Someone blocked your driveway on a narrow street off Woodward Avenue, or a stranger’s car has been sitting in your Dearborn Heights lot for three days straight. You want it gone, and you want to know how to get an illegally parked car towed without breaking any laws yourself. That frustration is exactly why we’re writing this.
The short answer is that you almost never get to just call a tow truck and point at a car. Detroit and the surrounding cities have specific rules about private property towing and public street violations, and skipping the right steps can leave you liable instead of the person who parked wrong. Whether it’s a blocked fire lane in Southfield or a car dead in your Taylor apartment spot, the process depends on where the vehicle sits and who has the legal authority to move it.
Below, we walk through exactly who to call, what documentation you need, and how local ordinances in Detroit, Dearborn, and nearby suburbs shape the process. We’ve handled enough of these calls out of our Detroit shop at 6450 E Hancock St to know where people get stuck, so we’ll point out the shortcuts and the mistakes to avoid along the way.
What counts as illegal parking in Detroit
Not every annoying parking job qualifies as tow-worthy. Detroit’s municipal code treats certain violations as immediate hazards, and those are the ones that get a quick response from police or a private towing company. Blocking a fire hydrant, sitting in front of a driveway, parking in a marked fire lane, or leaving a car in a handicap spot without a placard all count as clear violations you can report right away. Street sweeping and snow emergency violations also apply seasonally, especially once Detroit issues a snow route parking ban after a heavy Lake Erie system dumps a foot of snow on the city.
Private property adds another layer. If a car is parked in your reserved spot at a Livonia apartment complex or blocking a loading dock behind a Southfield business, that’s a private property towing issue rather than a city ordinance violation. The vehicle isn’t breaking a public law, it’s trespassing on space you control, and the rules for removing it are different from what applies on a public street.
If the car isn’t blocking traffic, hydrants, or your own private lot, it probably isn’t going anywhere fast.
Here’s a quick breakdown of common scenarios we see across metro Detroit:
- Blocking a driveway or fire lane: Police or code enforcement can order an immediate tow.
- Parked in your reserved private spot: Handled through private property towing with proper signage and authorization.
- Abandoned on a residential street for days: Reportable to the city as a suspected abandoned vehicle.
- Expired plates or no plates, sitting for weeks: Often falls under abandoned vehicle ordinances, not a simple parking complaint.
Knowing which category your situation falls into determines your very next move, and it’s the difference between a fast resolution and a wasted afternoon on hold.
Step 1. Document the illegally parked vehicle
Before you call anyone, grab your phone and start building a paper trail. Photo evidence is what turns a he-said-she-said dispute into a clear case, whether you’re dealing with Detroit police or a private towing company like ours. Snap the license plate, all four sides of the car, and anything it’s blocking, like a fire hydrant on Michigan Avenue or your reserved spot behind a Southfield strip mall.
What to capture
Get a timestamp on every photo. Most phones do this automatically, but check your settings before you’re standing in a parking lot at 11pm.
- Full license plate, front and back if visible
- Wide shot showing the violation (blocked driveway, fire lane, handicap spot)
- Close-up of any visible damage, flat tires, or expired plates
- Timestamp or a photo including a nearby street sign for location proof
Without a timestamped photo, you’re just describing a problem, not proving one.
Write down how long the vehicle’s been sitting there too. If neighbors on your Livonia block noticed it three days ago, that detail matters once you’re talking to code enforcement or a tow operator about abandoned vehicle rules.
Step 2. Figure out if it’s public or private property
Where the car sits changes everything about who you call next. A vehicle blocking a lane on Gratiot Avenue falls under city jurisdiction, while a car parked across your assigned spot at a Dearborn Heights condo complex is a private property towing matter you can act on directly, as long as the lot has proper signage. Confusing the two wastes time, since Detroit police won’t respond to a dispute over a leased parking space, and a private tow company can’t legally remove a car from a public street without police authorization.
Quick property check
Walk the property line before you make any calls. Look for posted signage stating tow policies, check your lease or HOA rules for parking enforcement language, and confirm whether the curb or lot is city-maintained or privately owned.
| Location Type | Who Handles It | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Public street | Detroit Police / code enforcement | Blocked fire lane on Woodward |
| Private lot with signage | Property owner or authorized tow company | Reserved apartment spot in Livonia |
| Shared private lot, no signage | Often requires police involvement | Southfield strip mall dispute |
Get the property type wrong, and you’ll spend your afternoon transferred between departments that can’t help you.
Step 3. Contact the right authority or towing company
Once you know whether you’re dealing with a public street or private lot, the next call is straightforward. For public violations like a car blocking a driveway on Fenkell or sitting in a fire lane near Eastern Market, Detroit Police non-emergency line is your first stop, since only they can authorize a public tow. For private property, you or your landlord contact a licensed towing company directly, provided your lot has proper no-parking signage posted.
Who to call and when
- Public street violation: Detroit Police non-emergency dispatch, or the local police department in Dearborn, Southfield, or Taylor
- Private lot with signage: Property manager or HOA first, then an authorized towing company
- Shared lot dispute with no clear signage: Police mediation before any tow happens
- Suspected abandoned vehicle: City code enforcement or the abandoned vehicle hotline
Call the wrong number and you’ll wait on hold while the car sits there another day.
We get these calls constantly out of our Detroit shop, and having your photos and address ready when you dial speeds everything up considerably.
Step 4. Follow up and understand the tow process
Once you’ve made the call, don’t just walk away and assume it’s handled. Ask for a reference number or case number when you report a public violation, since that’s what lets you check status later if the car is still sitting there the next day. For private property tows, confirm with the towing company that they’ve logged the vehicle’s plate and location before they hook it up, especially if the vehicle turns out to belong to a visitor rather than a stranger.
A reference number is your proof the request was made, even if the tow takes a while to happen.
What happens after the tow request
Expect some delay on public street violations, since police prioritize active hazards like blocked fire lanes over a car that’s simply parked wrong. Private property tows usually move faster once a licensed company confirms signage and authorization.
- Confirm the vehicle’s plate and location were logged correctly
- Ask how long the impound will hold the car before it’s auctioned or released
- Save your reference number in case you need to call back
- Expect the registered owner to be notified separately by the impound lot
Follow up within 24 hours if nothing’s changed. A quick second call, with your documentation ready, usually gets things moving.
Clearing the way in Metro Detroit
Getting an illegally parked car towed comes down to knowing your steps: document the vehicle, confirm whether you’re dealing with public or private property, call the right authority, and follow up until it’s actually gone. Skip a step and you’re stuck refereeing a dispute you didn’t create, whether that’s a blocked driveway in Taylor or a stranger’s sedan parked across your Dearborn Heights spot for the third day running.
Most of these situations resolve faster than people expect once they have photos, a location, and the right phone number in hand. The part that trips people up is usually property signage or a missing reference number, not the actual tow itself.
If you manage a private lot anywhere from Southfield to Livonia and need proper signage or an authorized towing partner on call, contact Skyline Towing out of our Detroit shop at 6450 E Hancock St. We handle these calls daily and can get your property covered before the next unwanted car shows up.