Costs
How Tow Prices Are Set in Louisville, and the Kentucky Law That Limits Surprise Fees
A Louisville tow price depends on the job: how far the truck drives, which bridge or beltway it uses, what you drive, what broke and where the car sits. Kentucky law adds a guardrail. A tow company must keep one rate sheet for every customer, show it to you on request, and never charge more than it. Ask for the price, and ask what it covers, before the car moves.
Is there a set tow price in Kentucky?
No. The state doesn't set one price for every tow. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, or KYTC, says plainly that it does not regulate tow fees.
What Kentucky does is make each company stick to its own prices. Tow and storage companies must be licensed by KYTC. They file their rates with KYTC, and KYTC says they may not charge more or less than the rates on file. You can look up those rate sheets on the state's DRIVE website.
KRS 281.926 adds more rules for a tow after a breakdown or crash:
- You can see the rate sheet. If you're at the scene, or you ask, the company must hand you its list of rates. That list covers towing, labor, cleanup, storage and other fees.
- One sheet for everyone. The company can't keep one price list for you and a cheaper one for someone else.
- Charges above the sheet are "excessive." The law calls them that. Once the state notifies the company, it has 30 days to refund you.
- An itemized bill. You can get it no later than one business day after the tow. It lists the tow cost, storage as a daily rate, and each extra fee on its own line.
What makes one Louisville tow cost more than another?
Say your car quits on the Snyder out near Middletown. Your mechanic is in the South End off Dixie Highway. That's a long haul around the outer beltway. Now say your battery dies in a lot off Bardstown Road, and the shop is a few blocks away. Same truck. Very different job.
Here is what changes the price, and why:
- The drive to you. The truck has to reach you first. Valley Station, Fern Creek and the far East End add miles.
- The drive to the drop spot. The haul to the shop or your home is the other big piece.
- Your vehicle. A sedan, an all-wheel-drive SUV and a light pickup load in different ways.
- What went wrong. A car that rolls in neutral is simple. A locked wheel or a crushed corner takes more labor.
- Where it sits. A flat lot is easy. A car down an icy embankment may need a winch-out before anyone can hook it.
Does crossing the Ohio River change a tow?
It can. A tow from Louisville to a shop in Jeffersonville, Clarksville or New Albany crosses the river. That's part of the distance, like any other mile.
The bridge matters too. RiverLink, the toll system for the Louisville bridges, lists three tolled bridges:
- The Abraham Lincoln Bridge, I-65 northbound
- The John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge, I-65 southbound
- The Lewis and Clark Bridge, on the Snyder in the East End
The Sherman Minton Bridge on I-64 and the Clark Memorial Bridge on US 31 are toll-free. When you call, say which side of the river you're on and where the car should go. If a partner can make the trip, the price you get covers it.
Do you need a tow at all?
Ask this before you ask about price. A lot of Louisville calls don't need a tow.
NOAA's normals for the Louisville airport show about 43 days a year at 90 degrees or hotter. They also show about 74 nights at freezing or below. Heat wears batteries down all summer. Then the first cold snap finishes them off. If your car clicks in a hot lot after a July workday, or won't crank on a frosty morning, a jump start may be all it needs.
Tell the dispatcher exactly what the car does. "It clicks but won't crank." "The temperature light came on, and I shut it off." "It slid off the ramp, but nothing's broken." The right job is often the smaller one.
Can a tow truck that just shows up charge you?
Kentucky law limits this. Under KRS 281.922, a tow truck can't stop at a crash or a breakdown to sell you a tow. It may stop only if police asked, you called it, you agreed, or someone needs help right away.
The same law lets you call the tow company you choose and say where the car goes. You do that in talks with police at the scene. Police can overrule you if your company can't get there in a timely way. They can also overrule you if your car is a hazard or blocks traffic.
If police have a car moved out of traffic for safety, the owner pays for that tow. So if you're stopped on a Kennedy Interchange ramp, call for help early.
What can a tow company charge once it reaches the shop?
