A City Council committee delayed a vote on a proposal to let towing companies increase their fees for removing vehicles from private property after members said they hadn’t been given enough time to consider the idea. 

“We got this less than 24 hours before this committee meeting,” said Councilor Sarah Abubaker (4th District). “It is very difficult to make informed decisions without time to dig into the legislation, particularly when there is a fiscal impact to our citizens.” 

The proposal deals with fees specifically for what’s called “trespass towing,” or the removal of a vehicle from private property. (Towing of cars from public streets and at the order of police is regulated separately and in Richmond is done by Seibert’s under a longstanding city contract.) 

Virginia law caps how much companies can charge for trespass towing. Earlier this year, the General Assembly increased the limit for a hookup and initial towing fee from $150 to $210 but continued to let local governments set lower caps if they choose. 

Richmond’s current cap, which was set in 2017, is far lower than that, at $135. Other related fees for towing on weekends and holidays or storing towed cars also fall below state limits. 

Richmond Deputy Director of Parking Lynne Lancaster told City Council’s Public Safety Committee that the towing industry approached the city about increasing the caps to match the state numbers. 

However, while “the industry wanted us to max out at $210,” Richmond’s towing advisory board — a body composed of one member of the general public and an equal number of representatives from local law enforcement and the towing companies — felt that the jump from $135 would be “too aggressive,” said Lancaster. 

Instead, the board recommended increasing the limit to $195. Other changes would increase the caps for overnight towing fees from $25 to $30, for storage longer than 24 hours from $45 to $50, and for administrative fees from $50 to $75. An additional fee of up to $30 for towing a vehicle on a weekend or holiday would also be allowed. 

While those numbers represent the highest amounts companies can charge, Abubaker said she assumed few would opt to go lower given the option.

All fees collected for trespass towing go to the company that conducts the towing. 

Both Abubaker and Councilor Reva Trammell (8th District) voted to delay the committee’s consideration of the increases until the end of November, making it unlikely the city will see any changes before the end of the year. No member of the public or the towing industry offered any comments on the proposal Tuesday. 

Richmond last set the fees for towing vehicles on public roads or in relation to an accident, arrest or violation through its approval in 2024 of its latest contract with Seibert’s. Under that agreement, the basic charge for towing related to a citation or a traffic or parking violation is $120. 

Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org