The Ontario Towing Bill of Rights gives you 8 core protections the moment a tow truck arrives at your vehicle. You decide who tows your car, where it goes, and how much you pay, under rules that now carry the full force of Ontario law.
The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) first published the Towing Bill of Rights in 2018 as a glove-box reference card for drivers across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and the rest of the province. In 2026, those same protections are set out in a binding provincial statute: the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act (TSSEA). This guide explains what the Ontario Towing Bill of Rights covers, how the TSSEA enforces it, and what to do the moment a tow operator breaks a rule.
If you need a tow that respects every right on this list, our GTA towing services team runs a valid TSSEA certificate on every truck we dispatch.
What Is the Ontario Towing Bill of Rights?
This 8-point consumer guide lists your legal protections during any tow. CAA South Central Ontario launched the guide in August 2018, based on consumer-protection legislation Ontario passed in 2017.
Research done for CAA South Central Ontario by Ipsos found that only 51% of Ontario drivers felt educated about their towing rights before the guide launched. That gap drove CAA to print and distribute a simple, 8-point reference card drivers could keep in a glove box. The card was never a law on its own; it was a plain-language summary of protections that already existed under the 2017 statute.
The original 8 points cover consent, pricing, payment, and disclosure. You choose your tow operator. You sign a consent form before the hookup starts. You receive an itemized invoice before you pay. The final bill cannot exceed the quoted price by more than 10%. You can pay by credit card, debit card, or cash. You can retrieve personal items from your vehicle during business hours. The operator must tell you the tow destination. The operator must disclose any referral fee tied to that destination.
Those 8 points still describe your rights today, but the legal foundation changed in 2024. The TSSEA replaced the 2017 law and turned every one of these points into enforceable, province-wide regulation with real penalties for violations.
What Rights Does the Ontario Towing Bill of Rights Give You in 2026?
These protections break down into 6 enforceable rights in 2026: choice of operator, written consent, transparent pricing, flexible payment, certificate verification, and free access to your belongings. You will handle 3 documents during a compliant tow: the Consent to Tow form, the Maximum Rate Schedule, and the itemized invoice.
Your Right to Choose Your Own Tow Company
You choose which company tows your vehicle and where it goes. Police can only override this choice inside a restricted tow zone, on highways such as the 401, the 400, and the QEW. No operator can pressure, rush, or trick you into signing outside those zones. A tow truck that arrives without being called is a “chaser,” and you owe that driver nothing. Call our 24/7 emergency towing line to request your own certified operator instead of accepting whoever shows up first.
Your Right to Written Consent Before Towing
An operator must obtain your signed Consent to Tow form before hooking up your vehicle. No signature means no legal charge. Read the form fully, and never sign a blank one. This consent rule carries one exception, for membership-based roadside plans, such as CAA, where you already hold a signed contract. Police-ordered tows for safety, such as clearing a collision from the 400-series highways, also skip this step.
Your Right to a Transparent, Itemized Invoice
You must receive an itemized invoice before the operator asks for payment. The invoice must list each charge separately, including the base rate, distance, and any additional labour. Operators cannot charge more than the Maximum Rate Schedule they filed with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). That schedule updated in November 2025, so confirm the current rate on the MTO portal before you sign. A bill more than 10% above the quote is a rate violation you can report.
Your Right to the Most Direct Route and Fair Referrals
Your vehicle must travel by the most direct route to the destination you named. Operators cannot pad the distance to inflate a per-kilometre charge, and heavy recovery jobs follow the same rule as a standard flatbed run, whether the tow covers 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) or 50 kilometres (31 miles). The operator must notify you if the route or destination changes for any reason.
Tow operators and drivers cannot recommend a body shop, legal service, or health provider unless you ask first. Referrals only happen at your request, not the operator’s. If you do ask for a referral, the operator must disclose any financial arrangement tied to that business, such as a per-vehicle referral fee.
How Does the TSSEA Turn the Towing Bill of Rights Into Law?
The TSSEA turns these consumer protections into enforceable law through provincial certification, a formal code of conduct, and MTO oversight. The act rolled out in 3 phases between January 2023 and January 2024, with 2 further updates in 2025.
The 3 Phases of TSSEA Enforcement
- Phase 1 started in January 2023 and required every tow operator to register under the Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration (CVOR) system.
- Phase 2 opened in July 2023, requiring individual certification and criminal background checks for operators, drivers, and storage facilities.
- Phase 3 took effect on January 1, 2024, activating consent forms, itemized invoices, maximum rate filings, and the MTO complaint process.
Every driver needed a personal tow driver certificate by July 2024.
What Changed in the July 2025 Regulatory Update
The July 2025 amendment tightened consent procedures and updated record-keeping rules across the province. Operators must now photograph vehicles before performing services beyond a standard tow. Maximum Rate Schedules changed again in November 2025, so an old rate card no longer applies. Certificate fees stay frozen until July 1, 2026, which keeps costs stable for licensed operators heading into next year.
How to Verify a Tow Operator’s Certificate Before You Consent
To verify a tow operator’s certificate, check the truck for a visible operator name and TSSEA certificate number before you sign anything. Ask the driver for their personal driver certificate as well. Both certificates carry a unique number you can cross-check on the Ontario government’s towing verification portal. A truck with no certificate number displayed is very likely unlicensed. These rules apply the same way whether your vehicle is a compact car or a heavy pickup weighing up to 3,500 kilograms (7,716 pounds).
