Why am I being charged so much to get my car out of impound? These aren’t the rates on your website!
First of all, we’d like to make you aware of the two different types of tows in Oklahoma. Under State Law, these are divided into Consensual Towing, and Nonconsensual Towing. Both types of towing have very different rate schedules.
Consensual towing is the most common. You call us and ask us to pick up your disabled or wrecked vehicle. You decide who tows your vehicle, when they tow your vehicle, and where the destination is. Consensual Towing rates are freely set by each individual wrecker service.
Nonconsensual towing is defined in Oklahoma statutes 47 § 951: “Nonconsensual tow” means the transportation of a vehicle without the consent or knowledge of the vehicle’s owner, possessor, agent, insurer, lienholder, or any other person in possession of or in charge of any vehicle and includes the transportation or towing of the vehicle under lawful circumstances or necessity for the public interest including removing from the roadway for public safety or public convenience, or accidents, by any law enforcement officer or property agent or removal from public or private property as a result of abandonment or unauthorized parking by the property owner, agent, possessor, or other legal entity for the property owner.
In other words, nonconsensual towing is generally either a law enforcement impound or a private property impound. In Oklahoma, Nonconsensual Towing rates are regulated by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
Ok, so we have all been educated on the different types of tows. That still doesn’t explain why I had to pay so much to bail my car out of impound!
The bottom line is that every wrecker service in Oklahoma City, or for that matter, anywhere in the State of Oklahoma, is regulated by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, and will charge the same rates for any nonconsensual towing. These rates are set only after an exhaustive rate study, and after many hearings where public comment is sought by the Commission. The rates are based on actual costs for maintaining 24/7 service in a manner that can keep our roadways clear of accidents and abandoned cars, and for the additional insurance required for wrecker services to tow and store impounded vehicles.
Information on Nonconsensual Towing rates can be found here.