SAN FRANCISCO—The city of San Francisco will be amending their current towing policy for stolen vehicle recovery in an effort to assist victims who have lost their cars and are faced with hefty fines for having their cars impounded.
The city’s municipal transportation authority announced on Thursday, November 19, that starting on Tuesday, December 1, victims who have had their cars stolen and impounded will pay lower fees to recover their vehicles. “This new policy will waive all fees for San Francisco residents, and allow for a 48-hour grace period before the contractor’s storage fees begin to accrue.”
Under San Francisco’s current policy, city residents are fined up to $294 in towing and storage fees if the stolen vehicle is not recovered within a four-hour grace period. Non-residents of San Francisco face charges as much as $563 under the city’s current policy if the vehicle has not been recovered within the four-hour grace period.
According to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA), the new policy will also require towing companies to include a longer grace period for stolen vehicles to be recovered before accruing storage fees.
The SFMTA specified that this grace period will be 48 hours for San Francisco residents only. Non-San Francisco residents will receive a 24-hour grace period before storage fees are accrued, and fees will be waived by the city, except for the “Administrative Towing fee,” which will be reduced by 50 percent of its normal price.
According to the SFMTA, “a police report must be filed with and verified by the San Francisco Police Department prior to recovery of the stolen vehicle in order to qualify for the waiver.”
A chart of the old and new policy’s comparison is displayed on the SFMTA’s website, depicting potential fees that skyrocket up to the $560-range with the city’s old towing policy.
For more information, visit https://www.sfmta.com/services/permits-citations/booting-towing.
