Asheville, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- CBD, Biltmore Historic, River Arts, Haywood Rd + fee lots
- Sign size
- 24x24 in to 6 sq ft, or 12x18 in per space
- Call response
- Answered live; responder onsite in 30 minutes
- Vehicle release
- Within 45 minutes of driver's request
- Storage lot limit
- Within 10-mile radius, lit to 2 footcandles
- No-notice exception
- Vehicle parked over 48 hours
- Wrongful-tow penalty
- 3x Appendix B civil penalty amount
Summary
Tow and booting companies working private lots in Asheville's Central Business, Biltmore Historic, River Arts, and Haywood Road Districts, or any pay lot citywide, must post advance warning signage and follow strict release rules before hooking a car under City Code § 11-18.
(c) Advance notice of trespass towing and booting required. (1) It shall be unlawful for any person or entity to authorize, direct, engage in, or contract for trespass towing or the booting or immobilization of a trespass vehicle, by the use of a wheel lock or other method, unless advance notice is provided and posted on the private property from which the towing, removal, or immobilization is made, in accordance with the provisions set forth below: a. A notice, in the form of a sign structure, not less than 24 inches by 24 inches in size and not larger than six square feet, shall be prominently placed on the private property at each access or curb cut allowing vehicular access to the property... (d)(6) Any booting service...or any tow service that engages in a trespass tow shall have a person on call 24 hours every day who is capable of acknowledging requests to retrieve a towed vehicle or to remove the immobilization device within 15 minutes of receiving such request, and of releasing said vehicle within 45 minutes of receiving the request.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-5: Contains Supplement, current through Ordinance 5245, passed 7-28-2026 | State legislation current through 2025 A.L.S. #3).
Full Breakdown
Section 11-18 of the Asheville City Code governs "trespass towing," meaning any non-consensual tow or booting from a private parking lot. It applies to lots in the Central Business District, Biltmore Historic District, River Arts District, and Haywood Road Districts, plus any lot in the city that charges for parking. Before a tow service or booting service can remove or immobilize a vehicle, it must post a sign at least 24 by 24 inches (up to six square feet) at every curb cut, or one sign per 50 feet of street frontage if there is no defined access point, or alternatively a 12-by-18-inch sign at each individual space.
5-inch letters, the days and hours parking is restricted, the total cost of the tow and any storage fees, and a 24-hour phone number in half-inch letters. A person with authority to release the vehicle must answer that number and respond to the site within 30 minutes of a call, and the vehicle operator must get the car back within 45 minutes of requesting release. Tow and booting operators must accept at least two major credit or debit cards, let the driver retrieve personal property from the vehicle, store it within a ten-mile radius in a lot with at least two footcandles of lighting, and report the tow or boot to the Asheville Police Department by phone within 30 minutes, including make, color, and tag number.
No advance sign is required if the vehicle blocks ingress or egress, has sat more than 48 hours, or is removed on police or city direction. Statutory parking violations, like handicap-space or fire-lane parking, and police- or fire-directed tows, fall outside this section entirely.
Violations & Fines
Towing, booting, or immobilizing a vehicle that is not actually a trespass vehicle, or without required signage, is a civil violation carrying a penalty of three times the amount set in Appendix B of the City Code. Interfering with a lawful trespass tow beyond requesting release, access, or retrieval of the vehicle is also a violation. The city manager or a designee enforces the section through civil penalties and equitable remedies under § 1-5; it carries no criminal penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a private lot in Asheville have to post a sign before towing my car?
How fast must a tow company release my car in Asheville?
Can my car be towed from an Asheville lot without any warning sign?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Asheville
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