Client Alert: Prince William County Amends its Towing Ordinance, Which Affects All Community Associations that Authorize Tows in Prince William
Date: November 6, 2025
A. Towing for Lack of a Parking Permit
First, there are new requirements about the signs and the time you must wait to tow a vehicle for lacking a parking permit.
- Signage
The code already requires that property owners or managers who wish to tow unauthorized vehicles must place signs at each entry onto private parking areas to alert drivers of the risk of towing. The signs must contain specific wording and information, such as the towing company name and local police non-emergency number.
Section 13-497 now creates additional signage requirements to stress the importance of conspicuously notifying drivers of their risk of being towed. The additional signage requirements to tow for the lack of a parking permit are:
Section 13-497 now creates additional signage requirements to stress the importance of conspicuously notifying drivers of their risk of being towed. The additional signage requirements to tow for the lack of a parking permit are:
- The signs must note that a permit is required for parking; and
- The signs must note that towing is enforced 24/7, if that is the case.
These additional requirements may be added to an existing sign, or they may be placed separately on a newly erected sign. The lettering of these two requirements must be at least one and a half inches in height, which is the largest font height that the statute requires.
Note, these additions only pertain to towing a vehicle for failing to display a parking permit. They do not affect the ability to tow a vehicle that is subject to immediate towing for a different reason, like parking in a fire lane or in multiple spaces.
- Timing
A vehicle cannot be towed for lacking a parking permit until it has been parked for at least ten (10) minutes without a permit. But immediate towing of a vehicle without a permit is permitted if the property owner or the owner’s agent requests that the vehicle be towed. This means that a tow truck operator who sees a vehicle parked without the necessary permit must wait ten (10) minutes before towing it unless the property owner or manager asks the towing company to tow that vehicle.
B. One-Month Grace Period for Expired Registration
Section 13-497 now prohibits towing vehicles for expired registration or inspection stickers until the first day of the month following one full month since the date of expiration. Thus, if tags expire on March 1, the vehicle can be towed at the earliest on May 1; or, if tags expire on October 31, the vehicle can be towed at the earliest on December 1.
C. Towing Contract Available to Law Enforcement
The final change to Section 13-497 provides that law enforcement has the right to obtain a copy of the towing agreement between the owner and the towing company. A copy of the agreement must be given to law enforcement upon request. Law enforcement may request a copy of the agreement during the normal business hours of the party from whom it is requested. So, if property management’s hours are 9:00am - 5:00pm, an officer cannot request a copy of the agreement at 6:00pm but must wait until 9:00am.
If you would like any further guidance on these changes, please feel free to contact your Association’s attorney.
The information contained here is not intended to provide legal advice or opinion and should not be acted upon without consulting an attorney. Counsel should not be selected based on advertising materials, and we recommend that you conduct further investigation when seeking legal representation.