Drivers whose vehicles are towed in Arlington County, Virginia, for parking where they shouldn’t have will pay higher tow rates this year, but not as much as the local tow industry would have liked.
In December, the county board approved a new rate structure that raises the fee from $135 to $160 for vehicles under 7,500 pounds. The lower fee had been in place since 2014.
A 2025 change in Virginia law allowed localities to charge a minimum of $135, and up to $210 for a trespass tow. In recent months, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties each set their rate to the new maximum.
County Board Chair Takis Karantonis called the $160 rate “fair market value” for the industry, adding that Arlington tow operators “do not have as far to travel as in many other jurisdictions with higher fees.”
How is the towing industry responding?
But some members of the local towing industry take issue with the “fair market value” characterization of the new fee structure.
Al Leach, who owns Al’s Towing and Storage, serves on the Trespass Towing Advisory Boards in Arlington and Fairfax counties. He told the board his company doesn’t operate in Arlington County.
“The reason why Al’s Towing is not in Arlington County is because we couldn’t give you professional services at those rates,” he said.
Michael Reynolds, of the A-1 Associates towing firm, said his company was forced to move out of Arlington prior to the pandemic “because it was too expensive to operate,” adding that Arlington now has only one towing business that does trespass towing.
Reynolds told the board that tow fees provide for many things, including real estate, location and cost, and hiring qualified employees.
“It’s too expensive for other companies to rent or buy a location in the county,” he said. “While it’s wonderful to see the proposal to increase the fee limit to $160, $160 is already outdated and insufficient.”
Gary Kauffman, of Henry’s Wrecker Service, told board members he agreed low towing fees discourage companies from doing business in Arlington. He said “realistic fee increases” help prevent predatory tow company behavior.
Kauffman said predatory towing is defined as the unethical and illegal practice by towing companies to exploit motorists for excessive profit, often through deceptive taxes, such as hidden fees and unwarranted charges, delaying vehicle release or towing without proper authority.
“When fees are unrealistically low, operators are pressured to cut corners, delay releases and seek revenue through questionable practices,” he said.
What fees were left untouched?
While the county board voted 5-0 to set the maximum tow fee at $160 for vehicles under 7,500 pounds, it left unchanged the $250 towing fee for vehicles between 7,500 and 10,000 pounds and $500 for vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds.
Surcharges ranging from $40 to $60 for vehicles towed at night, on weekends and holidays were left unchanged, as was the daily storage fee of $50.