October 27, 2026

Towing Terms Glossary: Tow Bill Fees and Charges Explained (2026)

Tow and impound bills are full of jargon: hook-up fee, drop fee, gate fee, dollies, administrative fee, lien fee. This glossary explains 58 of the terms you’re most likely to see, in plain English. Where a state, county or city publishes a limit or rate for a fee, we show it with a link to the official source, so you can tell a normal charge from one that’s out of line.

Disclaimer: TowCars.com is a nationwide towing information and referral service. We don’t tow, dispatch, or store vehicles, and we aren’t responsible for the work, prices, or conduct of any towing company. This page is information only, not legal, insurance or financial advice. See our disclosure.

By TowCars Editorial Team · Updated October 26, 2026

Tow bill glossary

Towing terms, fees and charges explained

58 terms you’ll see on tow and impound bills, in plain English, with real fee limits from official schedules where they exist.

No term matches that search. Try a shorter word, or check the fee in the tow bill checker.

A

Accident tow

Also called: Incident tow, crash tow

A tow from a crash scene. It can be a tow you arrange yourself or one ordered by police. Bills often include extra time at the scene and cleanup, and many schedules require that those were actually needed and performed.

Published examples

  • In New Jersey, accident extras such as winching and cleanup can be billed only if they were actually performed. Source: N.J.A.C. 13:45A-31 (PDF)

Administrative fee

Also called: Admin fee, processing fee

A paperwork charge from the tow company or storage lot, sometimes called an admin, processing or impound fee. Many fee schedules cap it or allow it only after a set time.

Published examples

After-hours release fee

Also called: Gate fee

An extra charge for picking up your car outside the lot’s normal business hours, often called a gate fee. Some places cap it and others don’t allow it at all.

Published examples

B

Billable miles

Also called: Loaded miles

The miles you are charged for, usually counted from pickup to drop-off once the car is loaded. Some schedules cap how many miles a non-consent tow can bill.

Published examples

Boot removal fee

A charge to remove a wheel boot (an immobilizing clamp) instead of towing the car.

Published examples

C

Class A, B, C and D

Also called: Vehicle class

Weight classes that many rate schedules use to price tows. Class A is usually a passenger car or light truck, and higher letters mean heavier vehicles and bigger wreckers. Each schedule defines its own weight limits.

Published examples

Credit card surcharge

Also called: Card fee

An extra percentage added when you pay by card. Some places allow it, some cap it and some ban it.

Published examples

D

Daily storage

Also called: Storage fee

The charge for keeping your car at a lot, billed per day, per 24 hours or in 12-hour steps. It is often the fastest-growing part of a bill, so collect the car as soon as you can.

Published examples

Damage waiver

Also called: Release of liability

A form saying you won’t hold the tow company responsible for damage. You don’t have to sign one to get your car back in some states.

Published examples

Dolly fee

Also called: Dollies

A charge for using wheel dollies, small wheeled platforms placed under the wheels that stay on the ground. They are used for AWD cars or when a wheel is damaged.

Published examples

Drive-line removal

Also called: Driveshaft disconnect

Disconnecting the driveshaft so the drive wheels can turn freely during a tow without damaging the transmission.

Published examples

Drop fee

Also called: Drop charge, on-scene release fee

A reduced charge when you reach your car after it is hooked up but before it leaves. The company releases the car on the spot and charges this fee instead of the full tow.

Published examples

E

Environmental fee

A charge for fluid cleanup or disposal. Look for it on a storage lot bill, because some states don’t allow it there.

Published examples

EV surcharge

Also called: Electric vehicle fee

An extra charge for towing or handling an electric vehicle, which usually needs a flatbed and extra care.

Published examples

Extra labor

Also called: Additional labor

Time charged for additional workers or work beyond a normal hook-up, for example to free a car stuck in a garage.

Published examples

Extra time

Also called: Waiting time, scene time

A charge for time at the scene beyond what the base fee includes, usually billed in 15- or 30-minute steps.

Published examples

F

Flatbed

Also called: Rollback, car carrier

A tow truck with a bed that tilts down so the whole car is pulled up onto it, with no wheels on the road. It’s the safest choice for AWD cars, EVs and low or damaged cars. Also called a rollback.

Published examples

Flatbed charge

An extra fee for using a flatbed instead of a wheel-lift. Some rules limit it to cases where a flatbed was really needed.

