The short definition
A consent tow is a tow the vehicle's owner — or someone authorized to act for them — requests and agrees to. A broken-down car on the shoulder, a motor-club call, a customer moving a project car between shops: all consent tows.
A non-consent tow happens without the owner's permission. Two common kinds: a trespass tow, where a property owner has a vehicle removed from their lot, and a law-enforcement-directed tow after a crash, arrest, or abandonment.
Why the distinction matters
Non-consent towing is where the regulation lives. Counties and municipalities set maximum rates, notification requirements, storage rules, and signage requirements for trespass tows. Consent tows are largely a private agreement between you and the customer — which sounds easier, and is, right up until someone disputes it.
On a consent tow, the written authorization is the regulation. It is what establishes that the customer asked for the tow, knew the price, and saw the condition of the vehicle when you picked it up.
What the authorization should record
- Who authorized it — name, phone, and in what capacity (owner, driver, shop, dispatcher).
- The vehicle — year, make, model, color, plate and VIN.
- Locations — where you picked it up and where you dropped it off.
- The charges — the amount agreed to before the hook, not after.
- Your company — legal name, USDOT number, the truck unit and the driver who performed the tow.
- The signature — with the date and time it was captured.
- Photos — condition at pickup, existing damage, the vehicle loaded, and the drop-off.
That last item is the one operators skip and later regret. Photos with a timestamp end damage arguments before they start.
Where consent tows go wrong
Verbal-only agreements. "He told me $150 on the phone" does not survive a credit card chargeback.
Signing the wrong person. A passenger or a bystander is not an authorized representative. Note who signed and their relationship to the vehicle.
Price added afterward. If the amount was not on the form when they signed, expect to defend it.
No pickup photos. Pre-existing damage becomes your damage the moment you cannot prove otherwise.
Documenting it in under two minutes
EzTowForm was built for exactly this document. You scan the VIN with the camera instead of typing 17 characters, take the photos, and the customer signs on your phone or through a link on theirs. The PDF carries your company name, logo, USDOT number, truck and driver automatically, and both of you can download it immediately.
This guide is general information for tow operators, not legal advice. Requirements vary by state, county and municipality. Confirm your obligations with your own attorney or your local licensing authority.