Mesa, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Chapter 9 of Title 10 governs private parking areas. Section 10-9-2(A) bars towing or transporting a vehicle from a private lot without the vehicle owner's or operator's permission, unless a law enforcement agency requested it or the tow driver is carrying a written towing order signed by the real property owner or agent, specifying the vehicle to be towed. Subsection (B) then bars the tow company from holding, or attempting to hold, the vehicle as security for accrued towing or storage fees, the owner can recover it simply by showing reliable identification such as a driver's license, with billing handled afterward.

Subsection (C) requires the towing company to notify the Mesa Police Department immediately, providing the owner's name and address if known, the vehicle's license number and description, the reason and location it was moved from, the location it was taken to, and the tow company's own name, address, and phone number. The companion posting statute, § 10-9-1(B), requires any private lot that restricts parking to post signs at every visible entrance stating the parking restrictions, that a violator's vehicle will be towed at the violator's expense, the Mesa Police Department's phone number, and the exact phrase 'Mesa City Code, Title 10, Chapter 9', without all four elements, the property owner is deemed to have consented to unrestricted public parking. Violating § 10-9-2 is a misdemeanor.