Towing rules in Bowling Green will remain the same for the foreseeable future, as city officials have decided not to revise local towing regulations. A revamp of there rules was explored and met with some interest from city officials a few months ago.

“Right now, there’s no amendments that are planned,” City Clerk Ashley Jackson told the Daily News. “ … It was just best to leave it as is, and just try to control the signage and getting the word out to the residents about private property parking.”

Jackson said a majority of city commissioners opposed the idea after it was looked into. City officials explored the idea in January during their annual strategic planning meeting. No action was taken at the meeting.

“We have a stigma that’s real,” Bowling Green Mayor Todd Alcott said during the meeting. “The stigma is that towing is negative, and it’s hurting our image.”

The city most recently passed a towing ordinance in 2022. Under current guidelines, the maximum amount a towing company can charge to retrieve a vehicle is $175, which includes the first 24 hours of storage for the vehicle.

If a car is on the tow truck, a $100 charge can be paid to release the car. Maximum storage charges stand at $35 per day and an “after-hours gate fee” of $25 is in place for cars retrieved before or after normal business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Monday through Sunday.

One idea suggested at the meeting involved parking lot owners leasing out their lots during large community events, such as Harvest Festival or Duncan Hines Days.

This drew some skepticism, as some officials feared it would confuse drivers into thinking some lots are open for parking all the time.

City Attorney Hillary Hightower told the Daily News that increasing signage at parking lots around town has been the main focus for the city.

“It is just taking people a while to get used to the fact … that private property owners have gone this route,” she said. “The private property owners have decided to do this. This is not unusual for other cities.”

Even though changing the ordinance was met with opposition from officials, Hightower said it could be taken up in the future “if it becomes necessary.”

“Right now, they’re working on other things, and that’s not a primary concern,” she said.

Alcott told the Daily News via text last week that even though towing remains the “number-one complaint” in the city, nothing illegal is happening.

“The bottom line is that no laws are being broken, and we cannot prevent property owners from towing vehicles from their lots if the required signage is in place,” the mayor stated. “That said, we continue working to improve signage and are actively pursuing ways to increase parking availability.”

Jackson said while the city receives complaints over towing, there are ways to avoid the issue.

“These complaints can be helped and preventable based on the appropriate signage, following the ordinance, doing what’s appropriate, and also just educating the public,” she said.