Pennsylvania Private Parking Enforcement Laws: Towing, Philadelphia Booting, and Citations

In Pennsylvania, 75 Pa.C.S. §3353 lets a property owner remove an unauthorized vehicle from a posted private lot at the vehicle owner’s expense, and PennDOT’s posting rule decides whether the lot counts as posted. The statute caps storage at $25 a day unless the municipality sets its own rates. Philadelphia’s code layers on the strictest private towing rules in the state: a police ticket before any tow, photos, a signed owner certification, a 36 by 36 inch sign, and a $175 tow cap. We found no state statute on private parking citations or private booting. Those topics turn on contract law and local ordinances.

Summary

Statewide, Pennsylvania regulates two things: when an unattended car on private property is a violation, and how a private lot has to be signed before anyone tows or prosecutes. Everything else, from tow licensing to fee caps, is mostly left to cities. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh both use that power.

Private parking citations and invoices

Section 3353(b)(1) says no one may park or leave a vehicle unattended on private property without the consent of the owner or the person in control, except in an emergency. Subsection (b)(2) limits that rule on private parking lots: it applies only when the lot is posted to notify the public of its restrictions and the driver breaks a posted restriction. Under subsection (e), a violation is a summary offense with a fine of not more than $50.

That fine is a public penalty handled through the courts, not money owed to the lot operator. We found nothing in the Vehicle Code that lets a private company write a summary citation or set and keep a fine. Private operators instead issue notices that bill the driver for breaking the posted terms, the contract theory we explain in can private companies issue parking tickets. When a notice goes unpaid, operators typically turn to reminders, collections, a ban from the property, or a civil claim in a magisterial district court.

Because the claim is a contract claim, the posted sign supplies the terms. A notice that matches the sign, carries a photo and a timestamp, and states the posted charge for a posted rule is easier to compare against the sign than one that imitates a city ticket.

What signs must say

PennDOT set the posting standard in 67 Pa. Code §212.115, and it applies to every private lot in the state. Its final line is central to everything else: no prosecution of a driver and no towing from a private lot unless the restrictions are posted the way the rule describes. The rule says:

• Signs go at each entrance, facing traffic entering the lot. A lot with no defined entrance needs signs an ordinarily observant driver would see.
• The sign must state a primary restriction, such as private parking, permit parking only, or parking for patrons of a named business.
• Secondary messages can cover hours, days, charges, and a warning that unauthorized vehicles may be towed.
• The name and phone number of the owner or person in control should appear on the sign.
• The primary restriction needs letters at least 3 inches tall, plus 1 inch for every 25 feet beyond 75 feet from the entrance. Secondary text needs letters at least 2 inches tall.
• Signs that apply at night must be reflective, lit, or placed where entering headlights hit them.
• Reserved stall signs must be at least 12 by 12 inches with 2 inch letters.

The rule lists charges among the secondary messages, and operators that issue notices often post the charge and the payment method so the notice matches what the sign told the driver. Our guide to parking lot signage for enforcement covers wording and placement in more detail.

Towing from private property

Section 3353(c) lets the owner or person in charge of the property remove a vehicle parked in violation of subsection (b), or have it removed, at the reasonable expense of the vehicle’s owner. Whoever removes it gets a lien against the vehicle owner for the reasonable cost of removal plus storage. The section lets cities, boroughs, incorporated towns, and townships set removal rates and regulate towing services by ordinance.

Philadelphia has the most detailed rules, in Philadelphia Code §9-605(11). The City’s published summary of the towing code lists them. Only towing companies licensed by the City may tow from a private lot or driveway, and only with the owner’s prior written permission on file. No vehicle may be hooked or towed unless police or another law enforcement authority has first ticketed it at that spot for parking on private property without consent or for blocking a driveway. There is a narrow exception for hospitals, and a licensed lot may move a car within the lot before ticketing.

According to the summary, before the tow the tow company must also:

• Photograph the plate, the violation, and the posted tow sign, give the owner a free printed copy at pickup, and keep the photos at least 60 days.
• Get the property owner’s or agent’s signature on a certification listing the plate, the violation, and the date and time. Where a standing agreement makes that impractical, a signed letter from the owner must ride in each truck.

