Tow Policy

Vehicles parked on campus may be towed and impounded at the owner’s expense if:

  • The vehicle has $200 or more in parking citations. 
  • The vehicle must be moved immediately because it is blocking access to, prevents use of or inhibits operation of a facility, structure or activity; or it is causing damage, or represents a safety hazard.
  • The vehicle is abandoned.

Tow List Notification

Parking and Transportation provides advance towing notice via email. University email accounts are used for students and employees while public or non-University customer parking account emails are used for communication. In order to receive tow list notifications, public or non-University customers are encouraged to maintain accurate email addresses with the department.  Contact our office to add or update an email address on a public account.

Parking and Transportation provides advance notice for towing as follows:

  1. After the accumulation of $100 in parking citations on one vehicle, a tow warning email will be sent to the registered vehicle owner or permit-holder.  This email provides notice that the vehicle is approaching Tow List status.

  1. After the accumulation of $200 or more in parking citations on one vehicle, a tow warning notice email will be sent to the registered vehicle owner or permit-holder. This email provides notice that the vehicle will be placed on the University Tow List in ten (10) days if the ticket balance remains at or over the $200 threshold. 

  1. After the 10th day of a $200 or more balance in parking citations on one vehicle, a tow notice email will be sent to the registered vehicle owner or permit-holder.  This email provides notice that the vehicle is now on the University Tow List.

Tow List

Being on the University Tow List means that a vehicle could be impounded at the owner’s expense when found in a parking violation and while the parking citation balance meets or exceeds the $200 tow limit threshold for same vehicle. Any vehicle towed on campus is issued a tow fee in addition to the applicable parking violation(s). Vehicles remain on the University Tow List until the parking citation balance is paid in full or reduced below the established $200 tow limit threshold.   

Removal from Tow List

Vehicles remain on the University Tow List until the parking citation balance is paid in full or reduced below the established $200 tow limit threshold.   

Paying Citation Balance

Customers can check the Parking Portal for their most up to date parking (towable) account balance. In order to immediately remove a vehicle from the Tow List, payments should be made through the Parking Portal directly.

Unpaid parking citations are sent to the University Billing office after ten days, and the UBill only sends statements on the 1st of each month. The University Bill may not show the most up to date parking account balance, nor are payments made at the University Billing automatically applied to parking accounts. Citation payments made to the University Billing office are applied to parking accounts in three to five business days. A vehicle can still be towed after a UBill payment is made, but before the payment is applied to parking account. 

Paying parking citations in the Parking Portal or in person at our office is the most time effective response to reduce a parking account balance.  

Liability

The University assumes no responsibility for damage to a towed vehicle.

Tow Fee

Any vehicle that's towed due to being on the tow list will be issued a Tow Fee, in addition to any parking violations that may be issued.

Show-Up Fee

If the operator of the vehicle shows up after a tow truck has been summoned but before the tow is completed, any applicable fees must be paid to the towing company.

Reclaiming Your Vehicle

Before getting your vehicle back after a tow, vehicle owners/operators must first sign a release at the University's Department of Public Safety (DPS).  To access the DPS offices, enter on the Capitol Street side of the building. DPS is located at:

Department of Public Safety
808 University Capitol Centre
200 S. Capitol Street
Iowa City, IA 52242

Towed vehicles are not stored at DPS, but at an impound lot managed by the towing vendor shown below.  The University’s current towing vendor is:

Big Ten University Towing

3309 Highway 1 SW

Iowa City, IA 52240

(319) 354-5936

Big 10 Website - http://www.big10towing.com

Office Hours: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm

All vendor towing fees must be paid to the towing company before the vehicle is released from impound.  

For Students

Students who have received citations and register their vehicles are eligible to have the fines reduced to student rates on citations having been issued within the two days prior to registering their vehicle. 

Towing Contact Information

Parking Office: (319) 335-1475

Department of Public Safety: (319) 335-5022

Big Ten University Towing:  (319) 354-5936