Car towed from private property in Malden
Your car got towed from a lot or apartment complex in Malden. 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.
Malden 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 Malden
- 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 Malden
Shared lots and apartment complexes across Chelsea, Revere, Everett, Malden and Lynn 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. A vehicle towed at Logan is a separate case and goes to the Massport Central Parking Office on Level 2 of the Central Parking Garage.
Malden 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. In Malden call the police department that ordered the tow; the car is held by the town's contracted company at the state-capped rate.
Malden sits where Route 1 and I-93 converge, which puts real highway breakdown and crash volume at its edges. The Orange Line terminates here too, so the station area collects commuter cars that sit all day and turn into dead batteries or overstayed-lot tows by evening. The city itself is dense residential, low on off-street parking, so lockouts and residential tows run steady on the tight blocks. As its own city, a tow in Malden follows the state DPU maximum rates, a base tow up to $132 and storage up to $35 a day, rather than the Boston lot fees. The operator we send covers the highway convergence, the Orange Line station lots and the neighborhood streets, and points you to the right municipal process.
Common Malden questions
Is it legal to tow my car from a parking lot in Malden?
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 Malden?
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 Malden?
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 Malden?
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 Malden
Need your car towed once it's released in Malden?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.