What to do after your vehicle is towed?

What to do after your vehicle is towed

​Have you ever entered into an establishment and found your car not there when you returned? Your vehicle might have been parked in a tow-away zone. Some apartments have strict parking restrictions and you have to be careful when parking. Most of them require you to park in a visitors parking. Some apartment communities require you to register your vehicle upon parking on a visitors parking. Some communities can also tow away your vehicle if registration is expired or vehicle looks abandoned. 
  
It can be a stressful situation but you have certain rights as the owner of the car under the law.
 
Here are some of your rights
 

• If you return and find your vehicle in the process of being hooked to a tow truck but it hasn’t feen FULLY HOOKED up. You can keep your car WITHOUT paying any CHARGE.  You are not required to prove ownership of the vehicle. 
• If you return and your vehicle has been FULLY HOOKED and READY FOR TOWING but the TOW TRUCK HASN’T LEFT THE PARKING, you may be allowed to keep the vehicle after you PAY A DROP FEE. You are not required to prove ownership of the vehicle 
• If you arrive and the vehicle has been towed from the parking lot. You can find your car by calling the numbers posted on the tow away signs. You can recover your vehicle from the VSF (vehicle storage facility). You will have to prove that you are the vehicle owner or authorized user and after you pay towing and storage fees. 
• At the vehicle storage facility(VSF), you are allowed to have access to your vehicle and recover personal property. You don’t have to pay any fees to do this.
• You can claim the vehicle or access to recover property within one hour if the facility accepts 24 hour access. 
•  If the facility is not open 24 hours, you may claim your vehicle within one hour of your request between 8 am and midnight Monday through Saturday or 8 am to 5 pm on Sundays except for nationally recognized holidays. 

You have a right to request a tow hearing within 14 days at any justice of the Peace Court in the county where your vehicle was towed if you believe your vehicle was wrongfully towed. 
 
You DON’T have a right to:
 

• Dismantle or remove any part attached to the vehicle while in the facility.
• Retrieve your car from the facility without paying for towing, storage or other fees. 
• Have boot removed without paying the booting fees.
• Retrieve your vehicle without proving that you are the owner or authorized user of the vehicle.

 
SOURCE: Texas Department of Licensing & regulation website