Ohio Private Tow-Away Zone Rights

C. 101(B). The tow truck must deliver the vehicle within 25 linear miles of the lot (unless not practicable), to a well-lit facility near transit, and get it there within two hours of removal. A driver who reaches the lot before the truck leaves owes "not more than one-half of the fee for the removal of the vehicle," payable by credit card, with a receipt showing both the full and reduced amounts. The Public Utilities Commission sets the actual dollar caps under Ohio Admin. Code 4901:2-24-03 (effective January 1, 2026): removal tops out at $144 under 10,001 lbs GVWR, $247 from 10,001-25,999 lbs, and $410 at 26,000 lbs and up; storage runs $22, $38, and $82 per day at those same tiers, and the rule bars any other charge, including mileage or hookup fees, not listed in it.

After-hours retrieval is separately capped at $150 under OAC 4901:2-22-06. The tower must photograph the violation before hooking up, keep the photos at least 30 days after recovery or two years after the tow, and show or copy them to any owner who contests the tow. It must notify local police within two hours of the vehicle's description and location, run a BMV records search within three business days, and mail certified notice to the owner and lienholder within five business days, with a second notice if the car sits unclaimed 30 days later.

To reclaim the vehicle, the owner shows a title, registration, or lease and pays the PUCO-capped fees plus a $25 processing fee where notice was mailed; a lienholder owes no storage fee for the period before its notice arrived. Owners may pull personal items, but not anything attached to the vehicle, without charge and without retrieving the car itself.

Towing or storing a vehicle outside R.C. 4513.601's procedure is a minor misdemeanor under division (J). A disputed tow can instead be pursued as a civil claim under R.C. 4513.611, which sets fixed penalties on a minor/major violation schedule: $150 for a first minor violation, rising to $350, $1,500, and $2,000 on repeat violations, and $1,000 for a first major violation, $2,500 for a second, and $3,500 for a third, the last paired with a court-ordered six-month revocation of the tower's PUCO certificate. Where a violation caused actual damages, the owner can recover three times those damages plus attorney's fees. If a municipality separately licenses tow operators, a lot owner may not hire an unlicensed truck or operator under division (B)(2).