Pittsburgh takes a different route. The City of Pittsburgh requires the owner or operator of a non-residential parking lot to hold an annual limited towing license before removing vehicles, under Chapter 763, Section 12 of the City Code. Inspections check that the lot meets PennDOT signage rules and that the tow company’s name and contact information are prominently displayed. The City requires applicants to carry general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate naming the City.

Booting

We found no Pennsylvania statute that authorizes, licenses, or bans booting on private property. Section 3353(c) speaks to removal, not immobilization, so there is no statewide rulebook for boot programs. That leaves municipal codes as the main source of rules, and the details as a question for local counsel.

Philadelphia is the place to watch. In March 2026, NBC10 reported that City Council was considering a bill to ban windshield barnacles on cars in private lots unless law enforcement had already ticketed the vehicle, with fines of up to $1,000. The same report said Council first looked at barnacles in December 2023 after complaints about price gouging. As of October 2026 we could not confirm that the bill passed. For how boots and tows compare as tools, see booting vs. towing.

Fees, caps, and driver remedies

Statewide, the only fixed number is storage: if the municipality has not set storage charges, §3353(c) caps them at $25 per day. The statute limits towing itself to a reasonable expense, and drivers can raise reasonableness in court.

Philadelphia’s code sets hard caps for private property tows: $175 for the tow and $25 per 24 hours of storage for vehicles under 11,000 pounds, $250 and $40 for 11,000 to 17,000 pounds, and $360 and $75 above that. Partial days are prorated. The code bars the tow company, the property owner, and anyone else from charging the driver any other fee for the tow or storage, and bars the tow company from holding the car over a disputed excess charge. It requires tow signs to say that payment can be made by cash, credit card, or debit card.

The code also sets penalties. Under the City’s summary, towing in violation of the ticket, photo, or certification rules costs the tow company $1,000 per offense, plus release of the car without charge and payment for any damage, with license suspensions for repeat offenses. Section 9-605(17) also gives a driver who was overcharged or towed without authority a private right of action for actual damages, $2,000 in exemplary damages, and attorney’s fees. The code delegates enforcement of §9-605 to the Philadelphia Parking Authority under an agreement with the City.

Local ordinances to check

Section 3353(c) invites municipalities to regulate towing, so local codes vary. Ordinances that address these topics include:

• Philadelphia Code §9-605 for tow licensing, sign registration, the ticket-before-tow rule, and fee caps. The City’s summary is dated September 20, 2018, so the current text may differ.
• Philadelphia’s pending barnacle legislation, which would affect immobilization on private lots in the city.
• Pittsburgh City Code Chapter 763, Section 12, and the City’s rules for limited towing licenses.
• Borough and township codes, for towing rates, storage limits, and any licensing of tow operators or parking enforcement companies.

Questions to raise with your attorney

Pennsylvania splits these rules between the state and its municipalities, so these are questions an operator may want to bring to an attorney licensed in Pennsylvania:

• Does our signage meet 67 Pa. Code §212.115’s placement, wording, letter-height, and night visibility rules at every entrance?
• Do our signs post restrictions in the way §3353(b)(2) describes, and do they state the terms our notices rely on?
• How are our notices worded and priced so they read as invoices under the posted terms rather than as government citations?
• What counts as a reasonable expense for towing under §3353(c), and has our municipality set its own removal or storage rates?
• In Philadelphia, how do §9-605’s ticket-before-tow, photo, and owner certification steps apply to our lots, and who signs the certifications?
• In Pittsburgh, do our non-residential lots need a limited towing license under Chapter 763, Section 12?
• Does our municipality address immobilization, and what is the current status of Philadelphia’s barnacle bill?

Lotably’s enforcement tools check permits and paid sessions before a citation, attach photo evidence, and let drivers pay or contest online. Booting and towing records start switched off in Lotably and are turned on when the operator asks. Lotably does not check whether booting or towing is allowed where an operator enforces; the operator is responsible for following the law and assumes all risk of using them. For other states and provinces, use the hub on private parking enforcement laws by state.