--- title: "Virginia: How much can a towing company legally charge in" canonical: https://towingdad.shop/questions/towing-laws-by-state/how-much-can-a-towing-company-legally-charge-in-virginia/ lang: en --- # How much can a towing company legally charge in virginia? By [Nora Whitfield, J.D.](/authors/nora-whitfield/) — Consumer law attorney Last reviewed: 2026-08-17 R3 It depends on whether the tow was consensual. In Virginia the binding figure is set by the state or the city — check the Virginia page before you pay. Under 49 U.S.C. § 14501(c)(2)(C) a state or city may cap the price of a non-consensual tow — police-ordered or from private property — and many publish a rate schedule. - § 14501(c)(2)(C)The carve-out that permits caps - Non-consensualThe only tows a state may cap - ~half of statesHave no statewide cap ## Short version - Federal law preempts most state regulation of carrier prices. - § 14501(c)(2)(C) expressly preserves caps on non-consensual tow prices. - Roughly half of states leave the cap to cities and counties instead. - A rate cap in your state may not apply to the tow you actually had. **Towing and impound rules are set by state and often by city.**This page reflects Virginia as of 2026-08-17. Verify with the Virginia agency named on that page before acting. ## What federal law preempts, and what it leaves alone 49 U.S.C. § 14501(c)(1) federally preempts state and local regulation of motor-carrier prices, routes and services. Two carve-outs matter for towing: (c)(2)(A) preserves state safety authority, which *City of Columbus v. Ours Garage & Wrecker Service*, 536 U.S. 424 (2002) extended to municipalities; and (c)(2)(C) expressly permits states and localities to regulate the **price of non-consensual tows**. That last carve-out is the hinge. States and cities **may** cap what you are charged for a police-ordered tow or a tow off private property, because you did not choose it. They generally **may not** cap prices for a consensual tow you called for yourself. ## What applies in Virginia The specific rule for Virginia lives in that state's own schedule and statutes, not in a national summary, and it moves with each legislative session. Our [Virginia towing laws](/towing-laws/virginia/) page records which agency regulates, whether a non-consensual rate cap exists, the notice deadlines and the complaint route — and states plainly which items we have not yet been able to document against a primary source. The [Virginia impound](/impound/virginia/) page covers vehicle release. ## The distinction most sites get wrong Roughly half of states have no statewide non-consensual rate cap at all — it is left to cities and counties. A page that says "Texas regulates towing rates" without saying which kind of tow is wrong in a way that costs readers money. ## How to find the schedule that binds your tow Start with the state page linked below, then check the city, because roughly half of states delegate non-consensual rate-setting entirely to local government. Ask the lot which published schedule it is billing under and request a copy of it — an operator billing above a published cap generally has to produce the authority it is relying on, and often cannot. ## Telling the two categories apart in practice The test is not who benefits from the tow, it is whether you asked for it. A breakdown where you called a company is consensual, and its price is generally unregulated. A police-ordered removal after a collision, and a trespass tow from a lot you parked in, are both non-consensual — you did not choose the operator and could not shop the price. That distinction decides which schedule, if any, binds the invoice, and it is the first thing to establish before arguing about the amount. ## Why the city can matter more than the state Around half of states set no statewide non-consensual cap and leave it to local government, which means the binding number can change between two towns twenty minutes apart. A reader who checks only the state and finds nothing often concludes there is no protection at all, when the municipal ordinance where the tow happened may set both a maximum rate and a complaint route. Check the jurisdiction where the vehicle was taken from, not where you live. ## What to do when the invoice exceeds the cap Pay under protest if you need the vehicle, then put the challenge in writing and name the schedule and the line that exceeds it. Specificity is what moves these: "this is too expensive" invites a shrug, while "the published maximum for a class-A non-consensual tow is X and I was billed Y" is a factual assertion the operator has to answer. Send it to the licensing agency as well as the company, because the agency keeps the record that makes a pattern visible. ## Common mistakes - **Reading "my state regulates towing rates" as covering every tow** — caps almost always reach only non-consensual tows. - **Not asking which schedule the lot is billing under** — it is the fastest way to discover there is no authority for the amount. General information, not legal advice. Towing and impound law varies by state and city and changes frequently. Consult the agency listed or a licensed attorney before acting. Sources (3)- Cornell Legal Information Institute — [49 U.S.C. § 14501 — Federal authority over intrastate transportation](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/14501) (accessed 2026-08-17) T1 - U.S. Supreme Court — [City of Columbus v. Ours Garage & Wrecker Service, 536 U.S. 424 (2002)](https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/536/424/) (accessed 2026-08-17) T1 - U.S. PIRG Education Fund — [Predatory Towing — consumer protections by state](https://pirg.org/resources/predatory-towing/) (accessed 2026-08-17) T2 ## Related questions - [How much can a towing company legally charge in california?](/questions/towing-laws-by-state/how-much-can-a-towing-company-legally-charge-in-california/) - [How much can a towing company legally charge in texas?](/questions/towing-laws-by-state/how-much-can-a-towing-company-legally-charge-in-texas/) - [Can a towing company legally charge?](/questions/towing-laws-by-state/can-a-towing-company-legally-charge/) - [Impound](/impound/) - [Calculators](/calculators/) - [Glossary](/glossary/) - [Your rights](/rights/)