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FACT BRIEF

Are Texas towing companies required to notify the police that they've towed your car?

By Brandy Ruiz
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NO

State laws do not require that towing companies notify police when a car is towed. Storage facilities where towed vehicles are brought, however, are required to report to police within two hours of accepting a towed vehicle.

Tow companies are required by Texas law to provide a tow ticket with the company’s information to the vehicle owner if it is a nonconsent tow, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

A nonconsent tow is when the tow was not requested by the vehicle’s owner, operator or possessor, according to Texas Administrative code. This includes towing from a private property or from a traffic accident or incident impacting traffic flow.

According to the TDLR, the tow ticket must itemize each charge, contain the licensed name of the towing company, publicly listed telephone number, towing company certificate of registration number, and the TDLR license number of the towing operator.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Texas Department of Licensing and Registration Consumer Information about Towing
state.tx.us Texas Administrative Code
State of Texas OCCUPATIONS CODE CHAPTER 2303. VEHICLE STORAGE FACILITIES
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El Paso Matters
El Paso Matters is a member-supported nonpartisan media organization that uses journalism to expand civic capacity in our region. We inform and engage with people in El Paso, Ciudad Juárez and neighboring communities to create solutions-driven conversations about complex issues shaping our region.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.