A car towed inside Boston city limits lands at the city lot at 200 Frontage Road. A car towed in Cambridge, Somerville, Quincy, or any other suburb lands at that town’s impound through its contracted company. The fees, the process, the hours, and the phone number all change at the city line, and the difference matters. Quick Tow Boston explains the three regimes in Greater Boston and how to tell which one applies to you.
The three regimes in Greater Boston
Almost every tow in the metro falls into one of three regimes, and almost every reader question turns on which one applies.
A City of Boston tow. Police tows, snow-emergency tows, street-cleaning tows, and boot-list tows inside Boston city limits run through the city and land at its own tow lot. The city publishes the fees.
A suburban municipal impound. Cambridge, Somerville, Quincy, and every other town runs its own process through its own contracted tow company. The fees follow the state DPU maximums, not Boston’s.
A private-property or police-ordered non-consensual tow. Governed by M.G.L. c. 266 s. 120D and priced at the state DPU maximum rates in 220 CMR 272.00. This applies statewide.
A page that treats a Boston city-lot fee as what a Cambridge impound charges is wrong, and the right first step in any tow situation is to figure out which regime applies.
How to tell which regime you are in
The three regimes line up with the place the tow happened, not the place you live or the place you work.
If the tow happened inside Boston city limits. That includes Downtown, Back Bay, the Fenway, the South End, Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, West Roxbury, Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, East Boston, the North End, Beacon Hill, and the Seaport. The car goes to 200 Frontage Road.
If the tow happened in Cambridge, Somerville, Quincy, Brookline, Newton, or any other town. That town’s impound through its contracted company is where the car goes. The fees follow the state DPU maximums, but the release process, the hours, and the phone number are the town’s, not Boston’s.
If the tow happened on private property. A parking lot, an apartment complex, a retail lot, a restaurant lot. The car goes to the towing company’s lot, and the free-release rule under M.G.L. c. 266 s. 120D applies if the company failed any requirement.
The place the tow happened is the question to answer first.
What the City of Boston lot charges
The City of Boston tow fee is $90. Storage is $3 per hour, capped at $15 per day. Those are the published city figures, and they apply to a tow that lands at 200 Frontage Road in South Boston.
To redeem the car at the city lot, the owner needs a valid driver’s license, the license plate number, proof of active registration, and proof of insurance. The lot takes cash, money order, cashier’s check, or a debit or credit card, and a card adds a 2.5% processing fee.
The lot is staffed Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 10:30 PM, with automated kiosks running at all hours. The plate lookup at cityofboston.gov/towing/search covers the past 15 days. The lot’s number is 617-635-3900, and the Boston Police tow line is 617-343-4629.
What a suburban municipal impound charges
A suburban municipal impound follows the state DPU maximums, not Boston’s. The current maximums are:
- Base tow, up to five miles: $132, including one hour of service or waiting time
- Each mile over five: $4.40
- Storage at a lighted outdoor lot enclosed by a 6-foot fence: $35 per 24 hours
- Storage at other outdoor storage: $17.50 per 24 hours
- No gate fee, no after-hours fee in the regulation
The release process is the town’s. Cambridge police are at 125 Sixth Street, and the Cambridge plate lookup is at cambridgema.gov. Somerville uses the police station at 220 Washington Street for the claim check. Quincy’s retrieval runs Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Other towns have their own procedures.
The DPU maximums are the cap, but the actual contracted company’s price may be lower, depending on the town’s contract. Confirm with the town before paying.
What a private-property tow charges
A private-property tow also follows the DPU maximums, and the additional protections of M.G.L. c. 266 s. 120D apply. The law requires posted signs at every entrance, written notice to the police chief before removal, and DPU maximum rates. If the company fails any requirement, the car must be released with no charge.
A driver who is billed above the DPU maximums, or who can show that the signs were missing or that no police notice was filed, has a defense. The state Attorney General’s office and the DPU’s Transportation Division are the regulators for disputes.
Why the three regimes stay separate
The three regimes exist because the entities that order and run the tows are different. The City of Boston Police Department runs city tows inside Boston. Each town’s police department runs tows inside that town. Private-property owners initiate tows on their own land under the state statute. Mixing the three regimes leads to wrong fees, wrong phone numbers, and wrong release processes.
The right move after any tow is to identify which regime applies and follow that regime’s process. The city lookup is cityofboston.gov/towing/search for Boston tows. The town’s police department is the right starting point for suburban tows. The tow company’s office and the statutes are the right starting point for private-property tows.
Frequently asked questions
Is the $90 fee the same in Cambridge or Quincy? No. The $90 is a City of Boston figure for the Frontage Road lot. A suburban impound follows the state DPU maximum rates, up to $132 for the first five miles and $35 a day storage.
Where does the Boston lot lookup live? The plate lookup at cityofboston.gov/towing/search covers the past 15 days. The lot’s number is 617-635-3900, and the Boston Police tow line is 617-343-4629.
Where does a Cambridge car get towed? Cambridge runs its own impound through a contracted company. Confirm the lot location and hours with Cambridge police at 125 Sixth Street, and check the plate at cambridgema.gov.
Does Quick Tow Boston charge a fee for the car at the lot? No. Quick Tow Boston connects drivers with independent local operators for new tows. The fees at the lot are the city’s or the town’s or the DPU’s, not ours.
When to call us
Call when a vehicle is disabled and needs a local operator sent, not when you are locating or redeeming a car already in a lot. Quick Tow Boston connects drivers with independent local operators across Greater Boston, and the operator quotes the price before anyone is dispatched. Calls are recorded after a notice. Reach the dispatch line at (857) 858-5057.