Watch for 3 warning signs together: a cash-only demand, no visible certificate number, and an unsolicited arrival at your breakdown or collision. Any one of these signs is a reason to decline the tow. All 3 together point to a predatory operator working outside the TSSEA.
Storage facilities carry the same certification requirement as tow operators. Ask to see that operator’s certificate number too before you agree to leave your vehicle at any facility. You can verify it through the same government portal you use for tow trucks.
What the Code of Conduct Requires From Every Operator
- Photograph the vehicle before performing any service beyond a standard hookup and tow.
- Keep a run sheet for every job and submit it, along with photos and consent forms, to the operator within 24 hours.
- Act with professionalism, courtesy, and fairness toward drivers and other operators on scene.
- Represent services honestly, without exaggerating urgency or hiding fees.
A driver who skips these steps is not following the code of conduct, even if the tow itself feels routine. Ask for a copy of the run sheet if a dispute arises later.
How the TSSEA Affects Your Insurance Claim
The TSSEA lets your insurance representative deal directly with the tow and storage operator on your behalf. Your insurer can now consent to towing services, access your vehicle at a storage facility, and request its release, all without you standing there in person.
Call your insurer early if your vehicle needs a body shop after a collision. Early contact lets the adjuster coordinate the release before storage fees pile up, since those fees accumulate daily while a vehicle sits at a facility.
Your coverage still determines who pays. Collision coverage pays out even when you caused the accident, while basic liability coverage does not cover damage to your own vehicle. Confirm your policy terms with your insurer before you assume a tow or storage bill falls outside your cost.
Storage fees grow every day a vehicle sits uncollected, so a fast insurer handoff protects your wallet as much as your schedule. Ask your adjuster for a direct line to the storage facility rather than routing every request through a call centre. A single delayed callback can add another full day of storage charges to your file.
What Are Your Rights If You’re Towed From Private Property in the GTA?
You retain full legal protection even when a private property owner authorizes the tow. Parking restriction signs must be visible at the property entrance before any tow from that lot is lawful. A lot with no posted signage gives the property owner no authority to remove your vehicle.
The property owner or manager must specifically direct the tow. A tow company cannot patrol a lot, such as those at a shopping plaza, a condo building, or an office complex, and remove vehicles without that direction. Fire routes are the one exception: municipal bylaw officers can tow a vehicle blocking a fire route immediately, regardless of signage, and violations carry fines between $100 and $400.
Even on a lawful private-property tow, the operator must still follow every TSSEA rule. You still receive an itemized invoice. You still get access to personal belongings at no charge. You can still verify the operator’s certificate number.
Photograph the empty space and the surrounding area immediately if your vehicle disappears from a lot with no posted signs. That photo becomes evidence for a complaint against an unauthorized tow.
How to File a Towing Rights Complaint With the MTO
To file a complaint about a towing rights violation, gather your evidence first: photos of the truck, the certificate number, your invoice, and your signed consent form. Compare the charges on your invoice against the operator’s Maximum Rate Schedule on the MTO portal.
Submit your complaint through the online towing complaint portal on the Ontario.ca website. Include the operator’s name, certificate number, and every piece of supporting evidence you collected. Contact the MTO’s Commercial Safety and Compliance Branch directly for urgent issues, rather than waiting for the online process.
The Director of Towing and Vehicle Storage Standards can investigate, issue warnings, or suspend an operator’s certificate. Repeated or serious violations can lead to permanent cancellation. The MTO only reviews incidents that happened on or after January 1, 2024, when provincial oversight began.
File your complaint as soon as possible after the incident. Evidence such as dashcam footage and photos fades in value the longer you wait, and witnesses become harder to reach.
Your Towing Rights Quick-Reference Checklist
Use this checklist the moment a tow truck arrives, whether you called it or not.
| Task | Timing | Method | Difficulty |
| Verify certificate number | Before hookup | Check the truck and ask the driver | Easy |
| Sign Consent to Tow form | Before hookup | Read fully, then sign | Easy |
| Request written estimate | Before hookup | Ask for the Maximum Rate Schedule | Easy |
| Confirm tow destination | During the tow | Ask the driver directly | Easy |
| Review itemized invoice | Before payment | Compare charges to the MTO rate portal | Moderate |
| Retrieve personal items | After the tow | Contact the storage facility | Moderate |
| File a complaint | Within days of the incident | Ontario.ca complaint portal | Moderate |
Frequently Asked Questions About Ontario Towing Rights
Is the Ontario Towing Bill of Rights legally binding?
Yes. Every point in the original CAA guide now sits inside the TSSEA, a binding provincial law enforced by the Ministry of Transportation.
Can a tow truck take my car without my consent?
No, in most cases. Written consent is required before towing, except when police direct a safety tow or you hold a membership-based roadside plan.
How much can a tow operator charge me in Ontario?
Each operator files a Maximum Rate Schedule with the MTO and cannot exceed it. Rates updated in November 2025, so verify the current schedule before you sign.
Do private property tows follow the same rights?
Yes. A lawful private-property tow still requires posted signage, property owner authorization, and full TSSEA compliance from the operator.
Where do I report a tow operator who broke the rules?
File a complaint through the Ontario.ca towing complaint portal with your invoice, certificate number, and photos as evidence.
Know Your Rights Before Your Next Tow
The Ontario Towing Bill of Rights protects you at every stage of a tow, from the first phone call to the final invoice. Ontario backs every point with the TSSEA, giving you a real complaint process when an operator breaks the rules. Save a certified operator’s number in your phone before you need one. Our scrap car removal team pays cash on the spot and handles every certificate requirement for you when your vehicle reaches the end of the road entirely.