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Towing rules for property managers in Nevada

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

Printable checklist

Placement: In plain view, visible to drivers entering the lot; enough signs to warn everyone using it
Tow company reports the tow to police within 90 minutes
Release the car if the owner returns before it leaves the property

Check your sign

What the sign law says

Applies to: Lots where the owner has cars towed for unauthorized parking (not single-family homes)

Before a lot owner can have your car towed for unauthorized parking, a sign must be in plain view on the property saying public parking is prohibited or restricted. State rules also say it must be visible to drivers entering the lot and there must be enough signs to warn everyone using it. The sign must show a phone number for the local police or sheriff, and under the state tow rules it must be easy to read with contrasting lettering.

NRS 487.038(1); NAC 706.427(6) (opens in a new tab)

The sign shows a police or sheriff phone number, not a tow company contact, and says parking is prohibited or restricted rather than a tow-away warning, so no mustShow element is marked. Additional quoted text comes from: NRS 487.038(1); NAC 706.427(6); NAC 706.418(2) <https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NAC/NAC-706.html>.

Tow-away signs

Before a lot owner can have your car towed for unauthorized parking, a sign must be in plain view on the property saying public parking is prohibited or restricted. State rules also say it must be visible to drivers entering the lot and there must be enough signs to warn everyone using it. NRS 487.038(1); NAC 706.427(6) (opens in a new tab)
The sign must show a phone number for the local police or sheriff, and under the state tow rules it must be easy to read with contrasting lettering. If the sign was required and missing, the tow company may not charge you and must refund anything you paid. NRS 487.038(1); NAC 706.427(6); NAC 706.418(2) (opens in a new tab)
No sign is needed at a house with a single-family dwelling, or for a space marked for disabled parking without a placard. The state tow rules also excuse signs for fire lanes and similar no-parking areas, or where a notice sat on your car for at least 24 hours in an area with no signs. NRS 487.038(3)-(4); NAC 706.427(7) (opens in a new tab)

If you get back before the tow leaves

If your car is already hooked up but still at the lot, the driver must let you have it released if you ask and pay the company's release fee. Each tow company's approved rates must list a reduced rate for this case, but Nevada sets no single dollar cap. NRS 706.4469(1); NAC 706.408(3) (opens in a new tab)
If the apartment complex towed you only because it said the car was unregistered, and you show current registration from any state, the driver must release the car right away and you owe no release fee. NRS 706.4469(2) (opens in a new tab)

Where your car goes

The owner may have your car taken to the nearest public garage or storage yard. Nevada's private-property law sets no mileage limit, but the approved flat rate covers only the first 10 miles, so extra mileage can be billed only beyond that. NRS 487.038(1); NAC 706.408(2) (opens in a new tab)
The tow company must report the make, model and plate to the local police or sheriff within 90 minutes of starting the tow, or 30 minutes after reaching storage, whichever comes first. If it does not, it cannot charge you for the tow. Calling the non-emergency police line is the fastest way to find your car. NAC 706.432(1); NAC 706.418(4) (opens in a new tab)