HUNTINGTON BEACH : Council Approves Hike in Towing Fees

The cost of retrieving an illegally parked car after it has been towed away is going up, the second price hike in less than three years.

The City Council this week allowed the company that tows cars for the city to increase its prices, effective by the end of this month. The regular charge for releasing a car towed from city streets or alleys will jump from $60 to $70.

Mandic Motors, which tows cars for the police, requested the increases, saying that operating costs have continued to climb in recent years.

The firm’s tow fees were last hiked in April, 1988. The latest increases come sooner than police officials had expected, Police Chief Ronald E. Lowenberg said. Typically, towing charges go up every four or five years, he said.

However, Lowenberg said, he believes Mandic’s new price hikes are justified. The city’s traffic advisory bureau conducted a survey of towing companies countywide and concluded that Mandic’s new fees are reasonable.

Although the Police Department regulates towing fees, the city receives no revenue from them. All of the costs are collected and kept by Mandic, Lowenberg said.

Among other price hikes, the charge for storing a towed vehicle indoors overnight will rise from $15 to $20 per night. Housing a vehicle outside will increase from $10 to $15 a night.

Storage of recreational vehicles, which used to cost the same as storage of cars, will now cost $20 a night for outdoor parking.

The charge for towing flatbed and two-ton trucks will climb from $75 to $85, and the cost of bailing out a towed 2 1/2-ton truck will go up from $90 to $125.

Mandic’s $30 extra charge for after-hours towing and $25 minimum charge will not be affected by the new increases.