PUC training reviews towing rules, new residential private-property protections and implementation steps

Nate Riley, chief of transportation for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, told a virtual training of tow operators that the PUC's immediate priority is helping the industry implement statutory changes from last year's towing legislation and clarifying how those changes fit into existing PUC rules. "This is part of a 3 part training series that we're doing here at the Commission for the Towing Industry," Riley said, opening the session.

Riley described three main tow categories under Colorado practice: consensual tows, nonconsensual tows (private property impounds, or PPIs) and law-enforcement-ordered tows. He said recent legislation introduced a key distinction within the nonconsensual category between residential PPIs (for example, apartment complexes or HOAs) and commercial PPIs (for example, retail parking lots), and that many consumer-protection changes in the bill apply specifically to residential PPIs.

Why this matters: the statutory changes affect when a tow may occur, what fees may be charged up front, what documentation a carrier must take before towing, and what property must be released to vehicle owners or other authorized persons. Riley urged carriers to review the PUC's transportation webpages, the consolidated rules PDF available from the commission site and the summary guidance the commission published after the bill passed.

Key statutory and rule changes described by Riley include:

- 24-hour notice standard: For residential PPIs, a 24-hour notice is required before a nonconsensual tow may occur by default; the statute lists exceptions, including vehicles blocking driveways or roadways, parking in a marked fire lane, occupying a designated handicap space, occupying an exclusive leased space, or repeated parking violations where prior…