1

Came out to the parking lot to have a green sticker on my car saying it will be towed tomorrow for expired plates.

My plates (on front and back) expire in 2020 and have the sticker on the plates.

I went to the apartment complex leasing office and they said it was their towing company, and apologized for the error.

However, is it legal in MO to tow off someone's car for expired plates? If they tow my car with non-expired plates do I have any recourse?

Edit: They never towed but I found another sticker this morning saying they will tow tomorrow for expired tags. This is the second sticker, 12 days after the first sticker. The front office came out and looked at the plates and the sticker this time and said they "do not know why it was stickered" and apologized again.

|improve this question
  • 1
    I don't think the state of Missouri itself has laws about it - that's more commonly a municipal law. But allowing cars to be towed for invalid plates is not all that uncommon. For example, Kansas City municipal code does allow cars without valid license plates to be towed on the spot without warning, although I don't know how/if that applies to private parking lots. -- However, you very obviously have recourse if someone tows your car for a reason that is not valid. "I towed your car because it had expired plates" when you can prove the plates were not expired would easily win in court. – animuson♦ Feb 16 '18 at 6:37
  • @animuson it is indeed in KC. Would I be able to sue the tow truck company for the lost time, emotional distress, and anything else if they do this non-valid reason tow? Quite honestly I felt violated. – hellyale Feb 16 '18 at 11:56
  • 1
    Note: They haven't towed yet, merely threatened it with a sticker. They said they were gonna tow it today. I want to do everything in my power to make sure they do not tow it first. I don't want to go to court. I just want them to leave me and my car alone. – hellyale Feb 16 '18 at 11:57
  • 2
    @hellyale: Take photos of the tags, write down the full details of your conversation with whoever "apologized for the error," including the date, time, their name, their employer if known, and whether or not they specifically told you the car would not be towed. If you do end up in court, you will need all of that information to prove the towing company should have known not to tow your car. – Kevin Feb 17 '18 at 4:23

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.