North Carolina towing law comes up in three situations: your car got towed from a parking lot and you want to know whether that was legal and what you owe; you own or manage a lot and want an unauthorized car gone; or you’re on the side of the road and want to know your rights when a tow truck shows up. This is a plain-English guide for drivers in Cary and Wake County — what the state statutes and the Town of Cary’s towing ordinance say, and what to do if something looks wrong. It’s general information from a towing company, not legal advice; for a dispute, talk to a lawyer or the Town. Last reviewed November 2026.
One thing up front: WTF Towing doesn’t do the lot-patrol kind of towing this article is mostly about. We do consensual tows — you call (919) 230-4498, we come. But we get asked about all of it, so here it is.
Towing from private lots: what North Carolina requires
In Wake County — one of the counties the statute names — G.S. 20-219.2 lets the owner or tenant of a private lot have an unauthorized vehicle removed, on their written request, only when the lot is properly posted:
- Signs at least 24 by 24 inches, prominently displayed at every entrance.
- The current name and phone number of the towing and storage company on the signs — and, for individually owned or leased spaces, the name of that space’s owner or tenant.
- The signs must have been up for at least 72 hours before towing under the statute starts.
- The car has to be stored within 15 miles of where it was towed (25 miles if there’s no storage lot within 15).
When you pick the car up, the towing company must give you written notice of your rights: to pay the charges and take the car immediately, and to contest the charges under the lien law (G.S. 44A-4). It can’t make you sign a waiver — only a form acknowledging that you got the vehicle back. A company that breaks the statute commits an infraction with a fine of at least $150, and while it isn’t liable just for removing a car from a properly posted lot, it can be held liable for damage it causes on purpose or through negligence.
Can a car be towed without warning?
From a properly posted private lot, yes — the sign is the warning. North Carolina doesn’t require the lot owner or the tow company to contact you before the tow. What the law does require is that the police know where your car went.
Under G.S. 20-219.20, when a vehicle is towed at the request of someone other than its owner or driver, the tow company has to call the local law-enforcement agency before moving it — or within 30 minutes afterward, if the car had to be moved right away because it was blocking traffic or endangering the public — with the vehicle description, where it was towed from, where it’s stored and how to get it back. That state rule doesn’t cover tows directed by an officer or tows from lots posted under G.S. 20-219.2.
Cary closes that gap for private lots: the Town’s ordinance requires the tow company to report each tow to the police within 15 minutes, with the make, color and plate, where the car was towed from and where it’s being held. So if your car is gone from a lot in Cary, call the police non-emergency line before you assume it was stolen — they’ll know who has it.
Cary’s own towing ordinance
The Town of Cary adopted its own private-lot towing rules in 2017 (Chapter 20 of the Town Code), on top of the state minimum. In Cary, a lot that tows needs signs:
- at each entrance, every 50 feet of frontage, or at each parking space;
- at least 24 by 24 inches at entrances and frontage (no larger than six square feet), or at least 12 by 18 inches at individual spaces;
- mounted with the bottom of the sign four to five feet off the ground;
- lettered at least 1½ inches tall, saying “tow-away zone” or “towing enforced” (or similar), the days and hours the restriction applies, the towing company’s name and phone number, and the release-fee terms;
- and, if cars are towed the moment the driver walks off the property, saying so — “If you leave this property, your vehicle is subject to being towed,” or similar.
The ordinance also puts duties on the towing company. In Cary, a company doing private-lot tows must:
- report each tow to the police within 15 minutes;
- answer an owner’s call right away or call back within 30 minutes, and have someone who can release the car at the lot within two hours of a release request (requests between midnight and 6 a.m. are treated as an exception);
- accept cash and major credit and debit cards, and give a detailed receipt;
- let owners remove personal property from a stored vehicle;
- store towed vehicles in a fenced, lighted, secured, clearly signed lot within 15 miles.
Violations carry civil penalties that rise with repeat violations within a year, and a violation can be charged as a misdemeanor.
Tow-away sign requirements at a glance
| Requirement | North Carolina (G.S. 20-219.2, Wake County) | Town of Cary (Town Code, Chapter 20) |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Every entrance | Each entrance, every 50 ft of frontage, or each space |
| Size | At least 24 × 24 in. | 24 × 24 in. minimum at entrances (max 6 sq ft); 12 × 18 in. at spaces |
| Height | Not specified | Bottom of sign 4–5 ft above the ground |
| Wording | Towing company’s current name and phone | “Tow-away zone” or similar, days and hours, tow company name and phone, release-fee terms, walk-off warning if it applies; letters at least 1½ in. |
| Waiting period | 72 hours after posting | Follows state law as well |
Can your car be towed with you in it?
No North Carolina statute addresses it directly — the private-lot law is written around vehicles that have been left on the lot. In practice, no professional operator should hook a vehicle with a person inside; it’s dangerous for everyone. If a truck is backing up to your car while you’re in it, stay in the car, ask the operator who authorized the tow, and call the police non-emergency line if it isn’t resolved. In Cary the posted sign has to state the release-fee terms, so read it before you argue about the price. And never drive off while your car is attached to a wheel-lift or partly loaded on a bed — that’s how people get hurt and cars get damaged.
Property owners: having an unauthorized car towed
If you own or manage a lot in Cary and want unauthorized cars removed, the law puts the burden on you to warn people first:
- Post signs that meet both the state rule (24 × 24 inches at every entrance, with the towing company’s name and number) and Cary’s rule (placement, height, lettering, days and hours, release-fee terms, and a walk-off warning if it applies).
