Required invoice fields include date and time of service, operator name, law-enforcement agency where applicable, and itemized fees. Nonconsensual invoices must carry the LPSC complaint address. City storage and boot remain unstated here. See city yard and daily impound storage.
Start by identifying who ordered the tow
First, determine whether law enforcement, a property owner, or you requested the tow. That answer controls which rules and rates may apply.
A non-consensual tow isn’t limited to a vehicle removed without its driver nearby. Under Louisiana’s current rate order, a tow may remain non-consensual when the driver asks a police officer to arrange it. Those jobs fall under the Louisiana Public Service Commission’s prescribed maximum rates.
A private-property tow begins differently. It may involve an apartment complex, business, hospital, or another qualifying parking area. Louisiana law requires law-enforcement authorization or proper tagging unless another permitted process applies. Posted parking areas can also trigger removal under specific conditions. Read more about Louisiana private-property towing rights before comparing that invoice.
Look for the operator’s name and any law-enforcement agency listed. For a private-property tow, the invoice must include the service date and time, operator name, applicable requesting agency, and itemized fees. The receipt may also identify the removal location.
Location matters across the metro. A City-ordered removal in Orleans Parish isn’t handled like a private tow from an apartment lot in Metairie. Jefferson Parish also uses a separate parish process for impound matters. If you still don’t know where the vehicle went, follow these steps to find a towed car in New Orleans.
Quick Tow didn’t order the impound and can’t alter its bill. Our role is connecting drivers with independent local operators when they need a separate towing service.
Separate towing, storage and retrieval entries
Don’t judge an impound bill by its total alone. Separate each entry into towing, recovery, transit, storage, gate access, property retrieval, and payment-related charges.
For a non-consensual tow, the invoice must itemize recovery, standby, towing, storage, fuel surcharge, and additional charges. It must also show dispatch and unhook times. Ask which entries apply when the wording is shortened or unclear.
Storage is normally listed by calendar day under the LPSC schedule. The current statewide maximums for non-consensual storage are $34 outside, $40.50 covered, and $61.50 oversize per calendar day. A power unit and trailer count as separate vehicles. These figures apply to the LPSC schedule effective April 1, 2026. They aren’t Quick Tow prices.
A gate fee covers releasing a vehicle outside the legally defined normal business hours. The current maximum is $64.50. For this purpose, normal business hours are 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. That definition doesn’t necessarily describe the yard’s public opening hours.
Personal-property retrieval is another distinct entry. Louisiana’s current rule allows no retrieval fee during normal business hours. Outside those hours, the fee can’t exceed $64.50. The law doesn’t create a broader guaranteed access right or a one-hour release deadline. Our guide explains retrieving belongings from a towed car without overstating that protection.
Keep any card-processing charge separate too. Tow companies must accept credit cards, and a passed-through processing fee must appear as its own line item.
Check every line against the approved facts
Compare non-consensual charges with the current LPSC rate schedule. Don’t compare one hourly figure without checking the vehicle class, minimum time, and billing increments.
Louisiana divides vehicles into light, medium, and heavy duty classes by gross vehicle weight rating. Light duty covers 10,000 pounds or less. Medium duty covers 10,001 through 26,000 pounds. Heavy duty begins at 26,001 pounds. The applicable class should match the vehicle involved.
The current non-consensual light-duty towing maximum is $152.50 per hour with a one-and-a-half-hour minimum. Medium duty is $335 per hour with a one-hour minimum. Heavy duty is $430.50 per hour with a one-hour minimum. Time after the minimum is calculated in half-hour increments. These are maximum regulated rates, not guaranteed totals.
Recovery, transit, storage, and permitted additions can appear separately. A fuel surcharge may apply only to towing, recovery, transit time, and an allowed extra truck or trailer charge. It can’t be applied to storage or other fees.
Complicated recovery entries deserve supporting detail. Charges for certain extra equipment, subcontracted services, or oversized debris removal require documentation. Louisiana’s schedule also bars separate charges for ordinary equipment required on the tow truck. That includes common items such as chains, hooks, cables, brooms, and warning devices.
City impound bills require special care. The approved research contains conflicting City of New Orleans storage figures, so a current City storage rate can’t be confirmed here. Don’t substitute the statewide outside-storage maximum or an older City figure. Check the City’s vehicle-release page and confirm the current amount with the City before paying or disputing it.
Ask the yard to explain unclear charges
Ask for a complete copy of the itemized invoice, even if you haven’t paid. Louisiana’s LPSC rules say payment isn’t required before receiving an invoice copy.
Work through the document one line at a time. Ask the yard to identify:
- Which party ordered the tow
- Whether it was classified as non-consensual
- The vehicle’s duty class
- The dispatch and unhook times
- The dates included in storage
- The reason for each recovery or equipment charge
- Any documentation supporting additional labor or equipment
- The basis for a gate or property-retrieval fee
- Any separate card-processing fee
These questions don’t accuse anyone of misconduct. They create a clear record and help distinguish a billing mistake from an unfamiliar label.
Save the original receipt, payment record, mailed notices, and photographs of the vehicle. Keep screenshots of any posted parking signs when the car came from private property. The operator’s invoice and the property owner’s towing arrangement may matter when authorities review a complaint.
If the tow came from a posted lot, compare the removal circumstances with Louisiana’s rules for private-property towing. Required signs under a towing contract must identify the towing company and display its address and phone number in lettering at least two inches high. Marked spaces or restricted parking areas must also be clearly identified where applicable.
Don’t assume an unexplained line is automatically unlawful. Ask what it represents and which schedule or authority supports it. If the yard can’t explain the charge, request that response in writing.
Where to verify a rule before disputing the bill
Use the authority that controls the tow. The Louisiana Towing and Storage Act provides the statewide framework. The LPSC sets maximum rates and related billing protections for non-consensual towing.
An LPSC-regulated invoice must include the Commission’s complaint address. A driver doesn’t have to pay the invoice first to have standing to complain. If the Commission finds an overcharge, it may order a refund of up to 200 percent of that overcharge.
A written complaint submitted to the LPSC or a district commissioner’s office can also affect later storage charges. If the charges are found excessive, storage fees stop accruing as of the complaint date. Keep proof showing when the complaint was delivered.
Public-agency tows carry a separate hearing right. An owner whose vehicle is stored by a public agency may request a hearing on whether the tow and storage were proper. The request must reach the agency that ordered the tow within ten days after the required owner notice was mailed. It must be sent by certified mail with return receipt requested. The agency must hold the hearing within three business days after receiving the request.
That hearing rule doesn’t apply automatically to every impound. It concerns public-agency storage. Louisiana’s separate boot-hearing procedure shouldn’t be mixed into a towing dispute.
For a City of New Orleans tow, follow the City’s current instructions. For an unincorporated Jefferson Parish matter, contact the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. When a specific local rate or procedure can’t be confirmed, ask the issuing authority and yard for the current written rule. Don’t rely on an old receipt, an online forum, or another state’s towing law.
When to call us
Call when your released vehicle needs transport from an impound yard to a home or repair shop. The line takes calls 24/7, and Quick Tow matches drivers with independent local operators. Call (504) 474-5530. We match you with a licensed local operator who quotes before the truck rolls.