Michigan Towing Laws › Private Property
What a parking lot owner has to do before your car can legally be towed at your expense — and what to do if it wasn’t.
Under Michigan’s Vehicle Code, MCL 257.252k, a private property owner can’t just tow any car they don’t recognize. The lot has to post a notice at every point where vehicles can enter. If there are no curbs or barriers marking the lot’s edges, a sign is required at least once every 100 feet of road frontage. The lettering has to be at least 2 inches tall, on a background that contrasts with the sign color, and it has to say — clearly — that unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense.
If a lot doesn’t have that signage up, or the signage is hidden, faded, or doesn’t meet the size requirement, that’s the first thing worth documenting if you believe a tow was improper.
Beyond letter size, the sign needs to be visible from a normal approach — not tucked behind a dumpster or mounted where landscaping blocks it. It has to name that towing is at the vehicle owner’s expense, not just say “no parking.” A generic “private parking” sign without a towing warning doesn’t meet the legal bar. Some lots also post the towing company’s name and phone number on the same sign, which isn’t strictly required by MCL 257.252k but is common practice and makes disputes easier to resolve.
We see this come up locally more often than people expect: someone parks at a store or restaurant lot with permission from an employee, only to have the vehicle towed anyway — sometimes hours earlier than agreed. If a business gave verbal permission for a vehicle to stay, that’s a dispute between the driver and the property, but it doesn’t change the towing company’s obligation to have proper signage posted and to release records showing who authorized the tow. See a full account of a situation like this in My Car Was Towed From a Private Lot in Berrien County — Now What?
Private property tows are between the property owner and the towing company they’ve contracted with. Police-ordered tows — after an accident, a parking violation on public streets, or an abandoned vehicle call — follow a different process, covered in our accident tow rights guide and abandoned vehicle law guide.
No — if you have a valid permit or paid receipt for that spot and time, a tow would be improper. Keep your permit or receipt as proof if you need to dispute it.
Missing signage is one of the strongest grounds to dispute a private-lot tow, since Michigan law requires it before a vehicle can be towed at the owner’s expense. Document it with photos as soon as possible.
Yes. MCL 257.252k applies to any private property, including apartment complexes and HOA-managed lots, not just retail businesses.
Call (269) 925-9573 — we can often point you toward the right impound lot even if it isn’t ours.