How to dispute a tow in Gentilly
Think a tow or boot in Gentilly was wrong? Louisiana law gives you a real way to push back, even before you pay.
What Louisiana law says
Louisiana gives you a real way to push back on a tow or a boot, and you don't have to pay first to do it. Every towing invoice has to be itemized and has to list the Louisiana Public Service Commission's own complaint address, P.O. Box 91154, Baton Rouge, LA 70821, or lpsc.louisiana.gov. You're entitled to a copy of that invoice without paying, and you don't have to pay the bill first to have standing to file a complaint. Filing a written complaint with the LPSC, or with a district commissioner's office, stops storage fees from accruing as of the date you filed, if the charges are later found excessive. If it's a boot instead of a tow, La. R.S. 32:1741 gives you 10 days to request an administrative hearing contesting its validity or the fee, and the booting company can't charge a removal fee at all if its staff don't arrive within 90 minutes of your call. An operator that overcharges you can be made to pay back the excess fee plus your attorney's fees and court costs, and the Commission itself can order a refund of up to 200% of any overcharge. Repeated violations put a company's towing license at risk. Quick Tow New Orleans is a private tow company, not the Public Service Commission or the city. We can't resolve someone else's dispute or waive fees, but we can help with transport once it's sorted out.
How it works in Gentilly
- 1 Decide if the tow or boot was actually wrong
Check whether the signage, the itemized invoice, and the fee match Louisiana's capped rate, or, for a boot, whether there's photographic proof of the violation.
- 2 Gather your evidence
Photos of signage, or its absence, your itemized invoice, and timing records all matter. Do this before the lot or signage changes.
- 3 File a written complaint with the LPSC
Reach them at P.O. Box 91154, Baton Rouge, LA 70821, or through lpsc.louisiana.gov. Filing in writing stops storage fees from accruing as of that date if the charges are later found excessive.
- 4 Know you don't have to pay first
Louisiana law doesn't require you to pay the invoice before you have standing to complain, and you can get a copy of the invoice without paying.
- 5 For a boot specifically
You can request an administrative hearing within 10 days to contest its validity or the fee, and no removal fee applies at all if staff don't show up within 90 minutes of your call.
- 6 Follow up
The LPSC can order a refund of up to 200% of any overcharge, and an operator that breaks the rules risks losing its towing license.
What this looks like around Gentilly
Disputed tows in {c} can follow a stop anywhere from Gentilly to New Orleans East. The same statewide LPSC complaint process applies no matter which part of the city ordered the tow.
Three university campuses packed into one neighborhood, University of New Orleans, Southern University at New Orleans, and Dillard, mean a steady stream of student lockouts, expired-tag citations, and campus-lot tows here. Layer that on a flood-scarred street grid where the London Ave Canal breach is still the local reference point for how bad a flood can get, and Gentilly stays busy. A Gentilly tow, whether a campus-adjacent lockout gone bad or a routine private-lot pull, follows the City of New Orleans' fee schedule, $228.75 minimum for Light Duty. Gentilly Blvd (US-90), Franklin Ave, Elysian Fields Ave, and Paris Rd (I-510) carry most traffic through, past the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and the FBI's local field office. The London Ave Canal floodwall breach during Katrina devastated the area, and by a 2007 estimate it had recovered less than half its pre-storm population and business base. Release is at the Claiborne Avenue Auto Pound, open 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily; call (504) 658-8100 to confirm a city tow. Gentilly is described locally as broad, racially diverse, and lower-middle-income.
Common Gentilly questions
Can I get my car back without paying if I think the tow was wrong in Gentilly?
You don't have to pay the invoice first to have standing to file a complaint with the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and you can request a copy of the invoice without paying.
Who do I contact to dispute a tow in Gentilly?
File a written complaint with the Louisiana Public Service Commission at P.O. Box 91154, Baton Rouge, LA 70821, or through lpsc.louisiana.gov. Filing in writing also stops storage fees from accruing as of that date.
How do I dispute a boot instead of a tow in Gentilly?
You can request an administrative hearing within 10 days to contest the boot, and no removal fee applies at all if boot-removal staff don't arrive within 90 minutes of your call.
Can Quick Tow New Orleans settle my tow dispute in Gentilly?
No, we're a private tow company, not the Public Service Commission or the city. We can't resolve a dispute or waive fees, but we can help with transport once it's resolved.
Related help for Gentilly
Disputing a tow in the rest of the Lakefront & East area
Need your car towed once it's released in Gentilly?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can tow it home the moment it clears.