Erie, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)
Key Facts
- Notice deadline
- 1 hour before removal
- Recipient
- Bureau of Police
- First-offense fine
- $100
- Repeat-offense penalty
- $300 + up to 90 days jail
- State compliance
- 67 Pa. Code Ch. 217
- Dispute forum
- Towing Review Board
Summary
Any wrecker service pulling a vehicle off private property in Erie without the owner's consent must phone the Bureau of Police one hour beforehand with the vehicle's details, and the tow itself must follow Pennsylvania's private-lot towing regulations. Skipping the notice draws a criminal summary fine that escalates with repeat offenses.
Any person and all wrecker services shall notify the Bureau of Police one hour prior to removal whenever a vehicle is removed from private property pursuant to Title 75 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Annotated Section 3353 (c) [relating to the removal of an unattended vehicle from private property] with the following information: the make, model, color, vehicle identification number, license number, location from which towed, and location where such vehicle is impounded and year of manufacture. ... Whoever violates any provision of this article shall be guilty of a summary offense and, upon conviction, shall be subject to the following penalties: (a) $100 for a first offense; (b) $200 for a second offense; (c) $300 and/or imprisonment for not more than 90 days for the third and subsequent offenses.
Full Breakdown
A. Section 3353(c), and that notice must include the make, model, color, vehicle identification number, license number, year of manufacture, the location towed from, and the location where the vehicle will be impounded. 02 separately requires that any tow from a private parking lot strictly comply with Title 67, Chapter 217 of the Pennsylvania Code, the state's private property towing regulations. 17 adds licensing-style eligibility rules: no more than one member of a family may hold a City towing contract, no individual with a felony conviction or three or more unresolved Attorney General consumer-protection complaints may hold or keep a contract, and every prospective contractor undergoes a Bureau of Police background investigation, with those same criteria extended to partnerships and corporations. 15, which also hears appeals on removal of abandoned vehicles and reviews parking ticket disputes.
Violations & Fines
Section 528.99 makes any violation of Article 528, including a missed one-hour police notification, a summary offense: $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $300 plus up to 90 days imprisonment for a third or subsequent offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a towing company have to notify police before towing my car from a private lot in Erie?
What happens if an Erie towing company skips the police notification?
Can I dispute towing or storage charges in Erie?
Who can hold a City of Erie towing contract?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Erie
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