Int. No. 470
By Council Members Dear, Fusco, Stabile and Carrion; also Council Members Eisland, Fisher, Foster, Harrison, McCaffrey, Michels, O'Donovan, Povman, Provenzano, Robinson, Rodriguez, Sabini, Warden, Watkins, Wooten and Abel.
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to requiring tow companies to give notice to a vehicle owner that the vehicle was towed, the reason for such tow and the location and hours during which the vehicle may be retrieved.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 5 of title 20 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 20-529 to read as follows:
§20-529 Notification to vehicle owners. A tow company that has towed a vehicle shall give notice of the tow by certified mail to the owner of that vehicle within three business days after the tow. Such notice shall state the reason the car was towed, the time and location where such vehicle may be retrieved and provide a business address and telephone number so the owner may contact the tow company. The tow company may recover an additional fee, not to exceed six dollars, from the vehicle owner to cover the administrative cost of providing such notice. If written notice is provided as required by this section, costs for storage and fees may be charged as of the day the vehicle was towed. If proper notice is not provided within three business days, costs for storage and fees may only be charged as of the day such notice was sent.
§2. This local law shall take effect thirty days after its enactment into law.
11/19/98
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