CT Senate Passes Bill Curbing Quick Tow Sales of Old Cars

HARTFORD, Conn. (Day.News) — The Connecticut Senate passed Senate Bill 413 on April 29, 2026, with a 35-1 vote, establishing new restrictions on when towing companies can sell impounded vehicles to recoup fees. The legislation, spurred by investigative reporting from The Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica, requires towing firms to wait 30 days before selling any car and prohibits sales of vehicles newer than 15 years old during that period. Previously, companies could initiate sales after just 15 days for cars deemed worth less than $1,500 — one of the shortest windows nationwide, often leaving low-income drivers in working-class areas like Waterbury unable to retrieve their vehicles. The bill mandates the Department of Motor Vehicles to launch an online portal allowing owners to track towed vehicles' locations and auction status, addressing complaints about opaque processes. It also creates an advisory council to oversee towing policies, portal administration and owner retrieval issues. This follows 2025 reforms under House Bill 7162, which extended the sales wait to 30 days universally, required credit card payments, pre-tow photos, certified mail notices to owners and lienholders, and a 72-hour grace period for expired parking stickers. Lawmakers cited predatory towing in private lots, where firms like Waterbury's MyHoopty enforced strict rules, towing cars for minor violations and selling them rapidly. Critics, including residents in low-income neighborhoods, argued the practices exacerbated financial hardship. S.B. 413, if passed by the House, takes effect Oct. 1, 2026, aiming to balance property owners' rights with driver protections amid Connecticut's ongoing towing overhaul.