Police must be notified within 1 hour after a parking-lot tow
Police must be notified within 1 hour after a parking-lot tow, with the vehicle's plate and VIN, the date and time, the reason, and the from and to locations.
Deadlines
Owner, insurer, and secured party notified by mail within 7 days after a tow
The owner, the insurer of record, and any secured party must be notified by certified mail, return receipt requested, and first-class mail within 7 days, exclusive of days the towing business is closed, after a parking-lot tow.
No tow solely for expired registration until 72 hours after a violation notice is placed
A vehicle may not be towed solely for failure to display a valid current registration until 72 hours after a notice of violation is placed on the vehicle. The same 72-hour rule is restated in Anne Arundel County Code § 11-16-404(f).
Towed vehicle delivered directly to the named facility and not moved for at least 72 hours
A towed vehicle must be delivered directly to the storage facility named on the signs, may not be moved to another facility for at least 72 hours, and must be available for the owner to retake, at a minimum from 6 a.m. to midnight, 7 days per week, from the moment it is received.
Anne Arundel nonconsensual towers: updated serviced-lot list within 3 business days of any change
Anne Arundel nonconsensual towers must e-mail an updated list of all parking lots serviced (name, address, telephone number) within three business days of any change. Driver or truck additions and removals must likewise be notified to the Licensing Division and the police towing coordinator.
Vehicle in a commercial garage is legally abandoned after the 10-day notice triggers
A vehicle in a commercial garage (which by definition includes a vehicle storage facility) is legally abandoned if it remains more than 10 days after the garage keeper gives the owner notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, with a USPS postmark, to remove it, or more than 10 days after the contract period for keeping it ends, or was left for more than 10 days by someone other than its registered owner. On public or private property generally, the abandonment triggers are 48 hours (24 hours unattended on a controlled-access highway).
Abandoned vehicle in police custody: notice within 7 days, 3 weeks to reclaim
Once police take an abandoned vehicle into custody, they must send certified-mail notice, return receipt requested, to the last known registered owner and each secured party as soon as reasonably possible and within 7 days at most. The notice must give the owner and secured party 3 weeks after the date of the notice to reclaim the vehicle on payment of all towing, preservation, and storage charges. In Baltimore City and Montgomery County the reclaim window stated is instead 11 working days after receipt of the notice.
Lien reminders
Unclaimed abandoned vehicles sold at public auction; surplus held 90 days
If an abandoned vehicle is not reclaimed, the police department shall sell it at public auction. Proceeds first reimburse towing, preservation, storage, and auction costs (including notice and publication), and any remaining proceeds are held 90 days for the owner and any entitled secured party before reverting to the county (or municipal) treasury. The auction buyer takes the vehicle free and clear of any other person's claim of ownership or lien.
Reminder material only. This page does not work out your deadline. Your own records and your attorney set that.
Title 16 lien sale: charges unpaid 30 days, 2-week newspaper notice, certified mail at least 10 days before sale
Reminder material only: under the general Title 16 lien sale path, a lienor in possession may sell at public sale only if the charges giving rise to the lien are due and unpaid for 30 days. The sale must be held between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Notice of the time, place, terms, and a full description must be published once a week for the two weeks immediately preceding the sale in a newspaper of general circulation in the county of sale, and the same notice must be sent by registered or certified mail at least 10 days before the sale to the owner, all holders of perfected security interests, and (for a motor vehicle or mobile home) the MVA.
Reminder material only. This page does not work out your deadline. Your own records and your attorney set that.
Cycles
Anne Arundel tow trucks inspected at the Police Department's scheduled annual inspections
All Anne Arundel County tow trucks must be inspected during the Police Department's scheduled annual inspections, and approved trucks receive a decal for the current licensing year.
Maryland Transportation Authority towing permit: 5-year term, annual inspection
A Maryland Transportation Authority towing permit (for towing, road service, and storage on Authority property) has a 5-year term. The Authority must publish an open application period at least every 5 years, and each permittee is subject to an annual inspection of equipment and premises, with suspension or revocation for failing it.
Paperwork
Lot owner's authorization with three parts required before towing
Before towing, the tower must have the parking lot owner's authorization containing the authorizer's name, a statement that the tow is at the lot owner's request, and photographic evidence of the violation or event. A tow taken without that three-part paper trail is non-compliant on its face.
Trespass-tow charge caps when local law sets none
Unless local law sets otherwise, trespass-tow charges are capped at twice the political subdivision's public-safety impound tow fee, plus its daily impound storage fee. If the subdivision sets no fee limit, the caps are $250 for towing and recovery and $30 per day for storage. The tower may add only the actual cost of giving the required notices.
Notice costs may not be charged if the vehicle is retaken within 48 hours
Notice costs may not be charged at all if the owner, the owner's agent, the insurer of record, or a secured party retakes the vehicle within 48 hours after it was received at the storage facility. Itemized actual notice costs must be provided to the owner, any secured party, and the insurer of record.
Parking-lot tow signs: size, content, and density rules
No parking-lot tow is authorized unless signs at least 24 inches high and 30 inches wide state the tow-to location and towing company name, that the vehicle must be available for reclamation at a minimum from 6 a.m. to midnight, 7 days per week, the maximum charge, and a contact telephone number. Density is at least 1 sign for every 7,500 square feet of parking space; a regional mall (at least 400,000 square feet of gross leasable area and 2 anchor stores) must post at every entrance instead.
Anne Arundel County signs must state redemption 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Anne Arundel County's sign rule is stricter than the state's on its face: county signs must state the vehicle is available for redemption 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Drop fee capped at 50 percent of a full tow
If the owner or agent arrives before the vehicle is removed, can drive it away, and pays a drop fee, the tower must release it. The drop fee may not exceed 50 percent of the cost of a full tow. Anne Arundel County Code § 11-16-404(g) imposes the same 50 percent cap.
Storage facility must accept cash or at least two major credit cards
A storage facility holding a towed vehicle must accept cash or at least two major, nationally recognized credit cards. A cash-only facility must have an operable ATM on the premises, and if it cannot process a card and has no operable ATM, it must accept a personal check (unless the card was declined by the card company). The facility must also let the owner, agent, insurer, or secured party inspect the vehicle and retrieve unattached personal property under supervision.
Anne Arundel County: no towing a vehicle with valid handicapped registration without officer authorization; no blocking for payment
Anne Arundel County bars towing a vehicle with a valid handicapped registration without authorization from a Police or Fire Department officer, and bars blocking a vehicle to obtain payment.
Anne Arundel towing license application: per-driver paper and zoning certificates
An Anne Arundel County towing license application requires, for each driver, a copy of the driver's license, medical card, and a current MVA driving record. Police-initiated towers must also file their training curriculum and completion evidence for each driver hired more than six months before the application. A Zoning Certificate of Use is required for the business, redemption, and storage facility addresses. The license copy and the fee schedule must be carried in each truck once issued.