Published examples

  • New Jersey bans a flatbed charge if the car could safely have been towed upright by another truck. Source: N.J.A.C. 13:45A-31 (PDF)

Fuel surcharge

An add-on that adjusts tow or mileage rates for the price of fuel. Where it is regulated, the regulator publishes the allowed amount.

Published examples

G

Grace period

Also called: Free storage period

The time after a tow when no storage can be charged yet.

Published examples

GVWR

Also called: Gross vehicle weight rating

Gross vehicle weight rating, the maximum loaded weight the manufacturer sets for a vehicle. Tow rates often switch from light-duty to medium- or heavy-duty pricing at a set weight.

Published examples

H

Heavy-duty tow

Also called: Heavy wrecker tow

A tow of a large truck, bus or RV with a heavy wrecker or rotator. It’s often billed by the hour, so a big recovery can legitimately cost much more than a car tow.

Published examples

Hook-up fee

Also called: Base fee, hook-up charge

The base charge for sending the truck and attaching your vehicle. It often includes the first few miles.

Published examples

Hourly rate

A tow priced by the hour instead of as a flat fee, common for police-ordered and heavy-duty tows. Ask for the start and end times on the invoice.

Published examples

I

Impound

Also called: Impoundment

When a vehicle is removed and held at a lot, usually on police orders or at a property owner’s request, until the owner pays and proves they own it.

Impound lot

Also called: Tow yard, storage lot, vehicle pound

The yard where towed vehicles are stored until they are released. It may be run by a city, a police department or a private company under contract.

Indoor storage

Also called: Inside storage

Storage in a building instead of an open yard. It usually costs more and is sometimes allowed only when someone asked for it.

Published examples

Invoice fee

A small charge for preparing the bill.

Published examples

Itemized invoice

Also called: Itemized receipt

A bill that lists each service, its price and when it was done. Ask for one every time. You need it to dispute a charge, and many places require the company to give you one.

Published examples

L

Lien

Also called: Possessory lien

A legal claim the tow company or lot has on your vehicle for unpaid towing and storage. If the bill stays unpaid long enough, the lien can lead to a lien sale.

Lien fee

Also called: Lien filing fee

A charge for starting the lien process, such as filing paperwork to sell an unclaimed vehicle. It’s often allowed only after the car has been in storage for some time.

Published examples

Lien sale

Also called: Lien auction

The sale or auction of an unclaimed vehicle to pay the towing and storage bill, after the required notices have been sent.

Lockout service

Also called: Car lockout

Roadside help getting into a car when the keys are locked inside.

M

Mileage charge

Also called: Per-mile rate

A per-mile charge for the distance towed, usually after any miles included in the hook-up fee.

Published examples

Motorcycle tow

A tow on a flatbed or motorcycle trailer with wheel chocks and straps. Motorcycles shouldn’t be towed with a wheel-lift.

Published examples

N

Notification fee

Also called: Notice fee

A charge for mailing the notices the law requires, such as letters to the owner and lienholder.

Published examples

O

Official police garage

Also called: OPG

A private tow company under contract to tow for a police department, at rates the city sets. Los Angeles uses this term (OPG).

Published examples

Overturned vehicle charge

Also called: Rollover recovery

An extra charge for righting a vehicle that is on its side or roof before it can be towed.

Published examples

P

Personal property retrieval

Also called: Access to personal property

Getting your belongings out of a towed car. Some places require the lot to let you do this for free.

Published examples

Police hold

Also called: Investigative hold

When police instruct the lot not to release a vehicle, for example during an investigation. You’ll need a release from the police agency before the lot will give the car back.

Police-ordered tow

Also called: Police tow, law-enforcement tow

A tow ordered by law enforcement, for example after a crash, an arrest, a parking violation or when a car is blocking traffic. Rates are often set by the city, county or state.

Published examples

Private-property tow

Also called: Trespass tow, private impound, PPI

A tow from a parking lot, garage or driveway at the request of the property owner or manager. Many states cap the price and require posted signs.

Published examples

R

Recovery

Also called: Vehicle recovery

Getting a vehicle back onto a road it has left, such as out of a ditch, a ravine, water or deep snow. It’s billed separately from the tow and often by time and equipment.

Release fee

Also called: Vehicle release fee

A government fee for authorizing the release of an impounded car. It’s separate from the tow company’s charges, and you may have to pay it at a police station or city office.

Published examples

Relocation tow

The Illinois term for a tow from a private lot without the owner’s consent.

Published examples

Roadside assistance

Help at the roadside without a full tow: a jump-start, tire change, fuel delivery or lockout service. It’s often included with auto club memberships, insurance or new-car warranties.

