Vehicle Laws - Towed, Removed, or Abandoned Vehicles - Electronic Notice to Owner
Summary
HB191 amends Maryland transportation law to allow electronic notice to vehicle owners in two towing-related situations: when a vehicle is towed or removed from a parking lot, and when a police department takes an abandoned vehicle into custody. In both cases, the bill authorizes notice to be sent through the Motor Vehicle Administration using the owner’s email address on file, but only under specified conditions. If the owner does not respond within seven days after the electronic notice is sent, the tower or police department must still send notice by certified mail and first-class mail. The bill also preserves existing options for electronic notice to insurers or secured parties when agreed to in writing or electronically.
The bill also directs the Motor Vehicle Administration to adopt regulations to implement electronic notification and to maintain a free database of insurer mailing addresses for towers. It updates the abandoned-vehicle notice provisions so that electronic notice failures or non-acknowledgment can trigger the fallback posting procedure in circuit court. The act takes effect October 1, 2025, and amends Transportation Article §§ 21-10A-04, 25-204, and 25-205.
Impact
HB191 changes Maryland’s towing and abandoned-vehicle notice procedures by adding an electronic-notice pathway while keeping paper notice as a backup. It affects towing businesses, police departments, vehicle owners, insurers, secured parties, and the Motor Vehicle Administration. The bill does not eliminate existing notice rights; instead, it creates an additional method of service and requires regulations and administrative systems to support it.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House 136-0 and the Senate 46-0, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, but the voting record suggests consensus that the measure is a practical administrative update rather than a substantive policy dispute.
Contention
No major points of contention are evident in the available record. The main policy issue is the shift to electronic notice, including reliance on email addresses already on file with the Motor Vehicle Administration and the requirement for a paper-mail fallback if the owner does not respond. The bill also preserves protections for owners by retaining certified-mail notice and by limiting when notice costs may be charged, which likely reduced opposition from consumer or vehicle-owner interests.