- Wait 72 hours after the signs go up.
- Make the request in writing to a towing company that does private-property towing.
Cary’s private-lot rules don’t apply to a car blocking an entrance or exit, an abandoned vehicle, or removals directed by law enforcement. For a car blocking your driveway, or one abandoned on a public street, call the police non-emergency line and let an officer handle it. WTF Towing doesn’t do lot patrol or private-property towing; we tow cars when their owners call us.
The towing company’s lien on your car
Under North Carolina’s lien law, a company that tows and stores a vehicle has a lien on it for reasonable towing and storage charges (G.S. 44A-2), and that lien comes ahead of the bank’s. That’s why a towing company can keep the car until the charges are paid. You have two ways to get it back: pay and take it, or — if you think the charges are wrong — contest them under G.S. 44A-4, which lets you get the vehicle back by paying the disputed amount into the clerk of court while a judge decides who’s right.
If nobody claims the car, the company can move toward a sale beginning 10 days after the charges come due, but only after notice to the registered owner and any lienholder through a DMV process; the owner then has 10 days to ask for a hearing. Storage accrues daily, so speed matters. If you get a notice like that, don’t ignore it.
If you believe the tow was unlawful — no signs, wrong signs, towed from a space you were entitled to use — get the car out (so the storage meter stops), keep the receipt, photograph the lot and any signage, and then dispute it. The Cary Police non-emergency line handles ordinance complaints; small-claims court handles the money.
Roadside tows: your rights on the shoulder
If you break down or crash and you’re not blocking traffic, you choose the tow company. Call whoever you want; you don’t have to take the first truck that pulls up, and you shouldn’t take one you didn’t call. If a truck arrives that you didn’t request, ask who sent them. Solicited tows — a truck showing up uninvited at a crash — are a known problem, and a legitimate company will tell you plainly who dispatched them.
If your vehicle is blocking a lane or is a hazard, law enforcement can call a wrecker from their rotation list to clear the road. That tow is lawful, and the officer will tell you where the vehicle is going. You’ll pay that company’s rate and the storage until you retrieve it, so get there quickly.
Whatever truck comes, ask for the price before the hookup and get a receipt. At WTF Towing the number you hear on the phone is the number on the receipt, and there’s no separate holiday or night rate. Our post on what drives the cost of a tow explains what a fair quote is made of.
The Move Over law
North Carolina’s Move Over law (G.S. 20-157) requires drivers approaching a stopped emergency vehicle — or a “public service vehicle,” which includes vehicles helping motorists or officers with wrecked or disabled cars — parked within 12 feet of the road with warning lights on, to move over a lane if it’s safe, or slow down and be ready to stop if it isn’t. That covers a tow truck working a breakdown on the shoulder. A violation is a $250 fine. It exists because the shoulder is the most dangerous place a tow operator works. We ask every Cary driver to move over; the operator on the side of US-1 is somebody’s dad.
If your car has been towed in Cary: what to do
- Confirm it was towed, not stolen: call the Cary Police non-emergency line. The towing company has to report private-lot tows within 15 minutes.
- Get the storage lot’s address and hours. In Cary it must be within 15 miles, and someone who can release the car must meet you within two hours of your request (overnight requests are the exception).
- Bring your license, proof of ownership or registration, and a card — in Cary they must take major credit and debit cards.
- Photograph the lot you were towed from, including any signs, before the details fade.
- At pickup, get the written notice of your rights and a detailed receipt showing the fees and the reason for the tow.
- Retrieve the car the same day if you can. Storage is charged daily.
- If the signs were missing or wrong, dispute it after you have the car back — the Town enforces the ordinance, and small-claims court handles refunds.
Common questions
Can a lot tow me if I walked off the property?
In Cary, if the lot tows the moment you step off the property, the sign has to say so. If the posted notice doesn’t warn you, that tow is on shaky ground.
Do towing companies have to notify you before they tow?
Not personally. On a properly posted private lot, the sign is the notice. The tow company has to tell the police where the car went — in Cary, within 15 minutes — so the non-emergency line can tell you who has it.
Can a towing company keep your car until you pay?
Yes. The tow company has a lien for reasonable towing and storage charges and can hold the car until they’re paid. If you think the bill is wrong, you can contest it under G.S. 44A-4 and get the car back by paying the disputed amount into court while it’s decided.
Do they have to give me my stuff out of the car?
In Cary, yes: the ordinance requires the company to let owners remove personal property from a stored vehicle. State law doesn’t spell this out, so outside Cary, ask the company and check the local ordinance.
Is there a maximum fee for a tow in North Carolina?
North Carolina’s private-lot towing statute doesn’t set one. Your protections are the posted sign (in Cary it must show the release-fee terms), a detailed receipt, the right to pay by card in Cary, and the right to contest the charges under the lien law.
Can I call my own tow company after a crash?
Yes, as long as your vehicle isn’t blocking the road or creating a hazard. If an officer needs the lane cleared immediately, they’ll call the rotation wrecker; otherwise, call whoever you trust. Our tow truck near you in Cary page explains how a call with us goes, and our accident towing page covers what happens after a crash.
Sources: N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-219.2, 20-219.20, 44A-2, 44A-4 and 20-157; Town of Cary Code of Ordinances, Chapter 20, towing from private lots. Laws change — check the current text before relying on any detail.
Need a tow you actually asked for? Call (919) 230-4498 — 24 hours, upfront price, licensed and insured. When your car makes you say WTF, you call WTF Towing.
