Car towed from private property in South End
Your car got towed from a lot or apartment complex in South End. 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.
South End 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 South End
- 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 South End
Inside Boston, around downtown, the Back Bay and the North End, both kinds of tow happen side by side. A car taken off a public street by the city is a City of Boston tow to 200 Frontage Road. A car taken out of an apartment or retail lot is a private-property tow under M.G.L. c. 266 s. 120D, and the sign, written-notice and DPU-rate rules all apply to it.
A South End tow inside the city goes to the City of Boston lot at 200 Frontage Road. Look it up at cityofboston.gov/towing/search, entering three characters of the plate, which covers the past 15 days, or call 617-635-3900, and 617-343-4629 if you do not know your plate. The city fee is $90 to tow and $3 per hour of storage up to $15 per day. To release it you need a valid driver's license, your license plate number, proof of active registration and proof of insurance, and the city takes cash, a money order, a cashier's check or a debit or credit card with a 2.5% fee on cards. The lot is staffed Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 10:30 PM, with automated kiosks around the clock. A street-cleaning tow is different: a private company holds the car at its own lot and charges $108 plus $35 per day, so confirm which kind of tow it was. Street cleaning runs in the South End through December 31, and around Boston Medical Center the lot the car was in decides which process applies, so ask before you drive over.
The South End wraps around Boston Medical Center, the busiest trauma center in New England, and a hospital that size shapes the parking around it every hour of the day. Street cleaning here runs through December 31, one of only three neighborhoods that keep sweeping past November, so a posted-sign miss can mean a private tow at $108 with $35 a day storage well into winter. The blocks are dense brick rowhouses with permit parking and almost no driveways, which keeps residential tows and lockouts steady. A police or city tow goes to 200 Frontage Road, where release is $90 plus $3 an hour up to $15 a day. The operator we send handles the hospital-district call and the ordinary street breakdown alike.
Common South End questions
Is it legal to tow my car from a parking lot in South End?
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 South End?
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 South End?
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 South End?
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 South End
Private-property tows in the rest of the Boston Core area
Need your car towed once it's released in South End?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.