Towing rules for property managers in Ohio

Printable checklist

• ☐ Placement: Visible from every entrance to the property
• ☐ Sign size: at least 18 inches by 24 inches
• ☐ A sign at each entrance
• ☐ The hours parking is enforced
• ☐ Where towed cars are stored
• ☐ A warning that unauthorized vehicles will be towed
• ☐ Who may park there
• ☐ Tow company reports the tow to police within 2 hours
• ☐ Release the car if the owner returns before it leaves the property
• ☐ Store the car within 25 miles

What the sign law says

Applies to: Private tow-away zones

A lot can only be a private tow-away zone if the owner posts a sign at least 18 by 24 inches that can be seen from every entrance to the property. The sign must say the property is a tow-away zone, say who may park (and give the property address or business name if that is not obvious), and list the hours of enforcement if it is not enforced at all times. It must also give a phone number and address where the car can be recovered day or night, and warn that an unclaimed car can lose its title.

ORC 4513.601(A)(1) (opens in a new tab)

Hours of enforcement are required only if the lot is not enforced at all times. The phone number is for recovering the car, not necessarily the tow company's. Dimensions are given as 'X by Y inches' without naming which is width and which is height; they are listed in the stated order.

Tow-away signs

• A lot can only be a private tow-away zone if the owner posts a sign at least 18 by 24 inches that can be seen from every entrance to the property. Owners may add stickers to an older sign instead of replacing it. ORC 4513.601(A)(1) (opens in a new tab)
• The sign must say the property is a tow-away zone, say who may park (and give the property address or business name if that is not obvious), and list the hours of enforcement if it is not enforced at all times. It must also give a phone number and address where the car can be recovered day or night, and warn that an unclaimed car can lose its title. ORC 4513.601(A)(1) (opens in a new tab)
• A tow company may only remove a car from a private tow-away zone under a written contract with the property owner. If a city requires tow operators to be licensed, the owner may not use an unlicensed one. ORC 4513.601(B)(2)-(3) (opens in a new tab)
• Before towing, the company must make all reasonable efforts to photograph the car parked in violation, with the date and time recorded. It must keep the photos for at least 30 days after you recover the car or 2 years after the tow, whichever is earlier. ORC 4513.601(D)(1) (opens in a new tab)

If you get back before the tow leaves

• If you arrive after the car is hooked up but before it leaves the property, the driver must tell you that you can pay no more than half of the state-set removal fee to get it released. You can pay by major credit card unless the truck's mobile card reader has no service, and you must get a receipt showing the full and the actual amount. ORC 4513.601(C) (opens in a new tab)

Where your car can be taken

• The storage lot must be within 25 linear miles of the tow-away zone unless that is not practicable. It must also be well lit and, if public transit exists in that city or township, on or near a regular transit route. ORC 4513.601(A)(2) (opens in a new tab)
• The tow company must deliver the car to the place where you can recover it within 2 hours of removal, unless something outside its control such as a natural disaster prevents it. ORC 4513.601(D)(2) (opens in a new tab)
• Within 2 hours of the tow, the company must report the car's plate, make, model, color, the tow location and time, and where to recover it to the county sheriff or local police. Police and sheriffs must keep a record and give it to you if you call or visit as the owner, operator or lienholder. ORC 4513.601(E) (opens in a new tab)

Sources

• https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4513.601 (opens in a new tab)