Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Illinois

parking and towing regulations/ordinance in Chicago, IL

Also, what are the towing company's responsibilities in notifying proper authorities when a vehicle has been towed as opposed to stolen? I was told that there was a case related to this matter involving Lincoln Towing Company.


Asked on 3/12/98, 4:51 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Barbara C. Johnson Law Office of Barbara C. Johnson

Towing procedures vary from municality to municipality

In Massachusetts, some municipalitiesput towing out for bids. The bidding proceduresare a whole can of worms. Some small towns divide the towing between all the towers in the community and then rotate their service:for example, one is the primary tower for one week, with a second the backup.Two others are assigned the next week. If a city is late in paying, the tower doesn't tow, and the cars build up . . . Factors that enter into the picture are, for example, the price of steel at the dock, the model of the car, the theft market nationally as well as locally.Some towers don't want to notify anyone particularly quickly because they can grab an extra day or two for storage charges. What is done in your state can only be known by the folks in your community. Nose around at city/town hall, but be careful!Lots of the so-called procedures are not written ones.Maybe your best bet is to act a competitor of the guiyus who towed your vehicle.You can generally count on a lot of "electricity" amongst those guys. But again, be careful. Give your story to John Grisham. Maybe you can be reimbursed for excess charges by getting a piece of the action that way! Of course, you can always take it to small claims court!

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Answered on 3/19/98, 3:09 am


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