Towing fees in Pennsylvania are regulated, but not by one statewide price list. There are three regimes. PPA publishes city fees. Suburbs set their own. Private lots follow posted rates under 73 P.S. §1971. None of those numbers is this brand’s price.
PPA publishes the city schedule
Inside Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Parking Authority runs most parking tows in Center City, University City, and neighborhood commercial corridors. Police handle parking elsewhere in the city. PPA’s published fees for vehicles under 11,000 pounds, as listed on philapark.org/tow, are:
- Boot removal: $150
- Tow: $175 straight / $225 live stop
- Storage: $25.00 per 24 hours plus 22.5 percent tax
Heavier bands, same source, same date. From 11,000 to 17,000 pounds: $250 straight / $300 live stop, storage $40.00 per 24 hours plus 22.5 percent tax. Over 17,000 pounds: $360 / $410, storage $75.00 per 24 hours plus 22.5 percent tax.
A boot can go on after 3 or more unpaid parking, red-light, or speed-camera tickets, or $300 or more owed. After the boot is on, you have 72 hours to pay the tickets plus the $150 boot fee before a tow.
These are PPA’s figures. They aren’t a quote from Quick Tow Philadelphia. They aren’t what a King of Prussia lot or an Upper Darby impound charges.
Suburbs set their own rates
Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester counties aren’t on the PPA schedule. Each municipality runs its own lot and sets its own fee. Title 75 §3352 gives police a lien for reasonable removal and storage. The municipality may set rates. If it has set no rate, storage is capped at $25 a day. The owner has a right to a hearing.
This page doesn’t publish Upper Darby’s fee, Norristown’s fee, or West Chester’s fee. Those ordinances aren’t in the facts this site can cite. Ask the township or borough that towed the car. Using PPA’s $175 as a suburban number is wrong.
Private lots post their rates under 73 P.S. §1971
A private-property tow follows the Towing and Towing Storage Facility Standards Act, 73 P.S. §1971 et seq. The storage facility must post fees, storage fees, service fees, and hours. The tower may not refuse release during posted hours. Charges must be itemized in writing. A tower may not haul more than 16 miles without owner or law-enforcement authorization.
Inside Philadelphia, Code 9-605 adds a city license and written permission from the property owner. The only confirmed private-property dollar cap in that code is for heavy vehicles. That band is 17,000 pounds and up. The maximum is a $360 tow plus $75 per 24 hours of storage. A passenger-vehicle private-property cap wasn’t confirmed. This page doesn’t publish one.
A consensual roadside tow isn’t a PPA fee. A breakdown on I-95 or the Schuylkill isn’t a posted private-lot rate either. The operators we dispatch quote that price before the truck rolls. There’s no brand rate card on this site.
Act 46 of 2026 is signed, and it isn’t in force yet
Act 46 of 2026 (SB 779) was signed July 20, 2026. It takes effect December 17, 2026, 150 days after enactment. It sets statewide towing and storage standards. It adds new penalties for unlawful towing, including Crimes Code §7332. It requires transparency on fees, retrieval info, and billing. It bans unauthorized towing. It also bans refusal to release during posted hours, and a bill with no itemized charges.
Until December 17, 2026, don’t treat Act 46 as the law in force. Today’s rules are still PPA’s published schedule, each suburb’s own rate or the §3352 fallback, and 73 P.S. §1971 plus Code 9-605 on private lots.
For a quoted roadside or long-distance towing job, or a private property referral, see services. Our price is never a number on the page. It is quoted before dispatch.
Frequently asked questions
Are towing fees regulated in Pennsylvania?
Yes, but in three different ways. PPA publishes city fees. Suburbs set their own, with a $25-a-day storage cap under Title 75 §3352 only if the municipality has set no rate. Private lots must post rates under 73 P.S. §1971.
Can I use PPA’s $175 tow fee in Upper Darby?
No. That figure is PPA’s published rate for a city tow under 11,000 pounds. It isn’t a suburban municipal rate, and it isn’t this brand’s price.
When does Act 46 of 2026 take effect?
December 17, 2026. It was signed July 20, 2026. Don’t treat it as the law in force before that date.
What does a roadside tow cost from this brand?
There’s no brand price. No operator rate card is published here. The operators we dispatch quote before the truck rolls. The number you hear on the phone is the number on the invoice.
When to call us
Call for a consensual tow or roadside job matched with an independent operator. Don’t call us to make a PPA lot release a car. The line takes calls 24/7. Calls are recorded after a notice. Call the line at (610) 557-1544, or write through /contact/.