reserved and your car could be towed. They also do not apply to police-ordered tows such as from a posted tow-away zone. MCL 257.252l (opens in a new tab)
If you return before the tow leaves
- Michigan's rule that a tow truck must disconnect and let you take the car for a reasonable service fee, with a receipt, is written for police-ordered tows. No equivalent right was found for ordinary private-lot tows, so ask the driver but do not assume it applies. MCL 257.252d(2); MCL 257.252l(c) (opens in a new tab)