How to dispute a tow in Downtown

Tennessee doesn't run one statewide towing complaint hotline, but the rules that exist give you real leverage if a company breaks them. The clearest one: under § 55-16-112, a garagekeeper or towing firm needs express written authorization before towing or storing your vehicle, from a law-enforcement officer, the vehicle owner, or the property owner or agent for a private-property tow. Skip that step and it's a Class C misdemeanor. Inside Memphis city limits specifically, the City's own Wrecker Rules and Regulations add teeth: a company that tows without proper authorization, or that's found overcharging, owes the same remedy either way, reimburse everything paid, or release the car for free. Every wrecker company operating inside the city first needs approval from the Memphis Transportation Commission, which meets the first Thursday of every month, and companies on the MPD Wrecker Rotation list carry substantial insurance requirements and answer to a 30-minute response standard on accident scenes; miss it too often and a company drops down the rotation or gets flagged for investigation. Report a specific violation, an unauthorized tow, an excessive rate, any rule broken, in writing to the Permits Administrator or Wrecker Coordinator at (901) 636-6735 or permits@memphistn.gov. Two or more sustained complaints against one company triggers an Administrative Hearing, and penalties run from a fine to a suspension of up to 10 days at the Administrator level, longer if it's referred to the Transportation Commission, up to revoking the company's permit entirely. Quick Tow Memphis is a private tow company, not the Permits Office or the police. We can't resolve someone else's dispute or waive fees, but we can help with transport once it's sorted out.