Advocates Mark Passage of CT Towing Reform Law

HAMDEN, CT — When a person leaves their house in the morning to find their car has been towed, that can certainly be an inconvenience. But aggressive towing practices can also be a financial hardship or something a person can lose their job over.

State officials and community activists gathered in Hamden Friday to mark the passage of House Bill 7162, An Act Reforming the Motor Vehicle Towing Statutes.

State Rep. Laurie Sweet, D-Hamden, said the issue of towing was at the front of constituents’ minds when she campaigned for her first term in the legislature. 

“What was happening was wrong,” Sweet said. 

She said she heard of people having their cars towed while they were visiting family or even dropping off a birthday cake. The towings had resulted in missed medical appointments, missed work and children not getting to school.

“Something needed to be done,” she said.

The new law requires written authorization before towing a car from private property, 72 hours notice before towing a vehicle solely for an expired residential parking permit, mandated acceptance of credit and debit cards as payment for a tow, and a requirement to allow the owner of a towed vehicle access to the vehicle’s contents.

The bill also provides some exceptions to the rules on notification, such as for vehicles illegally parked in accessibility spots or emergency vehicle lanes or within 10 feet of a fire hydrant or when a vehicle’s condition creates a hazardous situation.

State Sen. Jorge Cabrera, D-Hamden, speaks about the state’s new towing regulations at a news briefing in Hamden on Aug. 15. Credit: Donald Eng

Paul Boudreau, president of the Hamden Tenants Union, said the bill’s passage with bipartisan support — 125 to 21 in the state House, 33 to 3 in the Senate — was evidence that “when we put politics aside, we can help the low income and working class residents of Connecticut.”

The new law was partially proposed in response to an investigation by ProPublica and the Connecticut Mirror, which found that Connecticut has one of the shortest turnarounds for towing companies to sell someone’s car and dispose of their belongings. The investigation showed people with low incomes were disproportionately affected.