How to dispute a tow in French Quarter
Think a tow or boot in French Quarter was wrong? Louisiana law gives you a real way to push back, even before you pay.
What Louisiana law says
Louisiana gives you a real way to push back on a tow or a boot, and you don't have to pay first to do it. Every towing invoice has to be itemized and has to list the Louisiana Public Service Commission's own complaint address, P.O. Box 91154, Baton Rouge, LA 70821, or lpsc.louisiana.gov. You're entitled to a copy of that invoice without paying, and you don't have to pay the bill first to have standing to file a complaint. Filing a written complaint with the LPSC, or with a district commissioner's office, stops storage fees from accruing as of the date you filed, if the charges are later found excessive. If it's a boot instead of a tow, La. R.S. 32:1741 gives you 10 days to request an administrative hearing contesting its validity or the fee, and the booting company can't charge a removal fee at all if its staff don't arrive within 90 minutes of your call. An operator that overcharges you can be made to pay back the excess fee plus your attorney's fees and court costs, and the Commission itself can order a refund of up to 200% of any overcharge. Repeated violations put a company's towing license at risk. Quick Tow New Orleans is a private tow company, not the Public Service Commission or the city. We can't resolve someone else's dispute or waive fees, but we can help with transport once it's sorted out.
How it works in French Quarter
- 1 Decide if the tow or boot was actually wrong
Check whether the signage, the itemized invoice, and the fee match Louisiana's capped rate, or, for a boot, whether there's photographic proof of the violation.
- 2 Gather your evidence
Photos of signage, or its absence, your itemized invoice, and timing records all matter. Do this before the lot or signage changes.
- 3 File a written complaint with the LPSC
Reach them at P.O. Box 91154, Baton Rouge, LA 70821, or through lpsc.louisiana.gov. Filing in writing stops storage fees from accruing as of that date if the charges are later found excessive.
- 4 Know you don't have to pay first
Louisiana law doesn't require you to pay the invoice before you have standing to complain, and you can get a copy of the invoice without paying.
- 5 For a boot specifically
You can request an administrative hearing within 10 days to contest its validity or the fee, and no removal fee applies at all if staff don't show up within 90 minutes of your call.
- 6 Follow up
The LPSC can order a refund of up to 200% of any overcharge, and an operator that breaks the rules risks losing its towing license.
What this looks like around French Quarter
Disputed tows in {c} often trace back to French Quarter or CBD enforcement by the city's own Department of Public Works Parking Division. The LPSC complaint process and the 10-day boot-hearing window apply the same way regardless of which city office ordered it.
French Quarter calls run day and night on some of the narrowest streets in the metro, and flatbed is our default here since a standard tow truck can't always work Bourbon St, Royal St, or Decatur St without blocking the whole block. Tourist rental cars parked illegally on residential blocks outside the Quarter's own lots are a constant call type, and French Quarter Fest, Jazz Fest, and any Carnival weekend spill parking for blocks past what the neighborhood can absorb. The city's own posted rules run tow and boot fines from $30 to $500 depending on the violation, and enforcement here is genuinely aggressive, tow trucks work these streets even overnight, not just during business hours. Our other steady call type is the 2 a.m. bar-close recovery, a car left on Bourbon or a side street after last call that needs to move before morning enforcement starts. We reach Jackson Square, the French Market, and the Canal St seam with the CBD in about 15 to 25 minutes, the shortest response window anywhere on our map.
Common French Quarter questions
Can I get my car back without paying if I think the tow was wrong in French Quarter?
You don't have to pay the invoice first to have standing to file a complaint with the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and you can request a copy of the invoice without paying.
Who do I contact to dispute a tow in French Quarter?
File a written complaint with the Louisiana Public Service Commission at P.O. Box 91154, Baton Rouge, LA 70821, or through lpsc.louisiana.gov. Filing in writing also stops storage fees from accruing as of that date.
How do I dispute a boot instead of a tow in French Quarter?
You can request an administrative hearing within 10 days to contest the boot, and no removal fee applies at all if boot-removal staff don't arrive within 90 minutes of your call.
Can Quick Tow New Orleans settle my tow dispute in French Quarter?
No, we're a private tow company, not the Public Service Commission or the city. We can't resolve a dispute or waive fees, but we can help with transport once it's resolved.
Related help for French Quarter
Disputing a tow in the rest of the Orleans Core area
Need your car towed once it's released in French Quarter?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can tow it home the moment it clears.