Car towed from private property in Cambridge
Your car got towed from a lot or apartment complex in Cambridge. Here is what Massachusetts law actually requires before that is allowed.
What Massachusetts law says
A tow from private property in Massachusetts is governed by M.G.L. c. 266 s. 120D, and the law puts real conditions on it. The property must post No Parking or tow-warning signs at every entrance and exit, the property owner must notify the local police chief in writing before the vehicle is removed, and the company may charge only the rates the state Department of Public Utilities sets in 220 CMR 272. If the company fails any of those provisions, the statute says it must release the vehicle with no towing or storage charge. Several of those conditions are worth real money to you if they were broken.
Cambridge sits outside Massachusetts, so a different state's impound and towing rules apply here instead of the Massachusetts law above. Call the line and the operator who takes the job can walk you through what's different for your vehicle.
How it works in Cambridge
- 1 Confirm it was a private-property tow
If the vehicle was on a public street, this is a city or town tow instead. This process covers vehicles removed from private property at the owner's direction.
- 2 Look at the signs
Under M.G.L. c. 266 s. 120D the property must post signs at every entrance and exit. No compliant signage, and the removal was not lawful.
- 3 Ask whether the police chief was notified
The property owner must notify the local police chief in writing before the vehicle is removed. That written notice is also how local police can tell you where the car went.
- 4 Check the rate against the state ceiling
The company may charge only the 220 CMR 272 rates: up to $132 for a base tow within five miles, $4.40 for each mile past five, and up to $35 per 24 hours of storage. Anything above the ceiling is not allowed.
- 5 Use the free-release remedy
If the company failed any provision, whether signs, written notice to the police chief, or the rate cap, the statute says the vehicle must be released with no towing or storage charge. Photograph the lot and the signs before anything changes.
- 6 Take it to the town or the DPU
For a dispute, start with the police department in the town where the car was parked, and raise a rate or licensing complaint with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.
What this looks like around Cambridge
Shared lots and apartment complexes across Cambridge, Somerville and Medford generate most private-property tows, and each is governed by M.G.L. c. 266 s. 120D. Ask whether the lot posted compliant signs at every entrance and exit and whether the owner notified the local police chief in writing before removal; if not, the vehicle must be released with no charge. Cambridge posts a towed-vehicle lookup at cambridgema.gov, and in Somerville the claim check is obtained at the police station at 220 Washington Street.
Cambridge runs its own impound, not the City of Boston lot, so a Boston city fee will not match here. Call the police department that ordered the tow and ask for the tow fee and the daily storage rate. A police-ordered or private-property non-consensual tow is capped by the Massachusetts DPU maximums in 220 CMR 272: up to $132 to tow within five miles, up to $4.40 a mile beyond, and up to $35 per 24 hours of storage at a lighted fenced lot or $17.50 otherwise. Those are state maximums, not a set price. Under M.G.L. c. 266 s. 120D a private-property tow taken without posted no-parking signs at every entrance and exit, or without written notice to the local police chief before removal, must be released with no removal or storage charge. Cambridge lists towed vehicles at cambridgema.gov, and its police are at 125 Sixth Street. The contracted tow company is not named here because it is not confirmed, so start with the city's lookup.
Cambridge runs its own impound, not the City of Boston lot, and that changes the numbers. A non-consensual tow here follows the state DPU maximums, a base tow of up to $132 and storage up to $35 a day, and the plate lookup is at cambridgema.gov, with Cambridge police at 125 Sixth Street. Harvard and MIT drive the calendar, so student move-in and event parking press hard, and Cambridge runs some of the strictest permits in the metro. Memorial Drive has the low bridges where a too-tall rental truck gets Storrowed every year. The Alewife and Fresh Pond corner is one of the most congested stretches of road in Massachusetts, so breakdown and crash recovery cluster there. The operator we send covers the campuses, the river bridges and the Alewife crunch, and points you to the Cambridge process, not the Boston one.
Common Cambridge questions
Is it legal to tow my car from a parking lot in Cambridge?
Yes, when the tow follows M.G.L. c. 266 s. 120D: the lot posts signs at every entrance and exit, the owner notifies the local police chief in writing before removal, and the company charges only the 220 CMR 272 rates. Miss any of those and the vehicle must be released with no charge.
Does a lot have to post signs before towing in Cambridge?
Yes. M.G.L. c. 266 s. 120D requires signs at every entrance and exit of the property. If the signs were missing, the removal was not lawful, so photograph the lot before anything is changed.
What if the tow company overcharged me in Cambridge?
The company may charge only the state Department of Public Utilities rates in 220 CMR 272: up to $132 for a base tow within five miles, $4.40 for each mile past five, and up to $35 per 24 hours of storage. A charge above the ceiling is not allowed, and you can raise it with the DPU.
Does Quick Tow Boston do private-property tows in Cambridge?
We connect property managers with tow operators and help drivers work out what actually happened to a vehicle. We are not the company that removed your car and cannot waive its fees or release it. Call (857) 858-5057.
Related help for Cambridge
Private-property tows in the rest of the Cambridge & Somerville area
Need your car towed once it's released in Cambridge?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.