Published examples

Rotation list

Also called: Rotation tow, tow rotation

The list of approved tow companies that police call in turn when the driver hasn’t chosen one. The next company on the list gets the call.

Published examples

  • New York City’s accident (DARP) and rotation (ROTOW) tows are capped at $125 for vehicles of 10,000 lb or less. Source: NYC DCWP – Towing

Rotator

A heavy-duty wrecker with a crane-like boom that can turn 360 degrees, used to lift and recover large trucks and buses.

S

Snow tow

Also called: Snow emergency tow

A tow of a car left on a street during a snow emergency or parking ban.

Published examples

Standby time

Also called: Waiting time

A charge for the truck and driver waiting at the scene, for example while police finish their work. Ask for it to be documented on the invoice.

Published examples

Storage facility

Also called: VSF

A licensed lot that stores towed vehicles. In Texas it is called a vehicle storage facility (VSF), and the state limits what it can charge.

Published examples

T

Title lookup fee

The cost of searching state records to find the owner and lienholder so notices can be sent.

Published examples

Tow hearing

A hearing in which a judge or hearing officer decides whether a tow was legal. If not, the company may have to refund your costs.

Published examples

Tow-away sign

Also called: Tow-away zone sign

A posted sign warning that unauthorized vehicles will be towed. Many states require one before a private-property tow is legal, and it often has to show the tow company’s name and phone number.

W

Wheel-lift

Also called: Wheel-lift wrecker

A tow truck with a metal yoke that cradles two wheels and lifts that end of the car, leaving the other two wheels rolling on the road. It’s the most common truck for short tows.

Winch-out

Also called: Winching

Pulling a stuck vehicle out of mud, sand, snow or a ditch with a cable and winch. It’s usually billed by time.

Published examples

The examples are maximums or listed rates from the official schedule linked under each one, checked October 26, 2026. They apply only in that place and to the tow types the schedule covers, and they change, so open the source before relying on a number. Where no example is shown, we didn’t find a published rate we could cite.

How to use this glossary on a real tow bill

  • Ask for an itemized invoice. Every charge should be listed separately, with dates and times. California, New Jersey and Texas all require specific details on the bill.
  • Find out what kind of tow it was. A tow you asked for (a consent tow) is priced by agreement. Police-ordered and private-property tows (non-consent tows) are the ones most likely to have legal caps.
  • Look up each line. Use the search box or the A–Z links above to find each fee, then check whether your state or city lists it as allowed and what the cap is.
  • Compare the totals. Enter the charges in the tow bill checker to compare them with published limits, or use the tow cost calculator to estimate what a tow you arrange yourself should cost.
  • Act fast. Storage is charged by the day, and many dispute deadlines are short. In Texas, for example, you have 14 days to request a tow hearing.

Charges to look at closely

These lines are the most common source of disputes, because many places limit or ban them on non-consent tows:

  • After-hours or gate fees, which aren’t allowed at Texas storage facilities.
  • Administrative fees, which Miami-Dade allows only after 24 hours and New Jersey only after more than three trips to the car.
  • Environmental, notary and personal-property access fees, which aren’t allowed at Texas storage facilities.
  • Extras such as dollies, winching and drive-line removal, which Seattle doesn’t allow on private-property impounds.
  • Storage charged for the first hours, which isn’t allowed during the grace period in Florida, Portland or San Francisco.

Frequently asked questions

What fees can a tow company legally charge?

It depends on where you were towed and on the type of tow. Many states and cities cap non-consent tows, such as police-ordered and private-property tows, and list which fees are allowed. Texas, for example, lets a vehicle storage facility charge only notification, impound and daily storage fees, plus a government fee in some places. Tows you arrange yourself usually aren’t capped, so agree on the price first.

What is a gate fee on a tow bill?

A gate fee, or after-hours release fee, is an extra charge for collecting your car outside the lot’s business hours. Where it’s regulated it’s often capped. Georgia caps it at $65, and in California it can’t be more than half the company’s hourly rate. Texas storage facilities aren’t allowed to charge a separate gate fee.

What is a drop fee?

A drop fee is what you pay if you get back to your car after it’s hooked up but before it’s towed away. Instead of the full tow, the company releases the car for a reduced fee. In Texas the maximum is $135 for a light vehicle, and in Ohio and California it is at most half the tow charge.

How do I check if my tow bill is too high?

Get an itemized invoice, look up each line in this glossary, then enter the charges in our tow bill checker. It compares them with the published limits for 18 states and cities and links to each official source.

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