On December 16, 2024, Oakville town Council passed By-law 2024-187 which regulated the towing of vehicles from land without having the consent of the owner of the vehicle.
Bylaw 2024-187 came into effect on February 28, 2025.
This bylaw applies to private properties that include commercial and residential parking lots, and municipal property.
Oakville News first reported on this new bylaw in December 2024, with the goal being to regulate how and when vehicles can be towed from private and municipal property, cracking down on what has been described as "predatory towing."
Read more here: ‘Predatory towing has to stop’: Oakville councillors approve new bylaw despite objections from some business owners
The new rules require:
- Illegally parked cars to receive a $50 ticket issued by either a town parking officer or a person designated by the town to police a property on behalf of the owner.
- Property owners must then seek approval to tow from a town authority and wait at least 30 minutes after ticketing before towing
- Halton police must be informed of the tow prior to it occurring.
- Tow and storage fees must not exceed an established fee schedule communicated to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and posted online. Vehicle owners must be permitted to pay in a variety of usual ways.
- A hooking fee – charged when a tow truck has started to hook up a vehicle but has not yet left the lot with it – may not exceed $150.
- Immediate tows are permitted in exceptional circumstances, including for vehicles blocking laneways, loading docks or driveways, or parked in fire routes or construction zones.
- Rules apply to both private and municipal parking lots and land.
Towing or impounding a vehicle from a private or municipal property in the town of Oakville without the vehicle consent of the owner may only be done in accordance with this by-law and if authorized by:
- a mobile Compliance Officer (MCO) that is employed by the town of Oakville;
- a municipal Law Enforcement Officer (MLEO) who is appointed by the town of Oakville,
- the Director of Municipal Enforcement Services (or designate), or;
- a police officer
The problem has been particularly acute in the Bronte area, with spotters sending tow trucks to hook up improperly parked cars within minutes of people leaving the Centriller Square lot, even during evening hours when nearby businesses are closed.
Learn more about parking enforcement, visit the town website here.