Towed From A Private Lot
75 Pa.C.S. 3353 — a posted lot, removal at the vehicle owner's reasonable expense, and $25 a day for storage where the town sets no rate
In Pennsylvania, no person parks or leaves a vehicle unattended on private property without the consent of the owner or the person in control of it, except in an emergency or a disablement of the vehicle, and then the operator arranges for its removal as soon as possible. A private parking lot, free or paid, is covered only if it is posted to notify the public of its parking restrictions and the driver violates them.
Removal, and a lien. The owner or person in charge of the property may remove the vehicle, or have it removed, at the reasonable expense of the vehicle's owner, and then holds a lien against the vehicle's owner for the reasonable cost of removal plus the cost of storage. A city, borough, incorporated town or township may set towing rates by ordinance and regulate towing services; where the municipality has not set storage charges, no more than $25 per day may be charged for storage.
After 24 hours, the abandoned vehicle route. A vehicle left on private property without the consent of the owner or the person in control of it for more than 24 hours is presumed abandoned, a presumption that can be rebutted. The property owner may then authorize its removal, after first filing a report with the local police on the department's form declaring that the vehicle has been left there for at least 24 hours. The police process it as abandoned within five business days.
Notice to the owner. On receiving the abandoned vehicle report, the department notifies the last registered owner and every lienholder of record by certified mail that the vehicle is held as abandoned, and where. The notice says they may reclaim the vehicle and its contents within 30 days after it was mailed, on payment of the towing and storage charges, the fee and any penalties, and that not reclaiming it is deemed consent to its destruction, sale or other disposition.
A hearing. Within 30 days of the mailing, the owner or a lienholder may request a copy of the abandoned vehicle report from the police department, and has a right to a hearing before a civilian officer or employee of the municipality. If the hearing finds the vehicle was not abandoned, it may be retrieved within 48 hours without paying those fees and penalties.
Reclaiming it, or losing it. An owner or lienholder who reclaims an abandoned vehicle pays the towing and storage from the date the salvor submitted its report to the department, plus a fee of $50. An abandoned vehicle with value that is not reclaimed is sold at public auction.
Local towing ordinances and rates, the licensing of towing services, and police ordered removals from a highway are not on this page. Whether a particular tow was lawful is a question for a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.
Sources for this section (6)
- 75 Pa.C.S. 3353 — Prohibitions in specified places
- 75 Pa.C.S. 7311.1 — Reports by private property owners of abandoned vehicles
- 75 Pa.C.S. 7305 — Notice to owner and lienholders of abandoned vehicles
- 75 Pa.C.S. 102 — Definitions
- 75 Pa.C.S. 7306 — Payment of costs upon reclaiming vehicle
- 75 Pa.C.S. 7308 — Public sale of unclaimed vehicles with value
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.