Car towed from private property in Kensington
Your car got towed from a lot or apartment complex in Kensington. Here is what Pennsylvania law actually requires before that is allowed.
What Pennsylvania law says
A tow from private property is not a PPA parking tow and it is not a police impound. In Pennsylvania it is governed by the Towing and Towing Storage Facility Standards Act, 73 P.S. section 1971 and following. The storage facility has to post fees, storage fees, service fees and hours; it may not refuse to release the vehicle during posted hours once you pay; and charges have to be itemized in writing. A tower may not haul a vehicle more than 16 miles without owner or law-enforcement authorization. Inside Philadelphia, Philadelphia Code 9-605 adds city rules: only a licensed company may tow from private property, and it needs the property owner's written permission. 9-605 also requires a police stolen-check before towing a disabled vehicle whose owner is not there, and it forbids wreck-chasing. This brand is a referral service. It holds no PUC Certificate of Public Convenience and no PennDOT towing registration, because it performs no towing.
How it works in Kensington
- 1 Confirm it was a private-lot tow, not a PPA or police tow
If the vehicle was on a public street in Philadelphia, start at findmytowedcar.org. Private-property tows only cover vehicles taken from private property at the property owner's direction.
- 2 Ask for the posted fee list and the hours
73 P.S. 1971 requires the storage facility to post fees, storage fees, service fees and hours. It may not refuse to release the vehicle during posted hours once you pay for the services. Get the charges in writing, itemized.
- 3 Check the 16-mile rule
A tower may not tow a vehicle more than 16 miles without authorization from the owner or from law enforcement. Ask where the car went and how far that is from the lot it left.
- 4 Inside Philadelphia, check 9-605
Only a licensed company may tow from private property in the city, and it needs prior written permission from the property owner. The company may not solicit the tow. A disabled vehicle whose owner is absent also needs a police stolen-check before it is towed.
- 5 Do not assume a passenger-car price cap
Philadelphia publishes a private-property cap for vehicles over 17,000 pounds: $360 to tow and $75 per 24 hours storage. A standard passenger-vehicle private-property cap has not been confirmed, so this site does not print one. Use the posted, itemized charges.
- 6 Complain on the right statute
A 73 P.S. 1971 violation is a violation of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. From December 17, 2026, Act 46 of 2026 adds statewide towing standards and new penalties, including Crimes Code section 7332. We are not the tower and we are not the regulator.
What this looks like around Kensington
Bar and restaurant lots off Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, and private lots along Kensington and the Boulevard, generate most of the private-property tows here. Those are not PPA tows. The company has to be city-licensed under 9-605, and the storage facility has to post fees and hours and release the car during those hours under 73 P.S. 1971.
Kensington runs along the El and I-95 through the heart of Puerto Rican Philadelphia, roughly 63 percent Hispanic, with El Centro de Oro on the northern edge. Kensington and Allegheny Avenues carry the traffic and the Market-Frankford Line runs above Front Street. Two patterns dominate the work here. Abandoned and long-parked vehicles are a chronic problem, and the city and property owners generate steady removal calls, which run through the PennDOT salvor process once a car is declared abandoned. Lower Kensington around Fishtown is gentrifying fast, so newer permit zones and private-lot enforcement off Frankford Avenue are climbing. Every page of this site, the quote form included, is published in Spanish, and a message left in Spanish is read in Spanish. The register here is Caribbean: carro, grua, el pound.
Common Kensington questions
Is it legal to tow my car from a parking lot in Kensington?
Yes, when a licensed company does it with the property owner's authorization and follows 73 P.S. 1971 on posted fees, hours, itemized charges and release during posted hours. Inside Philadelphia, Code 9-605 also requires a city license and written permission from the property owner. This brand does not perform that tow.
Does a lot have to post a sign before towing in Kensington?
73 P.S. 1971 requires the storage facility to post fees and hours. General rules on lot-sign size, wording and placement in Philadelphia have not been confirmed, so this page does not invent them. Photograph whatever is posted, and photograph the absence of a posting if there is none.
How far can they take the car from Kensington?
Pennsylvania's 16-mile rule: a tower may not tow a vehicle more than 16 miles without owner or law-enforcement authorization. Ask the company for the storage address and check the distance.
Does Quick Tow Philadelphia do private-property tows in Kensington?
No. We hold no PUC Certificate of Public Convenience and no PennDOT towing registration, because we perform no towing. What we do is connect property managers with licensed operators who do that work, and help drivers work out what actually happened to their vehicle. Call (610) 557-1544.
Related help for Kensington
Private-property tows in the rest of the North & Northeast Philadelphia area
Need your car towed once it's released in Kensington?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.