Heavy Truck
Heavy towing in North Carolina
This state's heavy law is a cargo-release law — the checker runs the release path first. It sets no heavy rate cap.
Rules checked October 2026
N.C. SB 311 (eff. Dec. 1, 2025). Proposed, not law: HB 199 (Towing & Recovery Commission + fee caps) — tracked on the watch list, never printed as law
Cargo
After a nonconsensual or government tow, the tower must PROMPTLY RETURN commercial cargo on request. Trailer swaps are allowed only with a similar, working trailer no more than five years older.
Booting
Booting a commercial truck for parking enforcement is a Class 2 misdemeanor ($1,000 fine, up to 60 days) — effective December 1, 2025.
The honest limit
North Carolina sets NO maximum rate for heavy private-property tows. This state is a cargo-release state and a no-cap state at the same time — the verdict prints the cargo line and the reasonableness path, never an invented cap.
The reasonableness exhibit
ATRI (November 2023), 490 real carrier invoices: average clean crash tow $8,925.90 · average predatory bill $18,154.52 · 29.8% contained predatory charges. The benchmark page →
Who takes the complaint
North Carolina Attorney General — Consumer Protection; local law enforcement for the booting crime.