Uncited cars can be towed, but street signs must be clear

By June Watanabe

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 30, 2012

~~Question: Who has the legal right to authorize a car to be towed from a city street marked with a tow-away sign? How large should the sign be? Sec. 15-13.9 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu authorizes police or employees of the Department of Customer Services to tow cars from tow zones.
Can a tow company tow a car without that authorization? When my friend picked up her towed car, the company said there wasn’t any citation. The car was towed from the street with a small tow-away sign that few people see or (many) apparently ignore. The car was found by calling the police, who gave the tow company’s address. The company was not Leeward Auto Wreckers, which has the city’s towing contract.
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Question: Who has the legal right to authorize a car to be towed from a city street marked with a tow-away sign? How large should the sign be? Sec. 15-13.9 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu authorizes police or employees of the Department of Customer Services to tow cars from tow zones.

Can a tow company tow a car without that authorization? When my friend picked up her towed car, the company said there wasn’t any citation. The car was towed from the street with a small tow-away sign that few people see or (many) apparently ignore. The car was found by calling the police, who gave the tow company’s address. The company was not Leeward Auto Wreckers, which has the city’s towing contract. Login for more...