New rules make it tougher to tow vehicles in Oakville, Ontario

The Town of Oakville is making it more difficult for vehicles to be taken away by tow truck operators.

A series of moves by the town will probit the towing of vehicles without the vehicle owner’s consent from both public and private land in Oakville, including parking lots, unless the towing follows the rules of local bylaws or the Province of Ontario’s Trespass to Property Act.

The new rules will come into effect on Feb. 28, 2025.

Under the new bylaw, only Town of Oakville enforcement staff, municipal law enforcement officers (MLEO) appointed by the town, or police officers may arrange for the towing or impounding of a vehicle without the consent of the vehicle’s owner.

Before a tow can be performed, a penalty notice must first be issued, followed by a mandatory half-hour waiting period. The waiting period is intended to discourage predatory and/or fraudulent towing practices.

Private parking lot owners can register with the Town of Oakville to request parking enforcement by officers.

Exceptions to the half-hour waiting period include emergency situations and vehicles that are:

• Parked, stopped, standing, or left in signed fire routes
• In construction zones
• Interfering with snow-clearing operations on municipal land
• In designated accessible parking spaces
• Blocking a laneway, loading docks, ingress and/or egress points, or driveway access; or
• On municipal rights-of-way or on municipal land for community or special events.

Alternatively, a property owner may use the Trespass to Property Act to tow vehicles.

Oakville will review the effectiveness of the new rules after one year.