Brunswick County, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Under § 1-7-129, the person who authorized a non-consent tow must notify the last known registered owner of the vehicle's description, where it is stored, any charged violation, the process to get it back, and how to request a probable-cause hearing. Notice for a vehicle with a valid state registration goes out within twenty-four hours; for an out-of-state or unregistered vehicle, the tower must check the VIN and make reasonable efforts to identify the owner, and notice is due within seventy-two hours. Absent other notice, a pre-tow warning posted on the windshield at least seven days before towing satisfies the notice requirement, except when the vehicle blocked traffic or otherwise endangered the public and immediate towing was necessary.

The vehicle owner, or anyone entitled to possession, may request a written hearing before the county magistrate's office, which must be scheduled within seventy-two hours of the request; the tower, the person who authorized the towing and the owner are all entitled to appear and submit evidence, or an affidavit in place of appearing, and either side may appeal the magistrate's probable-cause ruling to district court. At any point before or during that process, the owner can get the vehicle back by paying the towing fee or posting a bond for double the fee (§ 1-7-129(g)). S. Chapter 44A, and if a court later finds no probable cause existed, the county must compensate the tower under its towing contract.