Colorado lawmakers continue to add protections for vehicle owners who have their cars towed.
HB24-1051, signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday, prohibits towers from patrolling private lots, looking for infractions. The law also forbids property owners from using third-party companies to authorize their tows — a direct shot at Wyatts Towing, the state's largest towing operator.
In fact, much of the bill — and previous legislation — is directed at Wyatts, which conducts a commanding share of the state's towing business. Lawmakers, consumer advocates and the Colorado attorney general have all accused the towing giant of skirting state statute as it built its vertically integrated conglomerate.
The Denver Post in March reported that Wyatts, in at least one case, set up an email address for an apartment company that it could access to authorize its own tows — an act that goes against state law.
The legislation signed Thursday would make that practice illegal and mandate property owners, or their employees, to authorize tows. Pre-authorization or automated emails would not be allowed.
The law, though, does not go as far as bill sponsors and advocates initially hoped.
Original language would have forced property owners to pay for tows, as opposed to vehicle owners — a radical shift in the way towing currently operates. The state's towing association — but not Wyatts — supported this change, arguing it would cut down on 90% of nonconsensual tows from private property.
But amid intense lobbying from the Colorado Apartment Association, lawmakers cut that section. Vehicle owners will continue to pay for their own tows under the amended bill.
Despite these subtractions, advocates hailed the patrolling and authorization changes as significant wins for consumers.
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