Car towed from private property in Marietta
Your car got towed from a lot or apartment complex in Marietta. Here is what Georgia law actually requires before that is allowed.
What Georgia law says
In Georgia a tow from private property is a non-consensual tow, and it is governed by O.C.G.A. section 44-1-13 and the Georgia Department of Public Safety rate tariff, not by whoever felt like moving your car. The property owner or an agent has to make a same-day request for each vehicle, the lot has to be signed a specific way, and the rates are capped by the state. Several of those rules are worth real money to you if they were broken. The law does not cover a police-directed tow or a car taken off a public street, which run on different tracks.
How it works in Marietta
- 1 Confirm it was a non-consensual private-property tow
If the car was on a public street or the tow was police-directed, this is not it. O.C.G.A. section 44-1-13 covers vehicles removed from private property at the owner's or an agent's same-day request.
- 2 Look at the sign
The lot must post a sign within 50 feet of each entrance, at least 12 inches by 18 with lettering at least 3/4 of an inch, stating the tow company name, the address where the car can be recovered, the cost of recovery and the accepted payment methods. No compliant sign, and the removal was unlawful.
- 3 Check for automatic patrols
Georgia bans watching a lot with automatic or systematic surveillance to trigger tows. The operator has to be called for each individual trespass. A camera-triggered blanket tow carries a $1,000 fine.
- 4 Use the arrival rule
If you get back to your car before it is hooked or loaded and you have your key and move it right away, no fee can be charged. Note the time and any witnesses if the operator tows it anyway.
- 5 Check the rate
For a vehicle under 10,000 pounds the state tariff caps the tow at $228 and storage at $33 a day, with no storage for the first 24 hours and notification charges capped at $91. Anything above that is a violation.
- 6 Complain to the state
Georgia DPS regulates non-consensual towing under Tariff No. 5, and a kickback from the operator to the property owner for the removal rights is itself unlawful and carries a $1,000 fine. Keep the invoice, the photos of the lot and a log of your calls.
What this looks like around Marietta
Marietta, Smyrna and the lots around Truist Park run private enforcement, and game-day parking is the flashpoint. A tow off a private lot is capped by the state tariff at $228 for the tow, and there is no storage charge for the first 24 hours.
Marietta is in Cobb County, which runs its own impound and sets its own fee, so call the department that ordered the tow to find the vehicle and confirm the charge. A tow from an apartment or retail lot is instead a private-property tow under O.C.G.A. 44-1-13: a posted sign within 50 feet of each entrance, at least 12 by 18 inches, and no active patrol of the lot, with the Georgia DPS Tariff No. 5 capping the tow at $228 and daily storage at $33 and charging no storage for the first 24 hours. A message left in Spanish is read in Spanish.
Marietta is the Cobb County seat, wrapped around the historic Marietta Square about sixteen miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. Interstate 75 runs the eastern flank as the Tennessee-bound truck corridor, and US-41, the Cobb Parkway, parallels it through the commercial spine, so the daily mix is heavy commuter volume against long-haul freight. That combination is what fills the call log: rear-end chains near the I-75 exits, blowouts and cooling-system failures on the Parkway in summer, and the occasional heavy-duty recovery when a tractor unit goes down on the interstate. Around the Square and the older neighborhoods it shifts to lockouts, dead batteries and apartment-lot tows. Marietta has a notable Hispanic community, with local schools around 38 percent Hispanic, so every page on this site, the quote form included, is published in Spanish as well as English, and a message left in Spanish is read in Spanish. Georgia's non-consensual towing rules apply to any private-property tow here: under O.C.G.A. 44-1-13 the lot needs signage within 50 feet of each entrance, at least 12 by 18 inches, and the state DPS Tariff No. 5 caps the tow and charges no storage for the first 24 hours. The operator we send covers I-75, the Cobb Parkway and the Square, running wheel-lift for most calls and flatbed for newer vehicles or anything with sensitive electronics.
Common Marietta questions
Is it legal to tow my car from a parking lot in Marietta?
Yes, when the property owner or an agent made a same-day request, the lot is signed the way O.C.G.A. section 44-1-13 requires, and the operator charged no more than the state tariff. Removing a car from a lot that lacks a compliant sign, or on a standing camera patrol with no per-car call, is unlawful.
Does a lot have to post a sign before towing in Marietta?
Yes, and the rule is specific. A sign within 50 feet of each entrance, at least 12 by 18 inches, lettering at least 3/4 of an inch, naming the tow company, the retrieval address, the cost of recovery and the payment methods accepted. Ask whether that lot's sign meets it.
What if I show up before the tow truck leaves in Marietta?
If your car is not yet hooked or loaded and you return with your key and move it immediately, no fee can be charged under Georgia law. If the operator tows it anyway, note the time and get the invoice, because that is a rate you can dispute.
Does Quick Tow Atlanta do private-property tows in Marietta?
We are not a licensed tow operator and we do not pretend to be. What we do is connect property managers with the operators we send, who hold the permits and follow O.C.G.A. section 44-1-13, and help drivers work out what actually happened to their car. Call (678) 379-5984.
Related help for Marietta
Private-property tows in the rest of the Cobb & the Northwest area
Need your car towed once it's released in Marietta?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.