Annapolis, MD Parking Rules: Towing & Impound Rights (2026)

Section 7.52.120 of the Annapolis City Code controls what a licensed tow operator can bill. An applicant for a towing license must file a statement with the city clerk declaring that the applicant will charge the standard towing and storage fees the City Council approves annually, and that duty covers every licensee providing towing services and storage for motor vehicles. After licensing the rule is flat: the towing company shall charge only fees approved by the City Council. The section prints no dollar amounts, so the actual rates come from the Council's annual approval, not from the code text. Ordinance O-23-24, adopted April 14, 2025, carried this section forward along with most of Chapter 7.52.

Chapter 7.52 covers three kinds of tows: disabled vehicles damaged in a collision or accident, illegally parked vehicles, and scofflaw vehicles, meaning a vehicle with three or more unsatisfied municipal parking citations where at least thirty days have passed since the third one was issued. Towing any of them without a City license or a signed contract as an agent of the City is prohibited. Two exceptions apply: a person involved in an accident can use an unlicensed company, and a member of a nationally recognized automotive association can use the association's tow provider.

Licensees carry duties that protect the vehicle owner. Each must file a $25,000 bond with the city clerk to save harmless the owner of any automobile for property damage while the car is in the company's possession. The operator must take the vehicle straight to its storage lot and tell the police officer where it went, and the owner's name and address must appear on each side of the truck in letters at least four inches high. Repairs require a signed agreement with an estimate, and the licensee keeps a copy for two years. When a dispatched truck has not arrived within 20 minutes, the officer notifies the Police Department, which moves to the next company on the list if the first cannot arrive within another five minutes.