Senate moves towing reform with boot ban, faster owner notices and a Dept. of Revenue portal

Senate Bill 10‑68, a sweeping reform of towing and abandoned‑vehicle procedures, was amended in committee and advanced to the calendar after the sponsor said the bill will modernize notice requirements, establish a searchable portal and prohibit booting except where local jurisdictions adopt an ordinance.

Sponsor context and aims: Leader Johnson said the bill consolidates decades of towing statute scattered through Tennessee law, speeds notice to vehicle owners and lien holders, and creates a centralized motor‑vehicle portal to help vehicle owners, lienholders and rental companies find towed vehicles quickly. Under the amendment adopted in committee, towing companies would be required to enter standardized details about each towed vehicle into a Department of Revenue portal within one hour of the tow, including location, reason for tow and retrieval instructions; the sponsor said Revenue officials expect the portal could be operational by July 1, 2026.

Key provisions discussed - Booting: The sponsor reported the bill makes a statewide prohibition on wheel‑clamps (boots) permanent; local governments may still authorize booting by local ordinance where they choose to do so. The sponsor cited complaints about illegitimate booting operations that charge large fees and target individuals. - Portal and timing: Towing companies would be required to post vehicle details into the Department of Revenue portal soon after towing (the sponsor said a one‑hour window would apply once the portal is operational), and the portal would be searchable by owners, lienholders and rental car operators; rental and fleet companies could use APIs to receive rapid notification. - Notices and delivery: The bill revises statutory notice requirements and clarifies that registered agents and lienholders who use P.O. boxes can still receive required notices; sponsors said the change is intended to remove inconsistent interpretation about whether mail or a commercial carrier is required for delivering notices to P.O. boxes. - Abandoned/immobile vehicle handling: The bill clarifies statutory authority and notice processes for law‑enforcement‑initiated tows of abandoned vehicles and codifies common local practices for delegating such tows to local tow companies.

Sponsor explained the bill as an operational modernization intended to reduce frictions for owners and fleet managers, improve recovery times and remove bad commercial actors from the business. He said signage requirements were adjusted (font sizes reduced on some signs at stakeholders’ requests) and that the Department of Revenue and stakeholders had worked to reach usable drafting language.

Committee action: The committee adopted the sponsor’s amendment and moved the bill to the committee on calendar. The motion to adopt the amendment and the motion to advance the bill passed on voice and roll calls recorded in the committee minutes (final recorded vote on the bill shows unanimous support on the floor of the committee for advancement).

Ending: Sponsor and stakeholders said the portal will speed recovery, help rental companies and provide clearer notice to owners; the bill now moves on to the next step in the legislative calendar.