How to check a Boston tow bill is legitimate

Start with the right question

People usually ask whether a tow company is licensed. In Massachusetts the more useful question is what kind of tow this is, because the answer decides which rules and which price ceiling apply.

Step 1: work out which of three things happened

• You called them. You chose the company and agreed the price. Your protection here is the quote, in writing, before the truck rolls.
• The city or a town towed it. Inside Boston the vehicle is at the City of Boston lot at 200 Frontage Road and the fees are published. In a suburb it is at that town's own lot at the state-capped rate. You did not choose, and there is no company you get to pick.
• A property owner had it towed. This is the one M.G.L. c. 266 s. 120D governs, priced at the Department of Public Utilities maximums in 220 CMR 272.00.

Step 2: check a private-property tow against the statute

You do not need a database for this. The statute itself gives you a checklist you can run on the spot.

• Posted signs at every entrance and exit, under c. 266 s. 120D. No compliant signage, no lawful tow.
• Written notice to the local police chief before removal, which the property owner must give.
• The charge at or below the DPU maximums in 220 CMR 272.00: up to $132 within five miles, up to $4.40 per mile beyond, storage up to $35 or $17.50 per 24 hours.
• No gate fee or after-hours fee, because none exists in the regulation.
• Release with no charge if the company failed any provision of the statute.

Step 3: use the city's published fees as a benchmark

This is one place the Boston market works in a consumer's favour. The City of Boston publishes what it charges for a city tow: $90 to tow and storage at $3 per hour up to $15 per day at the lot at 200 Frontage Road, payable in cash, by money order, by cashier's check or by debit or credit card with a 2.5% fee on cards. Those are not private rates and they do not bind a private company, but they tell you what a large public operator charges for the same physical work, which is a useful reference when a number sounds wrong. A Boston street-cleaning tow is separate: a private company runs it at $108 plus $35 per day, so check which situation you are actually in before you argue about a number.

Step 4: check the equipment against the job

The single most common real-world problem is not a fraudulent company, it is the wrong truck. Many owner's manuals call for a flatbed on an all-wheel drive vehicle, an electric vehicle, a lowered car or anything that will not roll, so read the manual for your model and ask the assigned operator to follow it. If a wheel-lift truck arrives for an electric vehicle, that is the moment to stop and ask.

Step 5: know where to check and complain

Body	Contact	What it handles
City of Boston towing	cityofboston.gov/towing/search, 617-635-3900	Locating a vehicle towed inside the city, and the city tow and storage fees
Massachusetts DPU	mass.gov, 220 CMR 272.00	The maximum rates for a non-consensual tow, statewide
Massport / Logan	617-561-1673, Central Parking Garage Level 2	A vehicle towed on Logan Airport property
Your town police department	Varies	A suburban tow, its lot, and the DPU-capped fee

If something has already gone wrong

1. Keep the paperwork. Any receipt or invoice is your record of what you were charged.
2. Photograph the signs. A private-property tow with no posted signs at the entrances and exits was not lawful under c. 266 s. 120D.
3. Check the number. A charge above the 220 CMR 272 maximums is not lawful, and a failure to meet the statute means the vehicle should be released free.
4. Ask the right body. A city tow question goes to the City of Boston; a suburban tow question goes to that town's police department; the rate ceiling is the DPU's.