Charlotte drivers who’ve had their cars hauled away by a private towing company know the sting of the bill that follows. Now city leaders are looking at ways to make predatory towing operators think twice, weighing new rules that would tighten when companies need a property owner’s written sign-off and how steep the penalties get for breaking the rules.
The Charlotte City Council’s safety committee met this week to hear proposed updates to the city’s towing ordinance, according to WBTV. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department attorney Jessica Battle walked council members through the options, which include requiring towing companies to get written permission from private property owners before towing a vehicle at any hour of the day. Currently, that written-permission requirement only applies between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., according to WCCB Charlotte.
As WSOC-TV reports, Channel 9 has heard from drivers who say towing companies charged them an extra fee simply for calling the police, and others who say they were billed thousands of dollars just to get their vehicles back. Council member Dante Anderson referenced similar complaints during the committee discussion, saying residents have described being charged $1,100 or more in incidents she characterized as predatory towing, per the same WCCB account.
Fines Capped at $100 Under Current Rules
Part of the frustration voiced at the meeting centers on how little bite the city’s current penalties carry. The fine for violating Charlotte’s towing ordinance is capped at $100, the station’s report notes, and officials are now considering whether to raise that ceiling to give the rule more teeth. Council Member Dimple Ajmera said she’d like to see the city increase penalties for predatory towing and also create a formal process for tracking repeat violators…