Towed From Private Property in Sudbury? How It Works and How to Get Your Car Back

In Greater Sudbury, a property owner who wants your car gone files a Towing Form with the City's Compliance and Enforcement Services and pays a fee. A City officer then calls a towing company, which removes and impounds the car. If your car vanished from a Sudbury lot, call 311 or Compliance and Enforcement at 705-674-4455, ext. 2320. Then use your Ontario rights at the storage lot.

How does a private property tow work in Greater Sudbury?

You park behind a plaza on Lorne Street to grab a coffee. You come back and the spot is empty. Here's what likely happened, step by step, based on the City's own process.

1. The owner fills out a form. It's the City's Bylaw Tow Request Form, under Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2010-1. The owner or manager lists the address, plus your plate, make, color, VIN and year.
2. One car per form. Each unwanted car needs its own request.
3. The owner gives permission in writing. They sign a line that lets the City remove the car from their property.
4. The owner pays first. The City's fee is due before the tow. It's non-refundable, even if your car is gone by the time the truck shows up.
5. An officer makes the call. A City officer contacts a towing company. That company removes the car and impounds it.

The form goes in by fax or in person, at 200 Brady St., at Tom Davies Square. So a private lot tow here isn't usually a truck lurking at the curb. It's paperwork first, then a tow.

Who pays for the tow?

The City's page says the towing company collects the towing fee from the property owner. The owner also pays the City's request fee. That's the tow itself.

Storage is a separate thing. Once your car sits at a storage lot, the lot can charge you to get it out. Ontario law gives the lot a lien on your car. That means it can ask you to pay before it hands back your keys. We don't quote amounts here. Ask the lot for its rates on the phone, before you go.

Can my landlord have my car towed?

Not through this City process, if you're a current tenant. The tow form says it plainly: Bylaw Services will not tow vehicles belonging to current tenants. That covers a lot of apartment parking fights in Valley East or downtown.

If you're a guest, or you moved out and left a car behind, you're not a current tenant. Your car can be towed through the form.

Could I get a ticket instead of a tow?

Yes. Sudbury lets property owners get a City license to ticket cars on their own lot. Someone with the owner's written OK can hold it too. The City calls them Private Property Parking Control Officers.

They don't just print tickets and go. Each one must pass a City training session. Compliance and Enforcement Services also inspects the property to check the required signs are up. If you see a ticket on your windshield at a mall or clinic lot, it's likely one of these. Read the signs at the lot entrance before you walk away.

My car is gone from a Sudbury lot. Who do I call?

Start with the City, since the City arranges these tows. Your options:

• Dial 311 inside the city. From a long-distance number, call 705-671-2489.
• Compliance and Enforcement Services: 705-674-4455, ext. 2320. This is the office that takes the tow forms.
• The property owner or manager. Ask which towing company took it and where it went.

Was it winter, and were you parked on a street, not a lot? From December 1 to March 31, Sudbury bans overnight street parking from midnight to 7 a.m. Cars in the way of snow clearing can be towed. The City says to call 311 about those, too.

If nobody has a record of a tow, your car may have been stolen. Call Greater Sudbury Police.

What are my rights at the storage lot in Ontario?

A private lot tow arranged by an authorized official doesn't need your consent. But Ontario's towing law still protects you once your car is in storage. The Ministry of Transportation lists these rights.

They have to tell you where it is

The storage operator must take steps to tell you where your car is, how to get it back and who to contact. The notice can come by email, in person, by mail or courier. In most cases, if they don't notify you within 15 days, your bill is limited to towing and storage for that period.

You can see the price before you pay

• The lot must post its rates on site, at its office and on its website if it has one.
• It can't charge more than its own maximum rates.
• You get an itemized invoice before you pay.
• You pick how to pay: credit card, debit card or cash.
• You get a receipt.

You can get your stuff out

Need your work bag, a child seat or your meds? The owner, or someone the owner allows, can get belongings out. The lot should let you do it during regular hours, free of charge, unless police said no.

They can't stall to run up the bill

Once you ask for your car, the lot must make reasonable efforts to release it promptly when it's open. It may charge extra to open up outside set hours. And it can't charge storage after you made a reasonable attempt to pick up your car. So call early, and write down the time you called.

The lot's government certificate must also be posted at the storage location. Snap a photo of it. You'll want that number if something goes wrong.

What if the lot breaks the rules?

File a complaint with the Ministry of Transportation online. You can also call the Ministry's towing line at 1-800-387-7736 inside Ontario. It covers events on or after January 1, 2024. Send what you have:

• The certificate number and the company name on the truck or lot
• Your invoice and receipt
• Photos and any dashcam video
• The date and time of each call you made

Does Sentinel do private property tows in Sudbury?

No. Sentinel doesn't do private property tows or impounds. We can't pull your car out of a storage lot or pay the lot for you. Our part starts once the car is back in your hands.

That moment can go wrong in Sudbury. A car that sat in a yard on a cold night may not start. Try a jump start first. If it still won't run, a car tow can take it home to Chelmsford or to a shop near the Kingsway.

Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner tow company does the job. We text you a locked price before anyone is sent, then check on you by text until your driver arrives. That's our Stay-With-You Promise. For highways, winter roads and the rest of the city, see our Sudbury towing page.

Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.

Sudbury Private Property Towing Questions

Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: Greater Sudbury: Private Property Parking Enforcement, Greater Sudbury: Bylaw Tow Request Form, Greater Sudbury: Winter Overnight Parking Ban, Ontario: Know Your Rights When Getting a Tow.