FILE: Portland City Hall pictured in a 2024 file photo.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Portland’s contradictory towing rules have stuck drivers with vastly different bills.
A report released Wednesday by the City Ombudsman Office shows that the Portland Police Bureau’s reliance on private towing companies “can expose vehicle owners to widely disparate charges.”
The city’s transportation bureau contracts with about six towing companies, which are called for so-called “hazard tows”, when the city needs to remove vehicles blocking streets, sidewalks, or other public routes. Those companies all agree to charge the same city-approved rates.
But, per the ombudsman report, PPB found a loophole. When officers encounter a vehicle that needs towing, either due to a collision or mechanical issue, they’re permitted under PPB policy to order what’s called a “private tow” from a company outside of the city’s price-setting agreement. This can often elicit a faster response. Officers rely on this type of tow for about one-third of all towing requests.
This policy, however, has allowed one company to charge disproportionately high rates. In the first three months of 2025, Portland-based Elite Towing stuck 91 people retrieving their towed cars with a median bill of $1,893 – five times higher than the median amount its competitors charged, under the city’s pricing agreement, during the same period.
A car owner brought this issue to the city’s attention earlier this year, after getting in a car crash and receiving a $1,700 bill from Elite. “I was stunned and outraged,” the unnamed person told the ombudsman office.
According to PPB, bypassing the city’s official hazard towing process requires less paperwork for vehicle owners – and can prevent some from losing their car altogether. When requesting a tow through the city process, a car owner is required to provide documentation that shows they own the vehicle, along with proof of insurance. Per the report, lower-income drivers don’t always have this paperwork. Without it, their car would be confiscated. Through this process, officers are also required to issue a citation to the motorist.
“The police said they want to avoid a punitive citation when the motorist did nothing wrong,” the ombudsman’s report reads.
These requirements and penalties aren’t necessary when PPB requests a private tow.
The Ombudsman’s Office suggests a fix that will address both PPB’s concerns and those of over-charged car owners: impose the same rates for all tow companies, like Elite. That will allow PPB to continue to order a tow without needing to collect paperwork or issue a citation – but keep prices capped.
Portland Bureau of Transportation would be responsible for making this change.
In a response to the report, Erika Nebel, who oversees PBOT’s Parking & Regulatory Operations Division, acknowledged the fee inequity issue. Nebel wrote that PBOT doesn’t currently regulate private tows initiated by police. But she didn’t commit to changing course.
Instead, she wrote: “Consumers would be better served by having information on how to contact multiple towing companies, so they can compare prices and availability to meet their budget and needs.”
In other words, PBOT suggests that motorists who get in a collision or have engine trouble should shop around to find a towing rate they can afford instead of changing the city’s rules to regulate towing costs.
This is just the latest report on city towing practices released by the Ombudsman’s Office. In October, the office accused affordable housing provider Hacienda CDC of using “predatory” towing practices at city-funded apartment complexes that disproportionately hurt low-income people of color – the very population that the housing was built to support.
Deputy Ombudsman Tony Green said his office isn’t finished looking at city towing rules.
“This memo is just one in a series,” Green said. “We keep getting more information about towing that we need to look into. This is ongoing work.”
