State lawmakers call for Charlotte towing reform

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – State lawmakers and local business owners are demanding that the Charlotte City Council implement citywide regulations to curb predatory towing, arguing that current local laws leave police powerless to protect drivers.

State Sen. Caleb Theodros led a news conference Thursday calling for civil penalties, mandated public reporting of towing data, and an immediate overhaul of Charlotte’s local towing ordinance. The push comes one month after a bipartisan statewide towing reform bill was stripped of its regulatory power.

“The question in front of us isn’t whether there’s a problem,” Theodros said. “That question is settled. The question is whether we’re willing to give somebody the ability to stop it. And how fast.”

The call for reform follows a wave of public backlash against private towing companies operating in Charlotte. Earlier this month, Plaza Midwood business owner Yaz Humaideh went viral after filming an interaction with a tow truck driver who demanded $275 to release his vehicle from a local shopping plaza, despite Humaideh presenting a bill of sale proving he was conducting business at the site.

Humaideh said responding emergency dispatchers told him they could not intervene.

“The worst part about the entire thing is when 911 gets there… they stand there and say, ‘We have no authority in this parking lot. This man has more authority than we do,'” Humaideh said.

State officials have increased pressure on local operators. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson recently shared this video after he announced a settlement with Charlotte-based A-1 Towing, forcing the company to pay back tens of thousands of dollars to victims of predatory towing practices.

Advocates are now urging city council members to step in where state legislation failed, closing loopholes that allow private lots to enforce excessive fees without local oversight.