Towing

Tow and Go is for stalls, not for crash tows

The City of Houston’s Tow and Go page says the older SafeClear name is now Tow and Go. It says stalled vehicles on Houston freeways are towed to a nearby safe place off the freeway at no cost to the motorist, and that a flat may be changed at no cost when the driver has a good spare and a jack. The page says tollways and the Katy Freeway HOT lanes are not included. It publishes (713) 881-3333 as the number for talking with a law enforcement officer about the program.

The city’s motorist guidelines and HPD’s towed-vehicle FAQ say the no-cost tow is not for a vehicle that was in a crash, abandoned, or part of a law-enforcement incident. The FAQ says the no-cost tow is for a disabled vehicle that still has someone with it when the wrecker or police arrive. A crash tow is paid at the regulated non-consent rate. If you call your own truck, the city’s guidelines say it has to arrive before the freeway monitors have authorized Tow and Go, or meet you at the safe location where you were cleared.

The Tow and Go page lists (832) 394-4869 and the email address on HPD’s Auto Dealers page for questions or complaints about the program. The Motorist Bill of Rights revised December 12, 2025 lists the Auto Dealers Detail complaint number as (832) 394-4800, with the same office email. HPD’s phone directory also lists Auto Dealers at (832) 394-4800. This guide will not collapse those into one number. Use the number printed on the city page that matches the problem you have.

The published city rate as of January 1, 2026

The City of Houston’s November 25, 2025 rate letter says non-consent tow rates changed under Code of Ordinances Chapter 8, and that from January 1, 2026 a non-consent tow other than a private-property tow is $232. Heavy-duty non-consent tows in that letter are $354 per hour with a two-hour minimum. HPD’s Motorist Bill of Rights, revised December 12, 2025, says that if a vehicle is abandoned, blocking a moving lane, or in an accident or law enforcement incident, the fee is $232 for the first 20 miles and $4.64 for each additional mile. HPD’s towed-vehicle FAQ states the same mileage figures.

The bill of rights says the driver can choose a destination and should tell the officer, that the operator must accept two of the four major credit cards it names, and that a police private storage lot has regulated storage fees that are posted. This guide does not state a daily storage dollar amount, because the bill of rights says the fees are posted rather than printing one number. Choosing a lot that is not a police private storage lot can mean fees the city does not regulate.

Finding the car

HPD’s services page and the Motorist Bill of Rights point people to findmytowedcar.com and say the plate or vehicle identification number is required. The towed-vehicle FAQ also lists a tow line at (713) 308-8580. Both are city-published routes. This website does not look up a plate. If you think the tow was wrongful, the bill of rights points tow hearings to the Harris County justice courts’ tow-hearing page. Read that court’s current instructions. This guide does not file hearings.

Tow operators may not solicit at the scene, according to the bill of rights. The document says to tell the officer if someone tries. Ask for the tow slip and the storage location before you leave, if an officer is there.