# Your towing and recovery lien clocks start the moment the vehicle lands, and nobody is watching them.

![A yard manager checking impound dates and lien notice status on a screen beside a row of stored vehicles, used to show where the holding clock is actually tracked.](https://neurobird.com/towingrecovery/towingrecovery-hero.webp)
*The date the notice went out is the most valuable field in the file.*

> Towing and recovery is the business of moving disabled, wrecked or unlawfully parked vehicles and storing them until someone claims them. It is a licensed trade with truck classes defined by what they can lift, and the money in it depends on lien law: how many days of storage you may charge, when notice must go out, and how long a vehicle must be held before it can be sold. Miss a date and the charge disappears.

- URL: https://neurobird.com/towingrecovery/
- Product: Neurobird Towing and Recovery Dispatch Platform
- Niche: towing and recovery
- Buyer: towing and recovery operators
- Status: in development, open for early access
- Updated: 2026-08-25

## What Neurobird Towing and Recovery does

- Start the holding and notice clocks the moment a vehicle is booked into the yard, not when someone remembers.
- Record the class of truck and the driver who ran the job against the job itself.
- Track notice sent dates so a late notice is visible before it caps what can be charged.
- Retain job records for the period a state contract requires without anyone maintaining a filing cabinet.

## How it works

1. **Book in** The vehicle is logged with its arrival date and the rules that apply, so the holding period and the notice deadline are calculated rather than estimated.
2. **Notify** Lien notices are recorded against the vehicle with the date they went out, because a late notice caps recoverable fees at a fraction of what was stored.
3. **Close or sell** When a vehicle stays unclaimed the file already carries the dates, notices and charges needed to move to sale without reconstructing the history.

## From the source material

> Rotational and other types of contracts for towing and recovery services must assure that the correct equipment is brought to the scene and that the specialists are qualified for the task at hand.

Source: FHWA, towing and recovery response and clearance procedures, https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tim/about/tar.htm

## Industry context

- **35 days** An unclaimed vehicle or vessel may be sold free of all prior liens 35 days after the qualifying event, and the count excludes the day of towing and the date of sale. (source: Florida HSMV procedure TL-26, https://www.flhsmv.gov/pdf/proc/tl/tl-26.pdf)
- **7 days** If notice is not given inside the required timeframe, the tow company may not charge more than 7 days of fees. (source: Florida HSMV procedure TL-26, https://www.flhsmv.gov/pdf/proc/tl/tl-26.pdf)
- **30,000 GVWR** Class B-2 tow trucks are rated at over 30,000 GVWR with air brakes and cover medium trucks, trailers and motor homes. (source: Washington WAC 204-91A, https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=204-91A&full=true)
- **5 years** Towing firms must retain all records for five years from the date the tow service agreement ends. (source: Arizona DPS tow service program, https://www.azdps.gov/services/governmental-services/tow-service-program)
- **41-1830.51** Arizona Revised Statute 41-1830.51 is the authority under which DPS contracts with towing firms for towing and storage services. (source: Arizona DPS tow service program, https://www.azdps.gov/services/governmental-services/tow-service-program)

## Pricing

- Single yard: $130 per month
- Multi yard: $350 per month
- Contract operator: $700 per month

## Questions

### What is towing and recovery management?

It is the work of running a tow operation as a record rather than a series of calls: which truck went to which job, when a vehicle entered the yard, which lien clock applies to it, when notice went out and what may lawfully be charged. Dispatch is the visible half. The half that determines whether the money is collectable is a set of dates attached to each vehicle, governed by state law that differs considerably from one jurisdiction to the next.

### How long must an unclaimed vehicle be held?

It depends on the state and the circumstances. Florida procedure allows an unclaimed vehicle or vessel to be sold free of all prior liens 35 days after the qualifying event, with a longer window in some cases, and the count excludes the day of towing and storage and the date of the sale. Because the start date is not simply the day of the tow, holding periods calculated by hand are a common source of error.

### What happens if lien notice goes out late?

The recoverable charge collapses. Under Florida procedure, a tow company that fails to give notice inside the required timeframe may not charge the person claiming a lien more than 7 days of fees, no matter how long the vehicle actually sat. A storage bill that should have run for weeks becomes a week. That single date is worth more than most of the rest of the file.

### How are tow trucks classified?

By capability. Washington defines Class A for passenger cars and light vehicles, Class B for medium trucks and motor homes, Class B-2 for the same work at over 30,000 GVWR with air brakes, and Class C and rotator classes for large trucks and buses. Recording the class that ran a job matters for contract compliance and for defending an invoice.

### Is this available to buy?

No, it is in development and open for early access. We are building it with yard managers so the lien clocks match the states they actually operate in.

## Sources

- [Washington WAC 204-91A, tow truck operators](https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=204-91A&full=true)
- [Florida HSMV, wrecker operator lien procedure TL-26](https://www.flhsmv.gov/pdf/proc/tl/tl-26.pdf)
- [Arizona DPS, tow service program](https://www.azdps.gov/services/governmental-services/tow-service-program)
- [FHWA, towing and recovery response and clearance procedures](https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tim/about/tar.htm)

## Contact

- office@neurobird.com
- https://neurobird.com/