RELATING TO TOWING PRACTICES.
HB2375 establishes a temporary Uniform Towing Practices for Public Parking Facilities Working Group within the Department of Transportation. The group is directed to review existing state and county towing laws, ordinances, rules, and administrative practices affecting public parking facilities, with a focus on notice, signage, fee transparency, storage, release procedures, and dispute resolution. It is also tasked with identifying inconsistencies across jurisdictions and recommending uniform minimum standards for towing from state and county parking facilities.
The bill specifically calls for recommendations on due process protections, consumer transparency requirements, and whether new legislation, administrative rules, or intergovernmental agreements are needed to implement a more uniform system. The working group would include representatives from state agencies, county law enforcement, towing industry, consumer protection or legal services, disability access, and public members, reflecting an effort to balance enforcement, consumer, and accessibility concerns. The group must report to the Legislature before the 2027 session and is set to expire on June 30, 2027.
If enacted, the bill would not immediately change towing law statewide, but it would create a formal process to study and propose changes to state and county towing practices on public parking facilities. Its practical effect would be to place the Department of Transportation at the center of a cross-agency review that could lead to future legislation, administrative rules, or agreements establishing uniform towing standards. The bill also highlights issues affecting disabled vehicle users, consumer protections, and public reporting, signaling possible future changes to statutes governing parking enforcement, towing, and related county-state coordination.
The available legislative history suggests generally favorable treatment of the measure, as the Senate Transportation Committee passed it with amendments by a 5-0 vote. The bill’s findings and structure indicate broad concern about inconsistent towing practices, lack of transparency, and accessibility problems, which likely contributed to support. However, the measure was later deferred by the WAM committee, indicating that while the policy idea may have been acceptable, there may have been unresolved concerns about scope, implementation, or administrative burden.
The main points of contention appear to center on how towing authority is exercised across different jurisdictions, the adequacy of notice and fee practices, and protections for people with disabilities whose vehicles are towed. The bill also suggests concern over cash-only or coercive payment practices and the lack of centralized reporting, which may have raised questions among stakeholders about consumer fairness and accountability. Because the working group includes towing industry, law enforcement, county parking, consumer, and disability representatives, the bill reflects an effort to mediate competing interests rather than impose immediate substantive regulation.