KRS 281.934 blocks a few common tricks:
- No forced storage deals. A company can't make you agree to more than 24 hours of storage or repair work just to get a tow.
- One tow fee. If you ask to go to the tow company's own repair shop, it can charge only one towing fee.
- Your shop, your call. A company can't tow your car to a repair shop unless you agree before the car is moved.
Kentucky also has emergency tow companies photograph or film your car for damage before they unload it.
What about a tow from a Louisville parking lot?
Sentinel doesn't do these tows. But knowing the rules can save you money.
A lot owner can set up a tow-away zone. KRS 281.924 says the sign must state it's a tow-away zone, give contact details, and say who may park there. The car must go to a storage lot within 25 miles, or to the nearest one if none is that close. The tow company must tell police no later than two hours after the tow.
Here is the rule worth knowing. If you get back while your car is being towed, the company must tell you about a lower fee. You can pay no more than half its normal release fee. Then it must let the car go and give you a receipt.
Why the storage fee is the one to watch
Storage grows every day. A private storage lot must mail you a notice within 10 days, with an estimated itemized bill. If it doesn't, it loses all storage fees after day 10. If the bill sits unpaid for 45 days, the car and its contents can be sold. You get 10 days' notice by certified mail first.
Some things inside must be handed back if you ask within 45 days. That list includes prescription medicine, medical supplies, school things, documents and devices, firearms, child car seats, and checks and cards.
At the lot, you may inspect your car during posted business hours before you pay. The lot can't charge storage for a day it won't let you inspect or pick up the car during those hours. It must take cash, credit, debit, a money order, or a bank or insurer check. You get an itemized receipt.
A police tow is different. LMPD tows go to its own impound lot. Our Louisville impound lot guide walks through that release.
What if the bill looks wrong?
KYTC says to contact the company in writing first and explain the problem. If that fails, you can file a consumer complaint with KYTC. A fee dispute may end up as a civil matter. Keep your rate sheet, bill and receipt.
How do you keep your own tow price from changing?
When you call for help yourself, settle the price before the truck rolls. Ask what it includes. Ask what happens if the car is stuck worse than you thought. Get it in writing, even a text.
That's how Sentinel works. Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner tow company in the Louisville area does the job. Before we dispatch, we text you your price. That price is the most you pay for the job. If the job changes, we text a new price first, and you decide. Then we check on you by text until the truck arrives. That's our Stay-With-You Promise.
We won't claim to be the cheapest tow in Louisville. We promise no surprise after you say yes. See what a car tow includes, or check the roads a partner covers on our Louisville towing page.
While you wait on the Watterson or the Snyder, keep your hazards on and stay buckled in. Kentucky's move-over law tells drivers to change lanes for a disabled car showing flashers, or slow down if they can't. If anyone is hurt or you're stuck in a live lane, call 911 first.
Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.
Louisville Tow Price Questions
Can I see a Kentucky tow company's prices before I agree?
Yes. Under KRS 281.926, a company doing an emergency tow must give you its rate sheet at the scene or when you ask. Companies also file their rates with KYTC. You can look them up on the state's DRIVE website.
I caught the tow truck taking my car from a lot. What do I pay?
Kentucky law says the company must offer you a lower fee. It's no more than half its normal release fee. Pay it, and the company must release the car and give you a receipt.
Does a tow to Indiana cost more?
It's more distance, so it can. Tell us the shop in Jeffersonville, Clarksville or New Albany when you call. If a partner can make the trip, your texted price covers it.
Can the storage lot keep my medicine or my child's car seat?
No. Kentucky law says those must be released to you if you ask within 45 days of the tow. The same goes for medical supplies, documents, devices, and checks and cards.
Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: KRS 281.926, KRS 281.922, KRS 281.924, KRS 281.928, KRS 281.930, KRS 281.932, KRS 281.934, KRS 376.275, KRS 189.930, KYTC DRIVE: Towing and Storage, RiverLink tolled bridges, NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals, Louisville airport.
