Car towed from private property in Midlothian
Your car got towed from a lot or apartment complex in Midlothian. Virginia law caps what that can cost and how it has to be done.
What Virginia law says
Virginia Code § 46.2-1231 sets the baseline rules for towing a car off private property without your consent. The property has to post signage at every entrance disclosing its towing policy, including the non-emergency phone number of the local law-enforcement agency, and the towing business has to prominently display its complete fee list at both its main office and the vehicle-recovery site, it can't collect a dime over what's posted. The operator also has to notify state or local police immediately when removing a vehicle; skipping that step is a traffic infraction with a fine up to $100 and caps the storage charge at just one day. Statewide, § 46.2-1233.1 sets the ceiling: a $210 maximum hookup fee for a passenger vehicle, an after-hours or weekend surcharge of up to $30 (capped at two such fees per vehicle, for tows between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. or on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday), and no storage charge at all for the first 24 hours. Localities can set their own, usually lower, caps under § 46.2-1233, which is exactly what Richmond has done twice, in 2021 and again in a 2025 ordinance that pushed the city's own local hookup cap higher, toward but still under the statewide ceiling; ask the yard for the current exact number rather than assuming one. As an alternative to a full tow, a property owner can instead immobilize a car with a non-damaging device, and that removal charge is capped at $25 statewide. If you pay by cash, an insurance company check, a certified check, a money order, or a credit card, the operator can't refuse the payment or hold the car, doing so suspends any further storage charge. One accuracy note worth knowing: Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield all sit in Planning District 15, not Planning District 8 or 16, so the heightened Northern Virginia rules some sites describe, including a penalty of 10 times the amount charged for an unlawful tow, don't automatically apply here. Quick Tow Richmond is a private tow company, not the lot holding your car. We can't waive fees the state caps or the lot sets.
How it works in Midlothian
- 1 Confirm it was a private-property tow
Private-property tows happen at apartment complexes, shopping centers, and other lots, not on a public street. That's a different process than a police-ordered tow.
- 2 Check for required signage
Virginia law requires the property to post signage at its entrances naming its towing policy and the non-emergency phone number of local law enforcement.
- 3 Get the posted fee list
The towing business has to display its complete fee schedule at its main office and at the recovery site, and can't charge more than what's posted.
- 4 Know the statewide cap
Virginia caps the hookup fee at $210 and the after-hours or weekend surcharge at $30, capped at two such fees per vehicle. Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield can set their own local caps, often lower.
- 5 Watch for the immobilization alternative
If the property used a boot or immobilization device instead of towing, the removal charge is capped at $25 statewide.
- 6 Retrieve your vehicle
Pay by cash, insurance check, certified check, money order, or credit card, the operator can't refuse a valid payment or keep charging storage once you try. Quick Tow Richmond can't waive private-property tow fees since we're not the lot.
What this looks like around Midlothian
Private-property tows in {c} often happen at retail lots along the Midlothian Turnpike corridor or apartment complexes near the Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center campus. Virginia's statewide signage and fee-cap rules apply here the same as in Richmond or Henrico.
Midlothian sits at the western gateway of the whole Midlothian Turnpike corridor, the same road that becomes the Southside corridor once it crosses into the city, so it shares that corridor's heavy commuter volume even though it feels like a different world out here. SR-288 and the Powhite Parkway both run through Midlothian, and Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center generates its own steady stream of visitor and staff parking-violation tows on top of the ordinary commuter traffic. The Watermill retail corridor pulls its own daily shopping traffic, and Mid-Lothian Mines Park marks the site of the first commercially mined coal in the country, a genuine 1709 landmark most drivers here pass without knowing it's there. Winter is the real hazard season on SR-288 specifically. The rolling Piedmont terrain means the overpasses ice up fast in a winter storm, faster than the flatter ground closer to the city. We reach St. Francis Medical Center, the Watermill corridor, and the SR-288/Powhite Parkway interchange in about 20 to 30 minutes, running wheel-lift for most calls and flatbed for the hospital-adjacent and highway-speed work.
Common Midlothian questions
Is it legal to tow my car from a parking lot in Midlothian?
Yes, if the property posted signage naming its towing policy and the non-emergency phone number of local law enforcement, per Va. Code § 46.2-1231. Without that signage, the tow may not hold up if you dispute it.
How much can a private-property tow cost in Midlothian?
Virginia's statewide cap is $210 for the hookup fee, plus up to a $30 after-hours or weekend surcharge, capped at two such fees per vehicle. Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield can and do set their own, often lower, local caps.
What if my car was booted instead of towed in Midlothian?
Virginia allows a non-damaging immobilization device as an alternative to towing, and caps that removal charge at $25 statewide.
Does Quick Tow Richmond do private-property tows in Midlothian?
Yes, we tow for property owners and managers with a signed agreement on file. If your own car got towed, we can also help with transport once it's released.
Related help for Midlothian
Private-property tows in the rest of the Chesterfield area
Need your car towed once it's released in Midlothian?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can tow it home the moment it clears.