An unfamiliar car is sitting in the space assigned to you. Before requesting a tow, confirm the assignment, document the situation, and contact whoever controls the property. A tenant or customer shouldn’t assume they personally have authority to order the removal.
Confirm that the space is assigned to you
Start with the lease, parking agreement, permit record, or written property policy. Match the space number to the document. If your property uses hangtags, decals, or an app, confirm that your assignment is still active.
This matters in Houston complexes where several parking systems share one lot. A Gulfton apartment may have assigned spaces beside visitor parking. A Midtown building may separate resident parking from retail spaces. Spring Branch properties may use covered-space numbers that aren’t obvious from the driving lane.
Look closely at the pavement, curb, post, or covered-parking structure. Faded paint can make a 6 resemble an 8. Two buildings may also repeat similar numbering. Confirm the building or garage level before reporting the vehicle.
If the assignment came through a verbal conversation, ask management to confirm it in writing. The exact authority of a tenant, condominium resident, HOA member, or commercial customer to order a tow couldn’t be confirmed from the approved sources. Property documents and the person controlling the lot should settle that question.
Don’t move the unfamiliar car yourself. Don’t block it in or attach anything to it. Those actions won’t establish towing authority and may deepen the dispute.
A misplaced resident or visitor may correct the problem after management contacts them. If removal is needed, the property contact can determine whether its policy and authorization process permit it. That keeps the decision with the party responsible for the lot.
Document the vehicle and parking-space markings
Take clear photos before calling the property contact. Capture the whole vehicle, its position, the space marking, and nearby signs. Include enough background to show which building, row, or garage level is involved.
Record these details:
- The date and approximate time
- The vehicle’s make, model, and color
- The license plate, if visible
- Your assigned-space number or marking
- The parking permit displayed on the vehicle, if any
- Nearby tow signs and their placement
- Any obstruction of an access lane or neighboring space
Keep the photos factual. Don’t post the plate or accuse the driver online. Send the information to the manager, owner, security contact, HOA representative, or business responsible for the property.
The photos help distinguish an assigned-space problem from a vehicle occupying the wrong visitor space. They also preserve the condition of faded markings or damaged signs. In older East End lots, paint can be difficult to read after heat, rain, and regular traffic. A wide photo shows context that a close-up can miss.
If a note is appropriate under the property’s rules, keep it calm. State that the space is assigned and provide the property office’s contact method. Don’t threaten a tow that you may lack authority to request.
For recurring problems, save emails and incident reports with the photos. A clear record helps the property contact understand the pattern without relying on memory. It doesn’t decide whether a tow is lawful, but it gives the responsible party better information.
Contact the person who controls the property
The next call should usually go to the party responsible for the parking area. At an apartment, that may be property management. At a condominium, it may be the association or its manager. At a shopping center, it may be the tenant business, lot owner, or management office.
Tell them the assigned-space number, vehicle description, and when you noticed it. Ask three direct questions:
- Can you confirm this space is assigned to me?
- Who is authorized to request a removal here?
- Which towing operator and written policy apply to this property?
Don’t assume a leaseholder, resident, or customer can order an apartment parking tow in Houston. The approved claims don’t confirm that exact authority for every property arrangement. The manager or property controller should identify who may authorize action under the site’s current agreement.
Tow Pro Houston can explain private property towing and connect an authorized caller with a licensed, insured operator. We don’t control the lot, patrol it, or decide whether a vehicle may lawfully be removed. The customer contracts directly with the operator performing the work.
If the property contact authorizes dispatch, ask the operator to explain the next steps before the truck rolls. Confirm the vehicle, exact location, authorization source, and applicable parking signs. The operator sets and quotes any service price.
Houston geography can affect which property office or jurisdiction matters. A site in the City of Houston isn’t automatically handled like a property elsewhere in Harris County. Pasadena, for example, is a separate city. Confirm the property address and jurisdiction instead of treating the entire metro as one system.
If management can’t be reached, preserve your documentation and use another permitted space if one is offered. Don’t treat an unanswered call as permission to order a tow.
Check the current towing and sign rules
Texas private-property towing signs have specific requirements. The approved state rules say signs must be visible to drivers entering the property. They must appear at each driveway or curb cut. For an entrance wider than 35 feet, signs must appear every 25 feet.
Each sign must be weather-resistant and measure at least 18 inches wide by 24 inches tall. It must be permanently mounted between 5 and 8 feet above the ground. The sign must show the international towing symbol, who may park, the parking prohibition, enforcement days and times, and a 24-hour phone number with an area code.
Photograph the entrance signs as they appeared during the incident. A sign deep inside the lot isn’t the same as showing what an entering driver could see. Don’t decide by yourself that a missing or damaged sign makes a tow lawful or unlawful. Give the evidence to the property contact and licensed operator.
Texas requires tow operators to hold a TDLR license. The state recognizes Incident Management, Private Property, and Consent Tow licenses. You can review state guidance through the TDLR towing consumer information page.
The approved sources don’t confirm every notice or authorization rule for every apartment, condominium, HOA, or commercial arrangement. Check the current lease, parking addendum, posted rules, and towing agreement. Ask management which party has removal authority. The operator should also confirm that the requested work fits its license and the property’s authorization.
If your own vehicle is removed without consent, Texas law gives you the right to request a hearing on whether probable cause existed. A written request must be filed with a justice court in the county where the vehicle was removed. It must be filed before the 14th day after removal, excluding weekends and holidays. That clock starts only after the tower or storage facility provides the information needed to file.
Missing or noncompliant signs can be raised at that hearing. Save photos, the parking agreement, receipts, and any notice you received.
Find the vehicle if it has already been removed
Sometimes you return to the space after contacting management and find both cars gone. The vehicle’s owner may have moved it, or an authorized party may have arranged a tow. Don’t assume it went to one central Houston impound lot.
Houston has no single city-operated vehicle impound lot. Police and city tows go to a network of licensed private Vehicle Storage Facilities. For a City of Houston tow, search findmytowedcar.com using the license plate or VIN. The approved source says records are updated within about two hours of the tow.
A Harris County tow from an unincorporated area uses a different county lookup system. That distinction matters around Houston’s edges, where a mailing address may say Houston even though the property sits outside city limits. Confirm the jurisdiction from the property address.
If it’s your car that was removed, ask the property manager which operator handled the tow and where the vehicle was stored. Verify that the Vehicle Storage Facility is TDLR-licensed. Keep every receipt and document you receive.
Act promptly once you locate the vehicle. TDLR’s published storage rules allow daily storage charges to begin six hours after arrival. The approved rates effective January 1, 2024, are $22.85 per day for a vehicle 25 feet or shorter and $39.99 per day for a vehicle longer than 25 feet. A partial day may count as a day under the state rule.
If you believe the removal lacked probable cause, retrieving the vehicle doesn’t erase the hearing option. Note the removal date and obtain the filing information from the tower or storage facility. A justice court in the county of removal handles the request.
When to call us
Call after the property controller confirms you’re authorized to request licensed towing help. Tow Pro Houston dispatches and refers callers, while the operator confirms the work and sets the price. Call us at (346) 443-5499 and we’ll connect you with an operator who handles this work.