As a business owner, it is up to you to ensure the safety of your customers and your employees. That means not only keeping your property safe but also being attentive to illegally parked cars and enforcing your parking regulations. Here are some tips to help you be well prepared for protecting your lot and dealing with parking violations.

Establish A Towing Policy

The first thing you should do is to establish a towing policy that defines what types of violations warrant emergency towing and what timeframe you'll use to enforce them. Make sure that the policy is clearly written and every potential hazard is addressed. That way, there are no questions about what cars should be towed and your staff knows how to enforce them.

Some of the violations that you can tow for include:

• Abandoned Vehicles: If you define a time period during which cars can be parked in your lot, anything left over that time can be considered an abandoned vehicle. As long as you clearly mark your towing signs with this defined period, you can tow cars that are left afterward. Many businesses say that cars left longer than 24 hours will be towed.

• Fire Zones: Fire zones are designated emergency vehicle spaces directly in front of a building. They're designed to ensure that emergency responders have somewhere safe to park in the event of any kind of emergency situation on the property. You have the right to tow any car that illegally parks in the fire zone.

• Handicap Spaces: Cars that park in designated handicap spaces must have a handicap plate or tag. It is a violation of the law to park in one of these spaces without one or the other. You'll want to keep your handicap spaces available for those who need them, so towing violators is important.

• Loading Zones: Any area that's designated as a loading zone is also enforceable. Your loading zones are key areas for delivery trucks to park so that they aren't obstructing other parking areas. You can tow unauthorized vehicles parked in these clearly marked zones.

Find A Towing Company

There are many emergency towing companies that will contract with businesses to handle towing services like these. Talk with a few local companies and see what kind of service you can get. Most will tow at no cost to you, because they'll charge the vehicle owner to get their car back. Look for a company that provides services during your business hours and is willing to handle emergency callouts so that you're not waiting a long time for a car to be removed from the property.

 

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